Science Time: 8 planets in the Solar System

Yesterday my daughter was assigned to do a research about the 8 planets in the solar system. The internet really makes it easy when it comes to research matter as compared before my time wherein I need to look the topic among encyclopedias. Aside from Wikipedia, I also tried other references available and just summarized it.

Below is the list of the 8 planets in the solar system with a brief description:

MERCURY

The Planet Mercury is the closest planet to our sun and is the smallest planet in the solar system. It is named after a roman god. It has no natural satellites and no substantial atmosphere.

VENUS

The Planet Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. It is located between our Earth and Mercury. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Venus is covered with thick clouds that create a greenhouse effect that makes it very hot. Venus has no moons.

EARTH

Planet Earth is third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system. The Earth consists of a gaseous atmosphere, the hydrosphere (all water on Earth), the lithosphere, mantle, and core. Water in the form of the oceans covers approximately 70% of the earth's surface. The remaining 30% is land. There are five contientnts: Eurasia (Europe and Asia), America (North and South Amererica), Africa, Antaractica and Australia.

MARS

Planet Mars is also called the Red Planet or Red World. Mars is reddish in colour and was named after the god of war of the ancient Romans. Mars is the only planet whose surface can be seen in detail from the Earth. Mars is the fourth closest planet to the Sun and the next planet beyond the Earth.

JUPITER

The Planet Jupiter is the LARGEST PLANET in our Solar System. Jupiter has at least 39 moons and they include: Europa, Io, Callisto and Ganymede. Jupiter was explored in flybys in the 1970s by NASA's Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, and is currently being studied by the Galileo spacecraft.

SATURN

The Planet Saturn is the second largest planet. It is the next planet after Jupiter. Saturn is named after a Roman God and is famous for its beautiful rings. It has at least 31 moons. These include Titan, Hyperion, Mimas, Enceladus, Rhea, and Phoebe.

URANUS

The Planet Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system, is a Gas Giant and is the seventh planet from the sun. Planet Uranus has rings like Planet Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune.

NEPTUNE

The Planet Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun. It is also known as the Blue Giant. Neptune is the fourth and outermost of the gas giant planets and also has rings. Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium. In Roman mythology Neptune was the god of the Sea.