MARS

Mars The red planet is dusty, cold world with a thin atmosphere, It is said to be called “Red planet”. It is reddish in colour due to the presence of iron oxide on its surface.

• Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet of the Solar System.
• Mars is the most widely searched planet for life, inspiring many works of fiction.
• The first person to observe Mars with the use of a telescope was Galileo Galilei. He observed the Red Planet in 1610.
• Mars is 227.9 million kilometers / 141.6 million miles away from the Sun.
• Light from the Sun reaches Mars in about 13 minutes.
• Mars is around two times smaller than Earth. It has a diameter of 6.779 km / 4.212 mi.
• Mars is around 10 times less massive than Earth.
• Mars is the outermost terrestrial planet, outside Earth’s orbit. It is 50% farther away from the Sun than Earth.
• Mars has two known natural satellites, Phobos and Deimos.
• Phobos is predicted to suffer a collision with Mars in the distant future.
• The atmosphere on Mars is thin, mostly comprised of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon gases.
• The tallest volcano/mountain in the Solar System is located on Mars. It is named Olympus Mons and it seems to have a height of 21 km / 13 mi.
• Mars also has the biggest canyon in the Solar System. It is named Valles Marines. It is 4.000 km / 2.500 mi long and reaches depths of 7 km / 4 mi deep. The Grand Canyon on Earth is only 446 km / 226 mi long, and only 1.6 km / 1 mi deep.
• Mars doesn’t have a magnetic field however some areas are highly magnetized.
• The average temperature on Mars is -80 degrees Fahrenheit / -60 degrees Celsius.

JUPITER

The planet Jupiter is named after the supreme Roman god. To the ancient Greeks, he was known as Zeus, ruler of the Greek gods, and Mount Olympus.

It is the largest planet in the solar system. It is made primarily of gases and is therefore known as ‘Giant Gas planet’.

 Jupiter is a massive planet, twice the size of all other planets combined and has a centuries-old storm that is bigger than Earth.

• Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the biggest planet of our Solar System. Some consider it a failed star since it is made out of swirling gases and liquids such as 90% hydrogen, and 10% helium – very similar to the Sun.
• Jupiter is the fourth brightest object in the sky and one of the five visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn).
• The envelope of gases – atmosphere – surrounding Jupiter is the largest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System. It makes up almost the entire planet. Basically, it doesn’t have a true surface with its atmosphere reaching altitudes of 5.000 km / 1.864 mi.
• Through the observations of Jupiter, the discovery of the four Galilean moons ended the belief that everything revolved around the Earth.
• Jupiter has a total of 67 confirmed moons. It is second only to Saturn when it comes to the total amount of satellites.
• Jupiter also has 3 ring systems but much smaller than Saturn’s.
• Though they can be seen only through ultraviolet, Jupiter’s auroras are the brightest in the Solar System.
• Jupiter has a mean radius of 69.911 kilometers / 43.440 miles, a diameter at the equator of around 142.984 km / 88.846 mi, and a diameter at the poles of 133.708 km / 83.082 mi.
• Jupiter’s mass is almost twice of all the Solar System’s planets combined. It is 318 times more massive than Earth.
• Jupiter is on average about 5.2 AU away from the Sun. One AU is equivalent to 150 million km / 93 million mi.
• Jupiter experiences 200 times more asteroid and comet impacts than Earth.
• In a way, Jupiter is the Solar System’s vacuum cleaner, because of its powerful gravity which attracts many of the comets and asteroids to hit it rather than other planets.                         

                                                     SATURN

The planet Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture. In Greek mythology, he is known as Cronus, the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn is the root of the English word “Saturday.”

It is the only planet in our solar system whose average density is less than water. Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and the second largest (after Ganymede of Jupiter) in the solar system. It is the only moon in the solar system with clouds and a dense, planet-like

atmosphere.

• Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun with the largest planetary rings in the Solar System.
• It is the second-largest planet in the Solar System after Jupiter.
• Saturn has a radius of 58.232 kilometers / 36.183 miles and a diameter of 120.536 km / 74.897 mi.
• The surface area of Saturn is 83 times greater than Earth.
• Saturn is the King of the Moons, having a total of 82 confirmed moons. There are probably more out there.
• The largest moon of Saturn is named Triton, and it is the second-largest moon in the Solar System after Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Triron is much bigger than even the planet Mercury.
• Periodic storms are present on Saturn, and they are large enough to be seen from Earth. They are named White Spots.
• Saturn doesn’t have a solid surface. It is enveloped by swirling gases and liquids the further down you go. 
• It is possible that Saturn may have a core, it would be at least twice the size of Earth and it would be comprised out of metals like iron, and nickel.
• The temperature on Saturn’s upper atmosphere is on average at around -175 degrees Celsius / -285 degrees Fahrenheit. This is quite cold for a gas giant at least. However, below its clouds, it gets considerably hotter.
• Saturn has the lowest density of all the planets. It is lighter than water and if placed on it, the planet would float.
• The low density of Saturn is attributed to its composition. The planet is largely made up of gases such as hydrogen and helium.
• Saturn’s composition together with its atmosphere influences its color, giving it a brownish-yellow appearance.

Name of Planet                Image of Planet                       No of Satellites

The planets orbit around the sun in elliptical path, the point close (Perihelion) to the sun and far away (Aphelion) from the sun.