Planets in Our Solar System

1. Mercury

1. It is the smallest planet in the solar system
2. It is closest to the sun
3. Completes one revolution in the shortest amount of time 88 days, to be precise 88.97 days.Its size is marginally greater than that of the Earth’s moon.

It has a small number of moons & since it is so closer to the Sun, it has an unfavorable climate for any type of life to survive. At night, its surface temperature is 100 K, & during the day, it reaches 700 K. (this high diurnal range of temperature is because Mercury has no atmosphere to retain & this is the highest among all planets).

Also Read: Smallest Planet in the Solar System

2. Venus

1. Second brightest object visible from Earth &
2. Rotates on its axis in 243 Earth days, taking 224.7 Earth days to complete 1 revolution (maximum time period taken by any planet to complete 1 rotation). Except Uranus, it rotates counterclockwise to all other planets (from West to East).

Also, a day on Venus corresponds to a year on Earth. As it resembles the Earth in terms of size, shape, mass, proximity to the sun & dense composition, it is called as the Earth’s twin sister. In the atmosphere, it has 96% carbon content making it unsuitable for human settlement. As the average surface temperature is exceptionally high (735K), it becomes the warmest planet.

3. Earth

1. Only planet known to support life & is located third from the Sun.
2. Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old.

One cycle around the Sun takes 365.264 days to complete, & one rotation around its axis takes 24 hours (& after every four complete revolutions 4 years it takes a day longer 366 days to complete a revolution). Its crust is fragmented into various tectonic plates & is 71% submerged by water (lithosphere). Both the liquid outer core & solid inner core of Earth continue to be active & produce its magnetic field.

4. Mars

• Second-smallest planet in the solar system
• Due to the presence of iron oxide, Mars is crimson in colour & is known as the “red planet”.

Phobos & Deimos are the names of its moons. It requires 687 Earth days & a full Martian year to travel there & its gravity is 38% that of the Earth (16,500 hours).

5. Jupiter

• Biggest planet of all & is located five planets away from the Sun.
• Amongst the brightest objects in the sky which can be seen with the naked eye.

Jupiter is a massive gas ball that is one thousand times as massive as the Sun & has no clearly defined surface.

6. Saturn

• Second-largest planet in the solar system & the sixth planet from the Sun.
• A massive gas planet with an average radius nine times that of the Earth.

Its inner core consists of Nickel & Iron. Its magnetic field is a little weaker than Earth’s magnetic field & is created by an electric current flowing through the hydrogen layer.

7. Uranus

• Third-largest planet by radius & the fourth-largest planet by mass.
• Seventh planet from the Sun.
• Also known as the “ice giant”

While its main constituents are comparable to those of Jupiter & Saturn, it also contains additional ices, including traces of hydrocarbons as well as methane, water, & ammonia. Except Venus, Uranus rotates in the opposite direction from all the planets (it rotates from west to east).

8. Neptune

• The Solar System’s farthest planet
• third-most massive, densest,
• In terms of diameter, Neptune is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System.

It is 17 times as massive as Earth & is kind of heavier than Uranus, its closest neighbour.

Planets in our Solar System: Over several years, we have seen how humans have been interested in exploring various planets that are found in our solar system. From the very first launch in the late 1950s till the present, various probes, orbiters, landers & rovers have been sent to every planet in our solar system. The “planet” word is derived from the word “planets,” meaning wanderer.

Planets are celestial bodies that orbit the sun in a fixed orbit; they do not emit their light but reflect sunlight. As they are too close to the Earth, they don’t twinkle like other stars. To date, Earth remains the only planet to support life & have a favorable environment.

This article explores the origin & formation of the solar system, along with all the planets in our solar system in detail.