The Planets

The Planets

The solar system consists of nine planets, in order of proximity to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The four planets closest to the Sun are rocky and terrestrial.

The outer planets, also called Jovian, are gaseous and are mainly composed of helium, hydrogen and other light elements, with the exception of Pluto, the ninth planet that has been the protagonist of a great debate; Due to its ice composition, small size and eccentric orbit, it is discussed whether the planet classification is correct or if it should be identified as a Kuiper object.

 

GROUND PLANETS

MERCURY

It is the closest planet to the Sun and has a surface full of impacts; Its atmosphere is almost empty, with oxygen being its main component. Temperatures are extreme since in the day they exceed 400 ° C and at night they drop to –200 ° C. Their rotation period is 58.6 days.

 VENUS

Planet of similar size to the Earth, its main characteristic is the dense layer of clouds that covers its surface. Its atmosphere is mainly composed of carbon dioxide, which produces a high greenhouse effect causing temperatures to be around 460 ° C. with a very low thermal oscillation. Its surface is eroded and shows traces of volcanic activity. Its rotation is retrograde.

EARTH

Our planetary home. It has a natural satellite, vast expanses of liquid water on its surface and an atmosphere composed mainly of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and other gases.

 MARS

Small planet that has a thin atmosphere whose main component is carbon dioxide. It has two natural satellites, Phobos and Deimos, which due to their amorphous forms and very dark tones are probably captured asteroids. They highlight their polar caps, dust storms that cover almost a hemisphere and the change of seasons.

 JOVIAN PLANETS

JUPITER

It is the largest planet in the Solar System, its composition is gaseous and consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Another feature is its gigantic storm known as the Great Red Spot, with a diameter equivalent to three planets Earth. To date, 61 natural satellites have been discovered. The four largest were discovered by Galileo. It also has a faint ring system.

SATURN

Second planet in size of the Solar System, its main feature is a ring system that is composed of millions of ice particles; The rings are easy to observe from Earth. So far, more than 30 satellites have been discovered.

 URANUS

It was the first planet discovered with a telescope by William Hershel. Its rotation is retrograde and its rotation plane is inclined almost 90º with respect to the plane of its orbit. It is accompanied by a system of rings and several satellites.

 NEPTUNE

First planet discovered by mathematical prediction of its position in the sky. He is accompanied by several satellites and a ring system. Triton, its largest satellite, revolves around the planet in a retrograde sense, which suggests that it is an object

captured from the Kuiper Belt.

PLUTO

Since August 2006, it ceased to be considered the ninth planet in our solar system, being currently classified as a "dwarf planet." It is accompanied by a satellite of half its size called Charon which is multi-stationary. It has a cold and thin atmosphere of methane and nitrogen. Its rotation is retrograde and takes six days. It has an eccentric and highly inclined orbit with respect to the ecliptic, so that in its perihelion (the point of the orbit closest to the Sun) it approaches to the interior of the orbit of Neptune. It is much smaller than the planets, even more than 7 of the moons of our solar system. Because of this and its great distance from the Sun and the Earth, it is very difficult to observe.