The Planets: A Quick Tour of Our Solar System
- Mercury – The planet closest to the sun can reach temperatures of 427 degrees Celsius, but also a chilly low of -173 degrees at night,
- Venus – Farther from the sun, but hotter than Mercury, Venus’s surface has an average temperature of 468 degrees; hot enough to melt lead.
- Earth – Our rotation is slowing, but don’t panic. The decrease is only about 17 milliseconds per 100 years, so we won’t have 25-hour days for 140 million years.
- Mars – Looking for a rock from Mars? You can find them here on Earth. Meteorites from the red planet have been discovered in the Sahara and in Antarctica.
- Jupiter – This gas giant has a magnetic field so powerful it draws space debris into its orbit, thus protecting the inner planets.
- Saturn – Saturn is famous for its ring, but they aren’t unique. Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus also possess rings, but they’re harder to see from Earth.
- Neptune – Winds on Neptune can reach a speed of 2414km per hour or more.
- Uranus – All planets rotate, but only Uranus does so on its side. Scientists speculate that a collision with another large object may have caused its tilt.
