__________

Reading Comprehension Sheet

Mercury
Mercury is the planet closest to the sun. It is one of the four inner planets. The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The inner planets are also called the rocky planets, because they are made of rocks. Mercury orbits the sun very quickly. It only takes it 88 days to go around the sun. It takes Earth 365 days to orbit around the sun. One orbit around the sun is a year. A year on Earth is 365 days. A year on Mercury is only 88 days! Mercury spins very slowly on its axis. It takes Mercury 176 "Earth days" to spin around on its axis one time. It takes Earth only 24 hours to spin all the way around. Our day is 24 hours long, because that is how long it takes Earth to spin around once. A day on Mercury is 176 Earth days long. Could you stay up that long???? See the Earth spin? One spin is a 24 hour day. The Earth will spin around 176 times before Mercury would spin around once! An Earth day is shorter than a day on Mercury.

Pluto is the only planet that is smaller than Mercury. Mercury is about 1/3 the size of Earth. 3 Mercurys = 1 Earth! Mercury has many craters all over it. This picture shows some of the craters. Craters are big holes that are made when meteorites hit a planet.

Answer the Comprehension Questions Below: Directions: Read the text about Mercury. Use the information to answer the questions below: 1. Which planet is closest to the sun? ___________________________________________________________ 2. What are the names of the four inner planets? ___________________________________________________________ 3. What is another name for the "Inner Planets"? ___________________________________________________________ 4. How long is one year on Mercury? _____________________________________________________________________ _____ 5. How many days shorter is one year one Mercury than one year on Earth? Show how you know in the space below: ___________________________________________________________

6. How long is one day on Mercury? ___________________________________________________________

7. What is a crater? ___________________________________________________________ 8. What was the author's purpose for writing this article? ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

Venus: Number Two Tries Harder!!

Venus is the second planet from the sun. It is one of the four inner planets. The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The inner planets are also called the rocky planets, because they are made of rocks. Venus is sometimes called the "Evening Star" and the "Morning Star," because it is very bright and can be seen easily at sunset and sunrise. It is so bright it looks like a star, but it does not twinkle.

Venus is unlike the other planets, because it spins backwards on its axis. It also spins very slowly! One day on Venus is longer than one year on Venus! Whats that? Earth days are shorter than Earth years. But, it takes Venus 243 days to spin around on its axis one time, while Earth takes only 24 hours! So, one Venus day is as long as 243 Earth days! Venus orbits the sun in only 225 days! This makes one Venus year 225 days long! Earth orbits the sun one time in 365 days. So, how many days in one Earth year? Right! 365 days!

Spinning

Orbiting

Click here to go to page 2 of the reading sheet ___________________________

Reading Comprehension Sheet #3:Venus/ Page 2

Venus: Number Two Tries Harder!!

Astronomers call Venus Earth's "sister planet," because it is about the same size as Earth and because its gravity is about the same as Earth's. This means you would weigh about the same amount on Venus and on Earth. Venus, however, is very different from Earth. In the paragraphs below you will learn about some ways these sister planets are different. Earth has big oceans and a lot of water vapor in the air. Venus has no oceans, and there is almost no water vapor in its air. Earth has clouds made of water vapor, while the clouds on Venus are made of sulphuric acid! These clouds on Venus cover the whole surface of the planet! They let sunlight in, but do not let heat out. That is why Venus is very, very hot! Venus is even hotter than Mercury, which is closer to the sun! The temperature on the surface of Venus is about 900 degrees Farenheit! That is nine times as hot as a 100 degree day on Earth! __________________________

Reading Comprehension Sheet #3: Venus/page 1

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 1. Circle each of one of the four inner planets: Mars Venus Jupiter Uranus Saturn Earth Neptune Pluto Mercury 2. The inner planets are also called the rocky planets, because
A. they move with a rocking motion B. they are made of rocks C. scientists have collected rocks from each of them

3. Venus is called the Evening Star and the Morning Star, because.....
A. it was discovered in the morning B. it is really a star C. it can easily be seen at sunset and sunrise

Circle T if the sentence is True; F if the sentence is False. T. F. 4. One day on Venus is longer than one year on Venus. T. F. 5. One day on Venus is 24 hours, just like on Earth. T. F. 6. One day on Venus is longer than one day on Earth. T. F. 7. One Venus year is 225 days long. T. F. 8. Venus spins backwards on its axis. T. F. 9. Venus spins on its axis more slowly than Earth spins. T. F. 10. One year on Earth is 365 days.

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 11. Earth and Venus are alike, because___________
A. each planet has big oceans B. each planet has clouds C. the planets are about the same temperature

12. Earth and Venus are different, because_________________

A. Venus has no oceans, at all B. neither planet has cloud cover C. Earth can get to almost 900 degrees Farenheit

13. It is very, very hot on Venus, because______________________

A. it is the planet closest to the sun B. its oceans are hot water C. the cloud cover will not let heat out

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is one of the four inner planets. The other three inner planets are Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The inner planets are also called the rocky planets, because they are made of rocks. Earth is often called the "Water Planet," because it is the only planet in our solar system which has liquid water on its surface. About 70% of the surface of Earth is covered by water! The other part of Earth is made up of continents and islands which have different landforms on them. Examples of landforms are mountains and plains. Plants and animals can live on Earth, because it has so much water.

Earth spins very quickly compared to other planets. It only takes Earth 24 hours to spin around its axis one time. One Earth day is 24 hours long!!! Earth orbits the sun in 365 days! This makes one Earth year 365 days long!!!

Earth is the only planet in our solar system where humans, other animals, and plants can live. There is plenty of water to drink or to live in. Water is present on Earth in its big oceans and in the air! Earths clouds are made of water vapor. Earths atmosphere has a lot of oxygen in it for animals to breathe, but the rest of our "air" is made up of water vapor, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. The air is perfect for plants to grow. Earths temperature is not the same in all places, but the temperature is just right for plants , animals, and humans in most places on Earth.

Like the other inner planets, Earth has volcanoes. Volcanoes on Earth are different from those on other planets, because they still erupt. Scientists think that there may be active volcanoes on other planets and moons in our solar system, but they are still studying this. Earth has one moon which we call the Moon. The surface of the Moon has many craters on it caused when meteorites hit it. It has many volcanoes on it which do not erupt anymore. We can see the moon at night without using a telescope. It is the closest space object to our planet, Earth. Click here for Comprehension Sheet e:____________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #4: Earth

Directions: Use the Information in the Reading Sheet to answer the questions below:

1. Circle the two sentences that are TRUE about the Earth.
A. Earth is the closest planet to the sun. B. Earth is one of four inner planets. C. Earth is made of rocks.

2. Earth is called the Water Planet,

A. because animals need water. B. the water makes it look blue from space. C. it has liquid water on its surface.

3. Which are examples of landforms?

A. water and planets B. water and animals C. mountains and plains

4. It takes Earth _____________ to orbit the sun in one year.

A. 24 hours B. 24 days C. 365 days

5. Humans, plants, and other animals

A. can live on the four inner planets B. can live only on Earth C. can live on Earth and Mars

6. Life exists on Earth,

A. because the water, air, and temperature are just right B. there is water vapor in clouds C. Earth is the planet closest to the sun

7. Earths volcanoes are different from those on other planets,

A. because Earth is the third planet from the sun. B. Earths volcanoes still erupt. C. no other planet has volcanoes.

8. The craters on the moon were caused by

A. meteorites hitting its surface. B. active volcanoes. C. volcanoes which do not erupt anymore.

9. The closest space object to our planet, Earth is

A. Venus B. a meteorite C. the Moon

___________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #5: Mars

Mars - The Red Planet

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is the last of the four inner planets. These planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Mars is often called the "Red Planet" because that is its color. Here is a picture of "Twin Peaks" on the surface of Mars. You can see that the surface is rocky and sandy looking. The picture was taken on July 4th, 1997 by the Mars Pathfinder's camera. The "peaks" are the hills in the back of the picture. They are about 100 feet tall. Mars spins very quickly compared to other planets. It only takes Earth 24 hours to spin around its axis one time. Mars spins around on its axis in 24 hours and 36 minutes. This means that the Martian Day is about half an hour longer than ours! One Mars Day is about 24 and one half hours long. Mars has a very long year. It is about 687 Earth days long! That is almost twice as long one year on Earth. Mars has an atmosphere, but it is different than Earth's. Our atmosphere is made up of oxygen (which we breathe), nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other gases. Earth has a lot of water vapor in the air. Mars has "air" made up mostly of carbon dioxide. Other important gases in the air of Mars are nitrogen and oxygen. There is much less oxygen in the air of Mars than we have on Earth. We would not be able to breathe the air on Mars. Mars has water vapor in the air, but Earth has four times as much.Mars has weather, but it is different than Earth's. Scientists have pictures of clouds on Mars. The clouds are made of water vapor. Scientists do not know if it ever rains on Mars. They do know Mars has winds and very big dust storms. An interesting fact about Mars is that it has a North pole and a South Pole. This picture shows what the ice cap on Mars's North pole looks like. The ice is made of water and carbon dioxide. This proves that Mars has water available, but it is ice, not liquid. The ice caps get bigger and smaller during the Martian summer and winter.
Image Note: Photo Credits: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.

Click here for page 2 of the Reading Sheet me:_____________________________

Reading Comprehension Sheet #5: Mars/Page

Mars - The Red Planet

Mars has the biggest volcano in our solar system. It is called Olympus Mons. It is 16 miles high! The fuzzy white "mist" in the picture is clouds. Olypus Mons is flat like a pancake although it is 16 miles high. It is wider than the state of Hawaii.

Mars has two moons named Phobos and Deimos. The picture to the left shows Phobos, Deimos and an asteroid called Gaspra. The picture to the right shows Olympus Mons: The Solar System's largest volcano!

Click here to go to the reading comprehension sheet

__________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #5: Mars/page 1

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 1. Describe what the the surface of Mars looks like according to the article: ______________________________________________________________ _____________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________ 2. Use the Venn Diagram below to compare and contrast Earth and Mars:

3. Write five interesting facts that you have learned about Mars by reading this article on the lines below: ______________________________________________________________ _____________ ______________________________________________________________

_____________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________ ame:_____________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #10: Jupiter

Jupiter: King of the Planets!

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun. It is the largest planet in the solar system and it is the largest of the outer planets. The outer planets are: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are called "gas giants" because they are mostly made of gases and are very large. Pluto is believed to be covered with ice. Jupiter is named after the Roman "King of the gods". Jupiter was the leader of the made-up gods that the Romans who lived long, long ago believed in. The planet is named Jupiter because it is so big! Jupiter is mostly made of a gas called hydrogen. Its atmosphere has three layers of clouds in it. The first layer of clouds is made of ammonia. Ammonia is the stinky stuff that is used to clean floors and is found in spraycleaners like window cleaners. The second layer of clouds is made of ammonia and sulphur. Sulpher is the material found on the head of a match that makes it light. The third layer of clouds is made of water vapor. Jupiter has a lot of storms in its atmosphere. The spot in this picture is a storm on Jupiter. Scientists call this Jupiter's red spot. It is a storm which has been going on for about 300 years!!! It is 2 times as big as our whole planet Earth. This storm is like a giant hurricane. It has winds that blow as fast as 270 miles per hour!! The Red Spot is the biggest storm in the Solar system. An interesting fact about Jupiter is that it has rings. Here is a picture from NASA showing Jupiter's rings. Some of Jupiter's moons are found in its rings. Jupiter has at least 16 moons and maybe more!! 4 of them are called the Galilean moons because they were discovered by a scientist named Galileo who lived about 400 years ago. Galileo invented the telescope.

Click here to go to page 2 of the comprehension sheet ________________

Reading Comprehension Sheet #10: Jupiter/page 2

Jupiter: King of the Planets!

The 4 Galilean moons are named: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. They are very interesting. Io has active volcanoes on it! Scientists think that Europa may have a liquid layer of water under its surface! They wonder if there could be anything living in it. Europa is very, very cold, but things can live under the ice in Antarctica! It is very cold there, too. Here is a picture of the four Galilean moons: The first one is Io. The second one is Europa. Next, is Ganymede and the last moon is Callista.

Images are courtesy of NASA/JPL Jupiter's Red Spot Photo on Jupiter page 1: Image Credit:Amy Simon (Cornell U.), Reta Beebe (NMSU), Heidi Hammel (Space Science Institute, MIT) .

Here is a picture of Jupiter and its four Galilean moons!

Jupiter spins very quickly on its axis. A Jupiter day is only about ten hours long. It takes Jupiter 12 Earth years to orbit around the sun once!

Click here for Reading Comprehension Sheet __________________________

Reading Comprehension Sheet #10: Jupiter

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 1. Circle the names of all of the outer planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Pluto 2. Which of the following is an opinion?
A. Jupiter's atmosphere is made mostly of hydrogen. B. An interesting fact about Jupiter is that it has rings. C. Jupiter is named after the Roman "King of the gods."

3. Which of the following is a fact?

A. The Red Spot is the biggest storm in the solar system B. The Red Spot on Jupiter is very important to learn about. C. The Red Spot on Jupiter is beautiful, but frightening.

4. List the three layers of Jupiter's atmosphere and what they are made of on the lines below: ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ 5. Why are 12 of Jupiter's moons NOT called Galilean moons?

______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ 6. Explain why scientists wonder if there could be life on Jupiter's moon, Europa. ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ 7. Write an interesting fact about Io on the lines below: ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ____________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #7: Uranus

Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun, and it is the third of the outer planets. Uranus has a very short day. One day on Uranus is only 17 hours long, but a year on Uranus is

VERY long. It takes Uranus 84 Earth years to orbit the sun one time, so Uranus orbits the sun only about once time in our lifetime! Uranus has more moons than any other planet. So far, 20 moons have been discovered! 18 of these moons are "for sures. The other 2 bodies are still being studied to make sure they are moons. This picture shows Uranus and some of its moons. You can see that Uranus has rings like Saturn and Jupiter, but they are not colorful or easy to see. Uranus's rings are very thin. Uranus was first seen by a scientist named William Herschel in 1781, about 5 years after America declared its freedom from England. Herschel wanted to name Uranus after King George III, who was the king of England at that time, but other scientists didn't like this. Therefore, Uranus was named after another made-up Roman and Greek god like all the other planets. Uranus is made of methane ice. On Earth methane is a gas, but it is so cold on Uranus that methane is frozen into ice. However, in Uranus' atmosphere the methane is a gas. In fact, there so many clouds made of methane in Uranus atmosphere, that they cover the whole planet. The clouds of methane give Uranus its bluish-green color. Weather on Uranus is mostly winds that move through the atmosphere at about 320 miles an hour!! An odd fact about Uranus is that it "lays on its side. Its north and south poles are in the middle instead of on the top and on the bottom! Here is a picture that shows this. Uranus sort of looks like a ball that got squished in the middle! Click here for Comprehension Sheet ame:____________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #7: Uranus

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below:

1. Which is a true statement?

A. A day on Uranus is longer than a year on Earth. B. A day on Earth is as long as a day on Uranus. C. A year on Uranus is 84 times longer than a year on Earth.

2. Which of these is a true statement?

A. Jupiter has the most moons in the solar system. B. The rings of Uranus are very thin. C. The rings of Uranus are more colorful than Jupiters rings.

3. If Herschel had his way, what name would best have honored King George?
A. Georgia B. Your honor C. Your highness

4. The planets are named after

A. common types of rocks B. scientists C. Roman and Greek gods

5. Which statement must be true?

A. Uranus surface is colder than Uranus atmosphere. B. It rains all the time on Uranus. C. Trees on Uranus have deep roots.

6. How are Uranus and Saturn alike and different? ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________

____ 7. Write five ways that Uranus is different from Earth on the lines below: ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ________________________________________ ________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #8: Neptune

Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and the fourth of the outer planets. Neptune is a blue color, because its atmosphere is mainly made of methane gas, just like Uranus atmosphere. Neptune's day is about the same length as Uranus's. It is 17 hours long. One year on Neptune is 165 Earth years - about twice as long as Uranus's year! It takes Neptune 165 years to circle around the sun one time because it is so far away. Neptune has some interesting features. Jupiter has the "Great Red Spot" that looks like an eye, but Neptune has a "Great Dark Spot". Jupiter's spot is really a storm, however, scientists think that Neptune's spot is a hole in its atmosphere! Like Uranus, Neptune's atmosphere is mostly made of methane gas. Neptune also has bands of thin white clouds that look like stripes. The cloud patterns change as Neptune spins on its axis.
(Photos courtesy of JPL/NASA))

Neptune has 8 moons. The biggest one is

Triton. Here is a picture from NASA showing Triton and Neptune. Neptune is much, much bigger than Triton. Triton looks bigger in this picture because the camera was closer to Triton than it was to Neptune. Click here for Reading Comprehension Sheet ____________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #8: Neptune

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 1. Because Neptunes atmosphere is mainly methane gas,
A. it is very cold there. B. the planet looks blue. C. it is an outer planet.

2. Neptune is like Uranus in these ways:

A. They are the same distance from the sun and are inner planets. B. They are outer planets and have the same diameter. C. They have an atmosphere made up of methane gas, and each planets day is about 17 hours long.

3. How is Neptune like Jupiter?

A. Both planets have a visible great spot. B. Both planets are inner planets. C. They are the same size.

4. How are Jupiter and Neptune different?

A. They spin in opposite directions. B. The spot on Jupiter is a storm, but Neptunes spot is thought to be a hole in its atmosphere. C. Jupiter is red, but Neptune is green.

5. Why does the moon, Triton, appear bigger than Neptune in the picture?
A. The camera was closer to Triton when the photo was taken.

B. The camera was closer to Neptune when the photo was taken. C. Triton is bigger than Neptune.

___________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #9: Pluto

Pluto
Pluto is the last of the outer planets (that we know of!) and is the ninth planet from the sun. Scientists did not discover Pluto until 1930, because it is so small and hard to see even with a telescope. In 1930, it was discovered by an amateur astronomer! Scientists have interesting theories about why Pluto is so small and where it may have come from. Some astronomers think Pluto may have come into our Solar System from an area called the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is located past Pluto's orbit and appears to be an asteroid belt which circles the outermost part of our Solar System. Astronomers have recently studied this using very powerful telescopes such as the Hubble Space telescope. They have found 32 objects so far which appear to be asteroids. They estimate there may be as many as 35,000 objects in the Kuiper Belt! Maybe Pluto is an asteroid that escaped from the belt and was drawn into orbit in our Solar System by the sun's gravity. Other scientists think that Pluto might even be be an old moon of Neptune that escaped its orbit and moved further out into its own orbit. No one is sure what the truth about Pluto is, so for now it is still officially called a planet! Pluto is extremely small and has one moon, Charon, which is almost the same size as the planet. Pluto is only 1,430 miles across. It spins fairly slowly. One

Pluto day is 6 Earth days and nine hours long. It takes a long time to orbit the sun, however. One Pluto year is 248 earth years long! Scientists have not discovered much about Pluto because it is so far away from the Earth and hard to see even with very powerful telescopes. They think it is made of rock and ice, and might have a thin atmosphere made of gases such as nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane. They do know it is smaller than our moon and must be very cold because it is so far away from the sun. One thing scientists have discovered is that Pluto has a very odd orbit. Sometimes it switches places with Neptune and becomes the eighth planet from the sun. Other times it is the ninth planet from the sun. From 1979 until February 11, 1999 Pluto was the eighth planet from the sun. It crossed Neptune's orbit on February 11, 1999 and once again became the ninth planet from the sun. It will stay in this position for the next 228 years! Click here for Reading Comprehension Sheet me:____________________________
Reading Comprehension Sheet #9: Pluto/page 1 of 2

Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 1. Why wasn't Pluto discovered until 1930? ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ 2. Which of the following tells what the word theories means in the sentence: "Scientists have interesting theories about why Pluto is so small and where it comes from"?
A. Advice from people who are very intelligent. B. Explanations about something that are proven by experiments. C. Ideas about something that haven't been proven yet.

3. What is the Kuiper Belt? ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ 4. What are two theories scientists have about where Pluto came from? ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ Click here to go to page 2 ____________________________ Reading Comprehension Sheet #9: Pluto/Page 2 Directions: Use the information from the reading sheet to answer the questions below: 5. Write four facts that scientists DO know about Pluto on the lines below: ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____

______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ ____ ___________________________

Sun
Rotation: The outer layers of the Sun rotate once in ~25 days (rotation is slower at the poles). Temperature: ~27,000,000F in the center, ~10,000F at the visible surface Diameter: 865,000 miles, or wider than 100 Earths The Sun is made up of gas, with no solid surface. The Sun, the star at the center of our solar system, gives off the light and heat that make life possible on Earth. The Sun is a huge ball of very hot gas, and is much bigger than any of the planets. All the planets in the solar system revolve in the same direction around the Sun. Never look directly at the

Sun, because it will hurt your eyes! The Sun looks yellowish from Earth.
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ury
Distance from Sun: 36,000,000 miles Diameter: 3,032 miles or about 1/3 that of Earth Number of moons: 0 Length of year: 88 Earth days Temperature: -279F to 800F
Mercury is a ball of rock with an iron core.

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. Its greyish surface is covered with craters made by objects that hit the planet. Mercury has no atmosphere and no water, and the surface would be very unpleasant to be on. The side of the planet that faces the Sun gets very hot, and the side that faces away from the Sun gets very cold.

nus

Distance from Sun: 67,000,000 miles Diameter: 7,519 miles--almost as big as Earth Number of moons: 0 Length of year: 225 Earth days Temperature: ~890F Venus is mainly made of rock, with a metal core. This drawing shows the surface of Venus as it looks below the thick clouds. Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It has thick yellow clouds made of acid, and air made of carbon dioxide. The temperature at the surface is so hot that you would burn up in a few seconds. Spacecraft that have reached the surface or can see through the clouds found lots of volcanoes, mountains, and big cracks at the surface.

Distance from Sun: 93,000,000 miles Diameter: 7,926 miles Number of moons: 1 Length of year: 365 Earth days Temperature: -130F to 136F The Earth is mainly made of rock, with a metallic core. Earth, our beautiful planet, is the third planet from the Sun. It has water on the surface, air we can breathe, and comfortable temperatures. This may be why it's the only planet that currently has life on it. When seen from space, Earth looks like a blue ball with land that is brown and green and clouds that are white.

Mars

Distance from Sun: 142,000,000 miles Diameter: 4,194 miles or about half the diameter of Earth Number of moons: 2 Length of year: 687 Earth days Temperature: -266F to -62F Mars is mainly made of rock, with a metallic core. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and is about half as big as Earth. Mars is covered with red rocks, and has white ice caps at the poles. There are huge volcanoes and lots of craters on the surface. Some scientists think they may have found evidence that primitive life forms existed on Mars long ago. There is no life known to exist on Mars today.
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steroids

Location: Scattered around the solar system, with most in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter Diameter: From about 1/2 mile to hundreds of miles across Number: Estimated at ~100,000 Asteroids are made of rock and metal.
The Galileo spacecraft took pictures of this asteroid, Gaspra, in 1991 on its way to Jupiter.

Asteroids are large rocks that orbit the Sun. There are thousands of asteroids that travel around the Sun in a belt between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are usually so small and far away that they are difficult to see. Ceres, the largest asteroid, is nearly 560 miles across. Gaspra is brown and grey.

iter

Distance from Sun: 483,000,000 miles Diameter: 88,736 miles or about 11 Earths across Number of moons: 63 Length of year: 4,333 Earth days (about 12 Earth years) Temperature: -278F Jupiter is mainly made of liquid and gas, with a small rocky core. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and is the largest planet in the solar system. It is so big that it contains more material than all the other planets put together! Orange, red, yellow, brown, and white clouds swirl around the planet. The Great Red Spot is a huge spinning storm that has been seen for hundreds of years.

Distance from Sun: 887,000,000 miles Diameter: 74,978 miles or about 9 and a half Earths across Number of moons: 62 Length of year: 10,759 Earth days (about 29 Earth years) Temperature: -292F Saturn is mainly made of gas and liquid, with a small rocky core. Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun, and like Jupiter is a giant planet. Saturn is made up mainly of gas, and has beautiful rings that circle the planet. The rings are made up of tiny pieces of ice, dust, and rock, ranging in size from less than one inch across to the size of a barn. Clouds circle the planet in bands of gold, beige, and white.
[

Uranus

Distance from Sun: 1,784,000,000 miles Diameter: 32,193 miles or about 4 Earths across Number of moons: 27 Length of a year: 30,685 Earth days (about 84 Earth years) Temperature: -346F Uranus is a ball of gas with a rocky core. Uranus is the 7th planet from the Sun, and is a giant ball of gas. The clouds that circle the planet are greenish-blue. Uranus is the only planet in the solar system that spins on its side as it orbits the Sun. Uranus also has 11 thin rings (not shown here) that surround the planet.
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Neptune

Distance from Sun: 2,796,000,000 miles Diameter: 30,775 miles or about 4 Earths across Number of moons: 11 Length of year: 60,190 Earth days (about 165 Earth years) Temperature: -353F Neptune is a ball of gas with a metal core. Neptune, also a huge ball of gas, is usually the 8th planet from the Sun. However, for a few years (until February 1999) Pluto was actually closer to the Sun than Neptune. The planet is surrounded by hazy blue clouds and dark rings. Neptune has a large storm cloud called the Great Dark Spot and a smaller white cloud called "Scooter" that races around the planet.

Distance from Sun: 3,666,000,000 miles Diameter: 1,423 miles or about 1/5 the diameter of the Earth Number of moons: 1 Length of a year: 90,800 Earth days (about 249 Earth years) Temperature: ~-365F Pluto is a ball of frozen gas, possibly with a rocky core. This drawing shows what the surface may be like. Pluto lost its planet status in 2006 and was classified as a dwarf planet. It is one of the largest members of a class of icy spheres known as Kuiper Belt Objects. Pluto's moon, Charon, is almost as big as Pluto.

ets

Location: At the outer edge of the solar system, in the Oort cloud Number: millions of them Famous Comet: Halley's comet returns to Earth every 76 years. Comets are huge dirty snowballs that are found in the farthest parts of the solar system. Comets are made of ice, dust, and small chunks of rock. Some comets come into the inner solar system every few hundred years and travel around the Sun. As they get close to the Sun, they give off gas that forms into a long tail that can reach across the sky when seen from Earth.
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Grand Canyon 70 Million Years Old? In a recent study of rocks in the Grand Canyon, researchers found evidence that the canyon is much o...Read more Water Ice at Poles of Mercury! Researchers studying data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft have found signs of water ice and frozen ...Read more

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Solar System Exploration News Fermi Improves its Vision for Thunderstorm Gamma-Ray Flashes Thursday, December 06, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Twin Spacecraft Create Most Accurate Gravity Map of Moon Wednesday, December 05, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Opportunity Rover Finishes Walkabout On Mars Crater Rim Tuesday, December 04, 2012 10:30:00 NASA'S John Grunsfeld Speaks With Media About New Mars Mission Tuesday, December 04, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Announces Robust Multi-Year Mars Program; New Rover To Close Out Decade Of New Missions

Tuesday, December 04, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Mars Rover Fully Analyzes First Martian Soil Samples Monday, December 03, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Voyager 1 Probe Encounters New Region in Deep Space Monday, December 03, 2012 10:30:00 NASA To Host Dec. 3 Teleconference About Voyager Mission Friday, November 30, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Spacecraft Finds New Evidence for Water Ice on Mercury Thursday, November 29, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Seeks Concepts for Innovative Uses of Large Space Telescopes Tuesday, November 27, 2012 10:30:00 APOD Time Lapse: A Total Solar Eclipse The Astronaut Who Captured a Satellite Baku Moonrise Earth at Night 47 Tuc Near the Small Magellanic Cloud Plasma Jets from Radio Galaxy Hercules A In the Center of Saturn's North Polar Vortex HubbleSite NewsCenter -- Latest News Releases Hubble Sees a Galaxy Hit a Bull's-Eye Thursday, December 06, 2012 19:30:00 Media files

o hs-2012-45-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 13.64 kb) 'Dark Core' May Not Be So Dark After All Friday, November 30, 2012 23:00:00
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o hs-2012-42-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 6.17 kb) A Multi-Wavelength View of Radio Galaxy Hercules A Thursday, November 29, 2012 19:30:00
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o hs-2012-47-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 16.24 kb) NASA Great Observatories Find Candidate for Most Distant Galaxy Yet Known Thursday, November 15, 2012 23:30:00
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o hs-2012-36-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 37.32 kb) Asteroid Belts of Just the Right Size are Friendly to Life Thursday, November 01, 2012 22:35:00
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o hs-2012-44-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 19.31 kb) Additional Kepler Data Now Available to All Planet Hunters Monday, October 29, 2012 22:30:00

Media files

o hs-2012-46-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 21.29 kb) Monster Galaxy May Have Been Stirred Up By Black-hole Mischief Thursday, October 25, 2012 22:30:00
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o hs-2012-24-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 23.86 kb) Dr. Kathryn Flanagan Appointed Deputy Director of STScI Tuesday, October 23, 2012 23:30:00
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o hs-2012-43-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 33.28 kb) Hubble Goes to the eXtreme to Assemble Farthest Ever View of the Universe Tuesday, September 25, 2012 22:30:00
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o hs-2012-37-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 23.69 kb) NASA Telescopes Spy Ultra-Distant Galaxy Amidst Cosmic 'Dark Ages' Wednesday, September 19, 2012 22:30:00
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hs-2012-31-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 20.68 kb)

Science Blogs
Perspectives on Earth and Space Science Education Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists Star Stuff: science news from an astronomer's perspective Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Citizen Science Buzz

Our Solar System

Our solar system is filled with a wide assortment of celestial bodies - the Sun itself, our eight planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids - and on Earth, life itself! The inner solar system is occasionally visited by comets that loop in from the outer reaches of the solar system on highly elliptical orbits. In the outer reaches of the solar system, we find the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud. Still farther out, we eventually reach the limits of theheliosphere, where the outer reaches of the solar system interact with interstellar space. Solar systemformation began billions of years ago, when gases and dust began to come together to form the Sun, planets, and other bodies of the solar system.

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Sun Earth Solar System Formation Sun Planets Dwarf Planets Asteroids Meteors Comets Poles Culture Discovery more... Space Sciences Culture People Games Teachers more... Share this page

SOLAR SYSTEM Formation Sun Planets Dwarf Planets Asteroids

Meteors Comets Poles Culture Discovery Kuiper Belt Facts News Multimedia Tours

Current Events
Grand Canyon 70 Million Years Old? In a recent study of rocks in the Grand Canyon, researchers found evidence that the canyon is much o...Read more Water Ice at Poles of Mercury! Researchers studying data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft have found signs of water ice and frozen ...Read more

RSS Feeds
Solar System Exploration News NASA Spacecraft Finds New Evidence for Water Ice on Mercury Thursday, November 29, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Seeks Concepts for Innovative Uses of Large Space Telescopes Tuesday, November 27, 2012 10:30:00 Fermi Improves its Vision for Thunderstorm Gamma-Ray Flashes Thursday, December 06, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Twin Spacecraft Create Most Accurate Gravity Map of Moon Wednesday, December 05, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Opportunity Rover Finishes Walkabout On Mars Crater Rim Tuesday, December 04, 2012 10:30:00 NASA'S John Grunsfeld Speaks With Media About New Mars Mission Tuesday, December 04, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Announces Robust Multi-Year Mars Program; New Rover To Close Out Decade Of New Missions Tuesday, December 04, 2012 10:30:00 NASA Mars Rover Fully Analyzes First Martian Soil Samples Monday, December 03, 2012 10:30:00

NASA Voyager 1 Probe Encounters New Region in Deep Space Monday, December 03, 2012 10:30:00 NASA To Host Dec. 3 Teleconference About Voyager Mission Friday, November 30, 2012 10:30:00 APOD The Astronaut Who Captured a Satellite Baku Moonrise Earth at Night 47 Tuc Near the Small Magellanic Cloud Plasma Jets from Radio Galaxy Hercules A In the Center of Saturn's North Polar Vortex Time Lapse: A Total Solar Eclipse HubbleSite NewsCenter -- Latest News Releases Hubble Goes to the eXtreme to Assemble Farthest Ever View of the Universe Tuesday, September 25, 2012 22:30:00 Media files

o hs-2012-37-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 23.69 kb) NASA Telescopes Spy Ultra-Distant Galaxy Amidst Cosmic 'Dark Ages' Wednesday, September 19, 2012 22:30:00
Media files

o hs-2012-31-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 20.68 kb) Hubble Sees a Galaxy Hit a Bull's-Eye Thursday, December 06, 2012 19:30:00
Media files

o hs-2012-45-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 13.64 kb) 'Dark Core' May Not Be So Dark After All Friday, November 30, 2012 23:00:00
Media files

o hs-2012-42-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 6.17 kb) A Multi-Wavelength View of Radio Galaxy Hercules A Thursday, November 29, 2012 19:30:00
Media files

o hs-2012-47-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 16.24 kb) NASA Great Observatories Find Candidate for Most Distant Galaxy Yet Known Thursday, November 15, 2012 23:30:00
Media files

o hs-2012-36-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 37.32 kb) Asteroid Belts of Just the Right Size are Friendly to Life Thursday, November 01, 2012 22:35:00
Media files

o hs-2012-44-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 19.31 kb) Additional Kepler Data Now Available to All Planet Hunters Monday, October 29, 2012 22:30:00
Media files

o hs-2012-46-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 21.29 kb) Monster Galaxy May Have Been Stirred Up By Black-hole Mischief Thursday, October 25, 2012 22:30:00
Media files

o hs-2012-24-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 23.86 kb) Dr. Kathryn Flanagan Appointed Deputy Director of STScI Tuesday, October 23, 2012 23:30:00
Media files

hs-2012-43-a-small_web.jpg(image/jpeg, 33.28 kb)

Science Blogs
Perspectives on Earth and Space Science Education Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists Star Stuff: science news from an astronomer's perspective Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Citizen Science Buzz

Our Solar System

Our solar system is filled with a wide assortment of celestial bodies - the Sun itself, our eight planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids - and on Earth, life itself! The inner solar system is occasionally visited by comets that loop in from the outer reaches of the solar system on highly elliptical orbits. In the outer reaches of the solar system, we find the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud. Still farther out, we eventually reach the limits of theheliosphere, where the outer reaches of the solar system interact with interstellar space. Solar systemformation began billions of years ago, when gases and dust began to come together to form the Sun, planets, and other bodies of the solar system.

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