Solar System

The Sun and the planets

The Sun is about a thousand times larger than all the planets together. Its gravity force attracts the planets, causing them to turn around in elliptical orbits. The nine planets are divided into two groups: four small, rocky, near the Sun, and four large and gaseous, further apart. Pluto is a puzzle because it does not fit into any of the groups and there is no consensus in the scientific community regarding its nature.

Mercury - is the fastest planet of the Solar System and is also what is closest to the Sun Do not have atmosphere and its surface is very similar to the Moon..

Venus - a planet that is often mistaken for a star, because then the moon is the brightest object in the night. The large carbon dioxide concentration in its atmosphere results in the greenhouse effect responsible for the high surface temperatures of the planet.

Earth - also called blue planet, owes its brilliantly colored to large bodies of water that cover most of its surface. We can only see a third of its solid surface; the rest is covered by seas, oceans and large bodies of ice of the poles, the ice caps. It is the third planet orbiting the Sun, after Mercury and Venus. Has a natural satellite, the Moon.

Among the planets of the solar system, the Earth has unique conditions: it has large amounts of water, tectonic plates and has a strong magnetic field. It is believed that the Earth is the only planetary body that has life, at least in the form as we know it. As for how the Earth is a sphere, slightly flattened at the poles.

Mars - has a very characteristic reddish color and is the planet where there is the largest volcano in the solar system - Olympus Mons.

Jupiter - is the largest planet in the solar system and has a set of 52 natural satellites. The characteristic red spot as seen on its surface has a diameter three times larger than the earth.

Saturn - this planet is known for its ring system, which has a dazzling shine and extending for a distance almost as great as that which separates the Earth's Moon.

Uranus - is the only planet that rotates "lying" around the sun.

Neptune - the great dark spot that is seen on the surface of this planet is a huge storm system, where the winds blow to the high speed of 200 km / h.

Pluto - this celestial body arouses some controversy as to its nature: is the smallest planet in the Solar System or the largest of the "objects" of the Kuiper belt?

Planet Earth

Last update: 27/12/2014