The Solar System

Learn About Our Planets

The Sun

  • The sun is a yellow dwarf star
  • 4.5 billion-year-old star
  • Its gravity holds the solar system together
  • The Sun's core is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit
Unique Fact
Everything in our solar system revovles around the sun. All 9 planets, all the dwarf planets, asteriods, and comets. But did you know millions of suns (stars) have their own solar systems and are moving in a large circle in the Milky Way?

mercury

Major Moons:
0
Confirmed moons:
0
Rotation:
59 days
Revolutions:
88 days
Unique Fact:
Mercury has no atmosphere.

venus

Major Moons:
0
Confirmed moons:
0
Rotation:
116 days
Revolutions:
225 days
Unique Fact:
Venus rotates on its axis backward.

earth

Major Moons:
1
Confirmed moons:
1
Rotation:
24 hours
Revolutions:
365 days
Unique Fact:
Only known planet with intelligent life.

mars

Major Moons:
2
Confirmed moons:
2
Rotation:
24.6 hours
Revolutions:
687 days
Unique Fact:
Mars has ice, and is thought to have been a living planet similar to Earth.

jupiter

Major Moons:
4
Confirmed moons:
79
Rotation:
10h 55m
Revolutions:
11.86 years
Unique Fact:
How can Jupiter's rotation be 10 hours? Figuring out Jupiter's rotation is complicated because it rotates at different speeds at different denisities. The 10 hours is the speed of the core.

saturn

Major Moons:
2
Confirmed moons:
82
Rotation:
10h 40m
Revolutions:
29.46 years
Unique Fact:
Saturn has thousands of rings. It is made of asteriods, dust, and other space matter.

uranus

Major Moons:
1
Confirmed moons:
27
Rotation:
17h 14m
Revolutions:
84 years
Unique Fact:
Uranus' axis is at 98° and rotates clockwise while every other planet (except Venus) rotates counter-clockwise.

neptune

Major Moons:
1
Confirmed moons:
14
Rotation:
18.5 hours
Revolutions:
164.8 years
Unique Fact:
Neptune has extreme temperatures and high pressure. Because of this, scientists believe Neptune makes diamonds (compressed carbon) in the clouds; creating diamond rain.

pluto

Major Moons:
1
Confirmed moons:
5
Rotation:
6 days
Revolutions:
248 years
Unique Fact:
Pluto is the smallest planet and on a slightly different plane than the other planets. As such it is a contraversial planet, offically being a dwarf planet, though it doesn't fully match those requirements either.