The Solar System Click on mouse or press

1
The Solar SystemClick on mouse or press Enter
to begin.
2
The Sun

• our nearest star
• the centre of the Solar System
• nearly a million miles in diameter
• produces energy by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen
  into helium
• the surface temperature is about 6000 oC, its
  core is at least 10 million oC

3
Mercury
Mercury

• a small rocky inner planet without an atmosphere
• the nearest planet to the Sun
• no moons
• diameter 3031 miles
• day length 58 days
• year length 88 days

4
Venus

• a rocky inner planet with an atmosphere
• the 2nd nearest planet to the Sun
• the nearest planet, on average, to the Earth
• no moons
• diameter 7521 miles
• day length 243 days
• year length 225 days

5
Earth

• a rocky inner planet with an atmosphere
• the 3rd planet from the Sun
• 1 moon
• diameter 7926 miles
• day length 24 hours
• year length 365 days

6
The Moon

• a rocky body with no atmosphere, the Earths only
  natural satellite
• diameter 1930 miles
• about 1/4 million miles away from the Earth
• day length orbit period 29 days one
  moonth
• the same side of the moon always faces the Earth

7
Mars

• a rocky inner planet with a thin atmosphere
• the 4th planet from the Sun
• 2 small moons
• diameter 4221 miles
• day length 24 hours
• year length 687 days

8
Asteroid Belt

• perhaps a former planet or debris that never
  formed a planet
• mostly between Mars and Jupiter
• the largest is 1 Ceres of diameter 600 miles
• some occasionally come close to the Earth

9
J
Jupiter

• a gas giant, the largest planet in the Solar
  System
• the 5th planet from the Sun
• at least 60 moons
• diameter 88,734 miles
• day length 10 hours
• year length 12 years

10
Saturn

• a gas giant with prominent rings
• the 6th planet from the Sun
• at least 50 moons
• diameter 74,566 miles
• day length 10 hours
• year length 29 years

11
Uranus

• a gas giant
• the 7th planet from the Sun
• at least 17 moons
• diameter 31,566 miles
• day length 11 hours
• year length 84 years

12
Neptune

• a gas giant
• the 8th planet from the Sun
• at least 8 moons
• diameter 30,199 miles
• day length 16 hours
• year length 165 years

13
Pluto

• Now relegated to minor planet status
• a small ice/rock object
• 3 moons
• diameter 1864 miles
• day length 6 days
• year length 248 years

14
Comets

• made of ice and rock
• very elongated orbits, may go from inside the
  orbit of Mercury to out beyond Pluto
• visible only when near the Sun
• Halleys Comet, pictured, is seen every 76 years