Our universe is simply amazing, breathtaking and full of wonders. It is any day give the Harry potter fantasy run for the money when it comes to mysteries. We know only a minute percentage of our universe. Gazing through the night sky with your best telescopes for kids can mesmerize you like anything. Our own solar system is a wonderful place. Our sun and the 8 planets orbiting it make one awesome view. We are always eager to know more about these planets in our solar system. We have always searched for habitable conditions in these planets so that someday humans can settle in some of these planets or their moon for that matter.
Space is such an interesting subject that you would fall in love with it instantly. Our Galaxy and solar system have so much to offer to us. In this blog, I have put together some mind-blowing facts about planets. This new information about our 8 planets, would inculcate a desire to learn more and dug deep into this never-ending vast subject. It would be a life-changing inclination for you and would make you fall in love with space and our universe.
Mind blowing Facts about Planets:
Our planetary system of which our mother earth is also a part of was formed around 4.6 billion years ago. For thousands of years, humans thought that everything that was present moved around the sun. Gradually with progress in science and technology, and with invention of Best portable telescopes man made advanced discoveries about our solar system and our planetary system. So let’s get to know our earth’s neighbors one by one:
Mercury- The smallest planet:
This planet is the smallest in the solar system. It is small compared to earth, so small that it is only as big as our Atlantic ocean. If we could fill in earth with mercury then it would take 18 mercury to do so. It has no atmosphere of itself. It has no water and no source of life until now. Hollywood fans would differ though. If you believe and have heard about hell, well mercury would fit the picture. With temperature varying between -180and 430,it is pure hell.
Orbiting nearest to the sun also makes it the fastest planet in the planetary system. The speed of this Usain Bolt of our planets is 180,000 km/h. It takes 88 days to complete one orbit around the sun. BepiColombo’s mission which is a joint mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency was launched in Oct 2018, to reach and explore Mars. It would reach Mar’s surface by 2025, hopefully, then we would know more about this sun’s closest planet.
Venus: The earth’s sister
It is very similar to Earth in shape and size, hence it is also referred to as earth’s sister sometimes. It is second in number from the sun. and it is also the second-largest terrestrial planet. The Venus got its name from ‘Venus’ the Roman Goddess for beauty. It is also called as the morning or evening star. When you look through your telescopes for kids on this beautiful planet, you see light reflecting this planet. This is due to clouds that are yellow in color due to made of sulfuric acid and sulfur which cover this entire planet. This phenomenon also makes Venus the brightest object in the night sky, second only to the moon.
It is hotter than mercury, in fact, it is the hottest planet of your solar system. It has temperatures surging as high as 460to 480. The surface of this amazing planet is very volatile, with numerous active volcanos, very deep craters, and super high mountains. Man has sent may missions to the Venus, the most successful being the Soviet Union which has successfully landed 8 space probes on this beautiful planet.
Our Mother Earth:
Earth is our planet, you can say the most beautiful and most hospitable of them all. Our earth is the 5th largest planet in the solar system. It also has a natural satellite of its own ‘Moon’. One fun fact is that all our other planets of the solar system are named after one Greek god or the other, only earth is not named after any god. It is simply referred to as ‘ground’. We are part of this beautiful planet, all the religions, science all the flora fauna is present on this amazing planet.
Mars: The Red planet:
It is known as the red planet when you look through the best portable telescope it looks like an orange-red star. This peculiar color of the mercury is also the cause of its nomenclature. The ancient Greeks and Romans associated the red color with their roman god of war, Mars. The red color is due to the rust which is in the Martian rocks. This rock is always affected by enormous dust storms which occur often on its surface. It is usually very dry and cold, but there is the availability of water in the form of ice on its poles. The presence of water is what makes this planet a future hope for human inhabitants.
Unlike earth, the mars have not one but two moons, called Deimos and Phobos. Scientists say that these both were asteroids that are stuck there because of mar’s gravitational field. If you think Mount Everest is tall, wait till you hear the height of the tallest mountain of Mars the Olympus Mons, it is 3 times taller than Mount Everest. We are been able to successfully land two rovers on Mar’s surface and there are 6 spacecraft that are orbiting Mars.
Jupiter: The Gas giant:
Jupiter is the largest planet of the entire solar system. In fact it bigger than all the other planets put together for more than 2.5 times. It is made primarily of gasses hence the name Gas Giant. Jupiter is also famous for its ‘great red spot’ which is formed by a massive storm. This storm is believed to be going on for more than 350 years. You would be amazed to know that Jupiter has more than 67 moons orbiting it, yes you heard right 67 and these are known numbers and there could be more. The largest of Jupiter’s moon is Europa, which scientists believe could be able to sustain life. We have our one spacecraft names ‘Juno’ orbiting Jupiter for solving its mysteries.
Saturn: The Ringed planet:
Saturn is often referred to as the jewel of the solar system, because of the giant ring which surrounds it. It is also a giant planet and like Jupiter is made of gas all around with hardcore in the center. It is known for its rings, which can be easily seen through any good telescope for sky gazing. Saturn’s moon titan is very popular among the astrophotographer. It is the second-largest moon in the solar system. It became famous when in 2005 NASA and European space agency landed ‘Huygens’ their space probe on Titan.
Uranus: The Gas Giant:
Uranus was not known as Uranus until 1850. Before that, it was known as “the Georgium Sidus” (the Georgian Planet). Named after King George III of England by its discoverer Herschel. This is the second farthest planet from the sun. Do you know that Uranus takes a staggering 84 years to complete one circle around the sun? The summer and winters take 21 years to change their season, you definitely don’t want to be on this planet. When you look through your best telescopes for astrophotography you would see it as blue in color. It appears blue because of the gases.
Neptune: The Poseidon
Neptune is the farthest planet of the solar system. It takes a whole 165 years from Neptune to complete one circle of the sun. No human space probe has ever reached this planet. It is blue like Uranus because of the methane gas present in it. It gets its name from the god of sea Neptune or Poseidon, because of its color. In spite of being smaller than Uranus, the mass of the Neptune is great. The inner core of this planet is made of rock. Hopefully in near future man would be able to land some probe in this blue planet.
Conclusion
So these were some amazing facts about our eight planets. Space or our universe is so vast and full of mysteries that we feel so tiny in front of it. The 8 planets have always attracted our attention. The future lies in exploring and inhabiting some of these planets. The efforts or this generation would determine the fate of the future generation. So get one best portable telescope for you and explore the space. Maybe one day you may have a star, asteroid or planet in your name.
FAQs
What is a planet facts for kids? ›
In general, planets are the largest objects in the solar system after the Sun. Most of them orbit the Sun in a path shaped like a circle. They also have an atmosphere, or a layer of gases surrounding them. Most of the planets have at least one moon.
What are the 8 planets and describe each? ›The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Mercury is closest to the Sun. Neptune is the farthest. Planets, asteroids, and comets orbit our Sun.
What is the oldest planet? ›Jupiter formed less than 3 million years after the birth of the solar system, making it the eldest planet.
What is the planet for kids? ›The Short Answer:
A planet must do three things: it must orbit a star, it must be big enough to have enough gravity to force a spherical shape, and it must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any objects of a similar size near its orbit.
A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
What planet is most interesting? ›The planet Saturn: truly massive and stunningly beautiful with its rings. It's also home to amazing moons like Titan. The planet Saturn is probably the best known and most beautiful planet in the Solar System.
Which planet has more facts? ›Jupiter has more than double the mass of all the other planets combined. Saturn has more moons than any other planet in the Solar System. Uranus has only been visited by a single spacecraft, Voyager 2.
Which planet is red planet? ›Mars is known as the Red Planet. It is red because the soil looks like rusty iron. Mars has two small moons.
Which is the brightest planet? ›Venus may have been named after the most beautiful deity of the Roman (and Greek) pantheons because it shone the brightest among the five planets known to ancient astronomers.
What is solar system Kids answer? ›The Solar System is made up of the Sun and all of the smaller objects that move around it. Apart from the Sun, the largest members of the Solar System are the eight major planets. Nearest the Sun are four fairly small, rocky planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
What are 5 interesting facts about the solar system? ›
- You can't stand on Uranus.
- The whole of Mars is as cold as the South Pole.
- Saturn's rings are 90% water.
- Jupiter's largest moon has a salty ocean that contains more water than on Earth.
- Mercury takes roughly three Earth months to orbit the Sun.
As an ice giant, Uranus doesn't have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling fluids. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Uranus, it wouldn't be able to fly through its atmosphere unscathed either. The extreme pressures and temperatures would destroy a metal spacecraft.