Page 4 - The Solar System
P. 4
These eight planets are:
1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune
Mercury – this is the closest planet to the Sun. It is the smallest planet and is made of
rock. It is so close to the Sun that it only takes 88 days for it to complete its orbit and is
much hotter than Earth.
Venus – Venus is the next planet from the Sun after Mercury. It is also made of rock. Like
Earth, Venus has an atmosphere (air) around it, but it is a lot thicker than Earth’s and Venus
is permanently covered in clouds. Venus is the hottest planet and has an average
temperature of 460°C. It is about the same size as Earth. It takes 225 days to travel around
the Sun.
Venus is the brightest planet
Earth – This is where we live! Earth is made of rock and is the only planet where water is
liquid. The other planets are either too hot or too cold. Earth takes 365 days to travel
