What kind of weather would you find on Mars?

The temperature varies from -140 to 20 °C (-220 to 68 °F). The polar ice caps on Mars increase and decrease in size alternately in winter and summer Mars also has dust storms, which can cover the entire planet.

What is the surface of Mars like?

The surface of Mars is divided into the northern plains flattened by lava flows, and the southern highlands marked by huge craters. The planet boasts Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system.

Spinning backwards

All the planets rotate from west to east on their axes, apart from Venus, which spins in the opposite direction. On the surface of Venus, the Sun appears to rise in the west and set in the east. The planet might have been hit by a huge space rock, reversing the direction of its spin.

Are there volcanoes on Venus?

There are more volcanoes on Venus than there are on Earth. About 80 per cent of the planet’s surface is made up of smooth volcanic plains, and there are two major mountain ranges with volcanoes that may be active. The peak of Maxwell Montes, the highest mountain on Venus, lies 11 kilometers (7 miles) above the surface of the planet. Mount Everest rises only about 9 kilometers (6 miles) above sea level.

What is the surface of Mercury like?

If you were to land on mercury, you would find a surface very similar to that of the Moon. It has dust-covered hills, cliffs and is dotted by craters. The planet also has a thick metallic core and a sandy crust.

Why are nights on Mercury freezing cold, although it’s the planet closest to the Sun?

Unlike Earth, Mercury is not surrounded by a thick protective blanket of air called the atmosphere. This means that the heat from the Sun escapes, leaving the planet freezing at night. While the temperature during the day can be as high as 467 °C (873 °F), at night it drops to -183 °C (-297 °F).

Why planet Mercury has sandy surface?

Mercury has a surface that is full of hills and steep canyons, all of it covered with a mixture of sandy substances. The core of the planet is metallic, like all the rocky planets.

What Planet is lnown as the Hot Planet?

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It is also very small – about the size of Earth’s moon. It is named after the Roman messenger god because it moves very quickly.

What are the special characteristics of the gas giants?

Jupiter is the largest planet. It rotates faster than any other planet and has the most moons. Saturn is set apart by its beautiful rings, made up of dust particles and pieces of ice. Uranus is a strange planet where seasons last for more than 20 years, while Neptune is the windiest planet in the solar system.

Saturn’s moons

At least 46 moons orbit Saturn. Each moon is unique. Enceladus is among the shiniest objects in space. Titan’s atmosphere is thicker than Earth’s. Here are the big moons, seen from behind the moon Dione.

The solar system

The relative sizes of the eight planets and the three dwarf planets are shown in this diagram of the solar system. Jupiter is the largest planet. The Sun, of course, is much larger than any of the planets.

Jupiter’s moons

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, has so many moons that we are constantly discovering new ones. This image shows some of the bigger moons and the gossamer rings around the planet.

What are the distinguishing features of each of the rocky planets?

Mercury is the closest to the Sun and therefore its temperature can be as high as 467 °C (873 °F). Venus is covered with carbon dioxide containing droplets of sulphuric acid. This traps the Sun’s heat and makes Venus hotter than even Mercury. Mars, the red planet, is considered to be the only planet after Earth where life could exist. As far as we know, the Earth is the only planet that supports life.

What makes gas giants unique?

The gas giants are bigger in size but lighter, as they are mainly made up of gases and ice particles. In fact, Saturn is so light that it would float if placed in water! Gas giants also spin extremely quickly and they have rings around them. These planets do not have a hard surface. Jupiter and Saturn have a semi-liquid centre that is covered by a layer of liquid gas.

What are the features of a rocky planet?

The rocky planets are made up of rocks and metals like iron and nickel. They are smaller than the gas giants but are very heavy. It is because of their weight that rocky planets rotate much slower than the gas giants.

How were the planets formed?

After the gaseous cloud called the solar nebula collapsed upon itself due to the strength of its own gravity and formed the Sun, the dust and particles around it clumped together to form the planets. The heat of the Sun melted the ice particles nearby and eventually these rocks grew larger to form the four rocky planets. Some ice particles were too far away from the Sun to be melted. These ice pieces combined with gases to form the planets called the gas giants.

How were the planets formed?

After the gaseous cloud called the solar nebula collapsed upon itself due to the strength of its own gravity and formed the Sun, the dust and particles around it clumped together to form the planets. The heat of the Sun melted the ice particlesnearby and eventually these rocks grew larger to form the four rocky planets. Some ice particles were too far away from the Sun to be melted. These ice pieces combined with gases to form the planets called the gas giants.

What are the Planets?

Planets are large masses of matter that orbit around a star. Our solar system consists of eight planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, which are called inner or rocky planets, and Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, which are the outer planets, or gas giants.

What are the Planets?

Planets are large masses of matter that orbit around a star. Our solar system consists of eight planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, which are called inner or rocky planets, and Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, which are the outer planets, or gas giants.