SOLAR SYSTEM

THE SUN AND THE EIGHT PLANETS

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

THE SUN THE SUN IS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.IT IS A SOURCE OF HUGE ENERGY.WE CALL THE ENERGY ,RECEIVED FROM THE SUN AS SOLAR ENERGY.IT PRODUCES LIGHT OF ITS OWN.IT IS, THUS, CALLED A LUMINOUS BODY.IT IS ALSO VERY LARGE AND MASSIVE AS COMPARED TO ALL THE PLANETS.

MERCURY

MERCURY(BUDH) IS THE PLANET CLOSEST TO THE SUN.IT IS A DRY,HOT AND ALMOST AIRLESS PLANET.IT IS ALSO THE SMALLEST PLANET.THERE IS NO ATMOSPHERE,SIMILAR TO THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE AROUND THIS PLANET.THE LIGHT AND HEAT OF THE SUN,THEREFORE,REACH THE SIDE OF MERCURY FACING SUN DIRECTLY.THIS SIDE BECOMES VERY HOT. THE OTHER REMAINS COMPARATIVELY COLD.

VENUS THE NEXT PLANET NEAREST TO SUN IS VENUS (SHUKRA).ITS SIZE IS NEARLY SAME AS THAT OF THE EARTH.IT RECEIVES A MUCH LARGE AMOUNT OF HEAT AND LIGHT FROM THE SUN AS COMPARED TO THE EARTH.VENUS HAS A VERY THICK ATMOSPHERE.THIS REFLECTS BACK A LARGE AMOUNT OF SOLAR ENERGY THAT FALLS ON IT.VENUS IS,THEREFORE,THE BRIGHTEST OBJECT SEEN IN THE SKY AFTER THE SUN AND THE MOON.ITS THICK ATMOSPHHERE ALSO TRAPS A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE SOLAR ENERGY REACHING ITS SURFACE.IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS TRAPPING THAT IS THE HOTTEST OF ALL THE PLANETS-HOTTER THAN EVEN MERCURY,THE PLANET,THAT IS CLOSEST TO THE SUN.

EARTH EARTH(PRITHVI)IS THE THIRD PLANET IN TERMS OF INCREASING DISTANCE FROM THE SUN.THE SURFACE OF EARTH,AS SEEN BY US,APPEARS TO BE FLAT.THIS IS DUE TO ITS LARGE SIZE.FROM FAR

OFF SPACE,THE EARTH APPEARS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL BLUE AND GREEN SPHERICAL BALL.THIS IS DUE TO THE REFLECTION OF SUNLIGHT FROM THE WATER AND LANDMASS PRESENT ON ITS SURFACE.BECAUSE OF THIS,THE EARTH IS SOMETIMES REFERRED AS THE BLUE PLANET

MARS

MARS(MANGAL)IS THE PLANET THAT LIES BEYOND THE EARTH IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.IT IS ALMOST HALF THE SIZE OF EARTH.ITS ATMOSPHERE IS MUCH THINNER THAN THAT OF THE EARTH.IT APPEARS TO BE RED AND WE OFTEN CALL IT AS THE RED PLANET.

JUPITER

JUPITER(BRIHASPATI) IS THE FIFTH PLANET IN TERMS OF DISTANCE FROM THE SUN.IT IS THE LARGEST OF ALL THE PLANETS.

SATURN

SATURN(SHANI) IS THE SIXTH AND THE SECOND LARGEST PLANET OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.SATURN HAS A SYSTEM OF BEAUTIFUL RINGS SURROUNDING IT.IT IS,THEREFORE,ALSO KNOWN AS THE RINGED PLANET.

URANUS

URANUS(ARUN) IS THE SEVENTH PLANET AND ALSO HAS A RING SYSTEM.URANUS IS ALSO THE THIRD LARGEST PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND A ‘GAS GIANT’ WITHOUT ANY SOLID SURFACE.

NEPTUNE

NEPTUNE(VARUN) IS THE EIGHTH PLANET FROM THE SUN IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.NEPTUNE IS ALSO KNOWN AS A WINDY PLANET AS VERY STRONG WINDS BLOW ON ITS SURFACE.

PROFILE OF THE PLANETS(PART 1)S NO. PLANET NAME MEAN

DISTANCE FROM SUN

(MILLION KM)

MASS(EARTH

=1)

PERIOD OF ORBIT

1. MERCURY 58.3 0.06 88 days

2. VENUS 107.7 0.8 224.7 days

3. EARTH 149.6 1.0 365.24 days

4. MARS 227.3 0.1 1.88 years

5. JUPITER 777.9 317.8 11.86 years

6. SATURN 1,427.1 95.2 29.63 years

7. URANUS 2,872.3 14.5 83.97 years

8. NEPTUNE 4,502.7 17.2 164.80 years

PROFILE OF THE PLANETS(PART 2)S NO. PLANET NAME PERIOD OF

ROTATION (IN DAYS)

DIAMETER(KM)

MEAN SURFACE

TEMPERATURE (° C)

1. MERCURY 58.67 4,878 167

2. VENUS 243.00 12,104 457

3. EARTH 0.99 12,756 15-20

4. MARS 1.02 6,794 -90- -5

5. JUPITER 0.41 142,800 -108

6. SATURN 0.42 120,000 -139

7. URANUS 0.45 52,000 -197

8. NEPTUNE 0.67 48,400 -200

PROFILE OF THE PLANETS(PART 3)

S NO. PLANET NAME NUMBER OF KNOWN

SATELLITES

1. MERCURY 0

2. VENUS 0

3. EARTH 1

4. MARS 2

5. JUPITER 16

6. SATURN 17

7. URANUS 15

8. NEPTUNE 8