Welcome back! This article is the second article of a series that is meant to cover the basics of astronomy.
Now without further due, let’s get started.
Without a doubt, the solar system is a fascinating place. Although it is only a small part in the vastness of the universe, it still has our home star, the Sun, as well as Earth and the 7 other planets.
The Sun
Let’s start with the inside of the solar system and work our way out. Our first stop is the Sun. The Sun is a huge ball of plasma that emits radiation through nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is essentially when 4 hydrogen atoms combine together to form a helium atom, and the leftover energy is emitted as radiation.
Here are some fun number facts regarding the Sun:
The surface temperature of the Sun is around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, while the core temperature of the Sun is around 27,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Over 1,000,000 Earths can fit inside the Sun!
Mercury
Next stop is Mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun (duh). Mercury is a rocky planet that has an extremely thin atmosphere. Due to its extremely thin atmosphere, Mercury cannot trap heat well, and as a result, the night temperatures and day temperatures have huge variations.
Here are some fun number facts regarding Mercury:
The surface temperature of Mercury ranges from -280 degrees Fahrenheit at night to 800 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
One day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days, while one year on Mercury lasts 88 Earth days (note that a day is just the amount of time it takes to complete one full rotation around its axis, while a year is just the amount of time it takes to complete one full revolution around the Sun).
Mercury’s diameter is around 3,000 miles and is around 36,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Venus
After Mercury, we have Venus! Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system and is also a rocky planet. It has an extremely thick atmosphere that traps heat like crazy due to its greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide. Venus also has acid rain that is made of sulphuric acid and water. Yikes!
Here are some fun number facts regarding Venus:
The average temperature on Venus is just over 860 degrees Fahrenheit.
One day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days, while one year on Venus lasts 225 Earth days. That means that a day is longer than a year on Venus!!!
Venus’s diameter is around 7,500 miles and is around 67,000,000 miles from the Sun.
Earth
Next stop is Earth. Home sweet home. Earth is the only planet known that is habitable for life as it is located in the Goldilocks zone so that it is neither too hot nor too cold. Earth's surface is also covered with over 70% liquid water. However, it is important to note that the entire amount of water on Earth’s surface is extremely limited and tiny compared to Earth if a 3-dimensional perspective is taken into account as it is only around 0.023% of Earth’s total mass.
Here are some fun number facts regarding Earth:
The average temperature on Earth is around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Earth is around 93,000,000 miles away from the Sun and is around 7900 miles in diameter.
Mars
After the Earth is Mars. Mars is known as the “red” planet due to the iron oxide on its surface and the iron oxide dust that gets blown into its atmosphere. Mars also has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and they are believed to have formed from a collision with a protoplanet ⅓ the mass of Mars.
Here are some fun number facts regarding Mars:
The average temperature on Mars is -80 degrees Fahrenheit.
One day on Mars lasts 24.6 hours and one year on Mars lasts 687 Earth days.
Mars has a diameter of around 4,200 miles and is around 140,000,000 miles away from the Sun.
The Asteroid Belt
After Mars, we have arrived at the Asteroid Belt. The Asteroid Belt is shaped kind of like a donut. It contains many irregularly shaped bodies as well as minor planets. Contrary to popular belief, the Asteroid Belt is actually quite empty if you were to get to it as the average distance between objects is around 600,000 miles.
Jupiter
After the Asteroid Belt, we have arrived at Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. In fact, it is so large that every other planet can fit into Jupiter! Jupiter also has a Great Red Spot, which is a storm larger than Earth.
Here are some fun number facts regarding Jupiter:
The average temperature on Jupiter is -240 degrees Fahrenheit.
One day on Jupiter lasts 10 hours and one year on Jupiter lasts 12 Earth years.
Jupiter has a diameter of around 89,000 miles and is around 480,000,000 miles away from the Sun.
Saturn
After Jupiter, there is Saturn! Saturn is very unique because it has the most visible rings around it compared to all the other planets. Saturn also has the most moons and is so light that it could theoretically float on water!
Here are some fun number facts regarding Saturn:
The average temperature on Saturn is -290 degrees Fahrenheit.
One day on Saturn lasts 11 hours and one year on Saturn lasts 30 Earth years.
Saturn has a diameter of around 75,000 miles and is around 890,000,000 miles away from the Sun.
Uranus
Next stop is Uranus. Uranus has the lowest recorded temperature out of any planet in the solar system. Did you know that the clouds of Uranus have the same substance that is found in rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide). Uranus orbits the sun on its side, which is extremely interesting!
Here are some fun number facts regarding Uranus:
The average temperature on Uranus is -350 degrees Fahrenheit.
One day on Uranus lasts 17 hours and one year on Uranus lasts 84 Earth years.
Uranus has a diameter of around 32,000 miles and is around 1,800,000,000 miles away from the Sun.
Neptune
The last stop is Neptune. Neptune has the lowest average temperature out of all the planets in the solar system. Neptune’s winds can reach over 1,500 miles per hour! Neptune also once had a great dark spot but it suddenly disappeared in 1994!
Here are some fun number facts regarding Neptune:
The average temperature on Neptune is -370 degrees Fahrenheit.
One day on Neptune lasts 16 hours and one year on Neptune lasts 165 Earth years.
Neptune has a diameter of around 31,000 miles and is around 2,800,000,000 miles away from the Sun.
Beyond The Planets
The Kuiper Belt is a group of icy objects that is 20 times as wide as the asteroid belt! It also consists of dwarf planets such as Makemake and Eris. Beyond the Kuiper Belt is a theoretical concept known as the Oort cloud that is made of icy planetesimals ranging from a distance of 2,000 to a distance of 200,000 AU. It is known as a cloud instead of the belt because the objects travel in random directions instead of traveling in a shared plane.
That’s it! You just took a tour of all the objects of our Solar System! Next, we will talk all about stars!
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