The sun is the nearest planet to Earth. It is the center of our solar system and its gravitational pull keeps the planets in orbit. The sun is an average size star, even though it is 109 times the diameter of Earth. Dark spots on the sun indicate sunspots. And when the moon lines up with the sun, it is creating a solar eclipse. For this occasion, you would have to wear special glasses so it does not damage your eyes. Then, after this, when the sun briefly shines behind the moon, it is called a “Diamond Ring.”

Venus is the brightest star in the sky after the sun and moon. The sun lights Venus and it illuminates its thick clouds, which are made out of tiny droplets of dilute sulfuric acid. The clouds hide the surface because the atmosphere is made out of carbon dioxide. The atmosphere traps heat from the sun. The surface of Venus reveals volcanoes and lava flows. The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 90 times greater than Earth’s. The surface on Venus is 860 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mars, named after the god of war, is mostly noticeable when it’s nearest and it’s brightest. Mars’ day is only 40 minutes longer than Earths’. It has icy polar caps and has change of seasons. The closest approach to Mars was in 1894, by an Italian astronomer named Giovanni Schiaparelli. On Mars there might be a possibility for rivers and other life. After awhile, in 1930, Eugene Antoniadi dismissed the existence of rivers on Mars and then before that, Charles Darwin, in 1907, had pointed out that Mars was too cold and dry to have existed life. When Mars passes the sun it passes Earth every 26 months. Mars is just over half the diameter of Earth. Phobo is the largest of the two moons on Mars.

Jupiter can be seen by the naked eye. Jupiter has more than 60 rocky or icy moons. There are four main ones or the larger ones, Lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Jupiter has clouds or belts of methane, ammonia, and water. They are probably colored by sulfur and carbon compounds. Ganymede is Jupiter’s largest moon, even larger than Mercury. Callisto has crust of ice and brighter spots on it indicate fresher ice. Lo is a volcanic moon, it is reddish in color and has a sulfurous surface. Europa has a icy surface, but has a warm ocean and could obtain life. On Jupiter, the great red spot is a storm and changes in color over periods of decades.     

Saturn is a bright, yellowish star and it’s rings are visible in a small telescope. Saturn is mostly made of hydrogen and helium gas. It has an atmosphere that shows lighter and darker cloud belts. Saturn spins so fast that it’s rotation is only 10 hours long. Saturn’s largest moon is Titan. Titan has a hydrogen atmosphere. Saturn has thousands of rings. It’s rings are made of ice and dust and Saturn’s main rings are thin and bright.

Uranus is visible to the naked eye, but no one has noticed it before. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by an English astronomer William Herschel. He had seen this planet while trying to record all the stars down to the eighth magnitude. Uranus is blue and has a dense methane atmosphere. Uranus is a calm planet with a few storms. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. Mercury has a cratered surface and its temperature rises to 680 degrees Fahrenheit. Mercury moves rapidly along its orbit about 105,000 miles per hour, which goes around the sun in 88 days. Mercury is 2,664 miles in diameter and is visible at twilight every two to three months.  

Neptune was discovered by a French mathematician named Urban Le Verrier. Urban Le Verrier was calculating the position of Neptune based on the motion of Uranus. Neptune was then founded in 1846. Neptune has faint rings that are not visible, only to a special telescope. Neptune has one moon named Triton. Triton has a icy surface and is Neptune’s largest natural satellite.