Solar System Planets, Definition, Diagram, Names, Facts

Solar System Planets

The solar system is made up of the Sun and other heavenly bodies. All the planets orbit the sun, which is situated in the centre. Our solar system has eight planets as well as numerous asteroids, comets, and meteors. The planet’s rotation around the sun is maintained by the gravitational attraction between the sun and the other celestial bodies.

Planets are celestial bodies like stars, but unlike stars, they cannot generate their own light, hence the sun is required to illuminate them. There are eight planets in the solar system. The planets are arranged in increasing order from the Sun’s distance as follows: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Planets in Solar System

The Planets Although planets resemble stars in appearance, they lack the stars’ own brightness. They are constantly shifting their locations in relation to the stars. An orbit is a path in which a planet travels around the sun. The period of revolution is the length of time it takes for a planet to complete one revolution. It gets bigger as the planet gets farther from the Sun.

The planets not only revolve but also spin on their axes. The period of rotation is the length of time it takes a planet to complete one rotation. There are known moons and satellites that orbit some planets. A celestial body’s satellite is any celestial body that orbits another celestial body. Typically, the word “satellite” refers to objects that orbit planets. For instance, the moon is an Earth satellite. There are also artificial satellites revolving around the Earth. These are called artificial satellites.

Solar System Diagram

Here is the Solar System Diagram for a better understanding of the arrangement of the Planets in Solar System.

The Sun

It is the nearest star to us. It is the main source of light and heat output. Additionally, it illuminates every planet that revolves around it. As the earth rotates from west to east, it appears to rise in the east and set in the west.

Solar System Planets in Order

Planets can be divided into two groups i.e., Inner Planets and Outer Planets.

Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the first four planets that make up the inner planets. Compared to the other four planets, these are significantly closer to the Sun. These just have a few moons.

Outer Planets: The term “outer planets” refers to the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune that are not in Mars’ orbit. Compared to the inner planets, these are significantly further away. Their moons are numerous.

How many Planets in Solar System?

Our solar system is made up of our star, the Sun, and everything gravitationally connected to it, including the moons, asteroids, comets, and millions of asteroids, comets, and asteroids, as well as the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Mercury

The planet that is closest to the Sun is Mercury. It is also our solar system’s smallest planet. Due to the sun’s intense glare, its close proximity to the sun renders it largely undetectable. However, we can see it near the horizon shortly before sunrise or immediately after sunset. The planet Mercury has no satellites.

Venus

Venus is the planet that is closest to Earth, and it is also the one that shines the brightest. Because it can be seen in the morning, just before sunrise, and in the evening, just after sunset, it is also known as the morning and evening star. There are none owned by it. It spins from East to West as opposed to the Earth’s rotation from West to East. Like the moon, it has different phases of appearance.

Earth

The only planet where life is known to exist is the Earth. The continued survival of life on Earth is a result of some unique environmental factors, such as the planet’s distance from the Sun, its moderate temperature range, the availability of water, an atmosphere that is favourable for life, and an ozone layer.90% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, which reflects sunlight and gives the planet a blue-green appearance from space. The moon is the only satellite of the Earth. The earth’s bending at both poles is what causes the seasons to vary.

Mars

Mars was the first planet discovered outside the Earth’s orbit. Due to its reddish colour, it is also known as the “Red Planet.” Two tiny natural satellites are owned by it. On November 5, 2013, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched Mangalyaan, the country’s first Mars orbiter mission. On September 24, 2014, it was successfully positioned into the orbit of Mars. With this, India succeeded in doing so on its first try, making it the first nation to ever do so. The red planet is Mars. It is named after the Roman god of war, Mars, because of its reddish appearance. The red color of Mars is caused by iron oxide, which is rust.

Jupiter

It is the largest planet in the solar system. It is so large that about 1300 Earths can be placed inside this giant planet. It rotates rapidly on its axis. Jupiter owns many satellites. It is surrounded by faint rings.

Saturn

The most beautiful planet in our solar system is Saturn, which has a yellowish appearance. Four invisible rings surround it and are not apparent to the naked eye. Saturn is a satellite-rich planet as well. The least dense planet in our solar system is Saturn. Even less dense than water, it has a low density.

Neptune and Uranus

These are only visible with the aid of powerful telescopes and are situated near the solar system’s farthest orbits. Uranus spins from East to West, just like Venus. The rotating axis of Uranus is significantly inclined. It appears to roll on its side when it orbits because of its tilted rotation axis.

Brightest Planet in Solar System

The brightest planet in the solar system is Venus. It is so bright because it has a thick atmosphere that reflects most of the sunlight that reaches it (about 70%) back into space. Venus is also the closest planet to Earth, so it appears larger and brighter in the night sky than other planets. Venus is often called the “morning star” or the “evening star” because it is often visible in the eastern sky before sunrise and in the western sky after sunset. However, Venus is not actually a star. It is a planet, just like Earth.

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