It is not possible to reach the speed of the ever-expanding universe. Although space exploration continues with exciting journeys, understanding the universe’s secrets is like writing on water. Fortunately, the solar system offers more calculable and observable facts. You can read this guide for surprising information about the planets in the solar system, some of which you know but many of which you will hear for the first time.
There are eight planets in the solar system, including Earth. The first four are classified as inner planets, and the last four are classified as outer planets.
Mercury
Mercury ranks first when the planets are ranked according to their proximity to the Sun. There is quite interesting information about Mercury, the smallest of the eight planets in the solar system
– Equator Diameter: 4.879 km
– Pole Diameter: 4.879 km
– Equator Circumference: 15.329 km
– Orbital Period: 87.97 Earth days
– Surface Temperature: -173 to 427 °C
– Satellite: None
Interesting facts about Mercury: Although the date of its discovery is unknown, it was believed that the Sumerians first mentioned it around 3000 BC. – Although a year on Mercury lasts about 88 days, a Mercury day corresponds to 176 days. – Although Mercury is the most minor planet in the solar system, it is one of the five planets visible to the naked eye. – It is among the solar system’s four inner planets formed by metal and rocks.- Due to its rapid movement around the Sun, it is named after Mercury, the messenger of the Roman gods, also known as Hermes in Greek mythology.- Although it is the closest planet to the Sun, it is known as the second hottest planet. – Mercury has only 38 percent of Earth’s gravity; therefore, it has neither moons nor rings. It also has a skinny atmosphere layer due to its low gravity. – Mercury’s surface is entirely of craters, just like the Moon. Unlike most planets, it is not geologically active, so the craters formed by asteroids and comets remain as they are. – Only two spacecraft have visited Mercury; the first was Mariner 10, launched in 1973, and the second was the MESSENGER space probe sent in 2004.
Venus
Venus, called Earth’s sister planet because of its similar size and mass, is also the closest planet to Earth. Named after Venus, the goddess of love and beauty in Roman mythology, this inner planet has the following characteristics:
– Equator Diameter: 12.104 km
– Pole Diameter: 12.104 km
– Equatorial Circumference: 38.025 km
– Orbital Period: 224.70 Earth days
– Surface Temperature: 462 °C
– Satellite: None
Interesting facts about Venus:
Venus, one of the planets without satellites, is known as the second brightest object in the solar system after the Sun and the Moon.
It takes longer to spend a day on Venus than a year. This planet completes its rotation around its axis in 243 days and completes its orbit in 225 days.
Venus, like Earth, has a central core, a molten mantle, and a crust.
Scientists believe that Venus once had an ample supply of water. Still, because high temperatures caused by the extreme greenhouse effect have evaporated this water, the planet’s surface is too hot to live on, even the hottest in the solar system.
The estimated age of the surface of Venus is around 300 to 400 million years. The Earth’s surface is about 100 million years old, so it is an ancient planet.
Venus’s atmospheric pressure is 92 times stronger than that on Earth. This means that any object entering the atmosphere melts under tremendous pressure.
Consequently, it is not possible to find craters on the surface of Venus.
Venus is the only planet in the solar system named after a female figure.
While most of the other planets rotate on their axis counterclockwise, Venus behaves a little differently. Venus, which rotates clockwise like Uranus, is believed to have experienced a violent collision.
The dust clouds surrounding Venus are so thick that it is difficult to observe its surface. Fortunately, since the Pioneer Venus spacecraft’s initiatives in 1978, radar mapping has obtained more information about the surface of Venus.
World
Earth is the only planet in the solar system that is not named after a mythological being and on which life exists. Our Earth, which has unique features in many respects, is the only place where the concept of life emerged billions of years ago.
Equator Diameter 12.756 km
Pole Diameter12,714 km
Equator Circumference40.030 km
Orbital Period 365.26 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -88 to 58 °C
Satellite Moon
Interesting facts about the Earth:
According to its etymological origin, the name of the planet Earth means Earth in Arabic. The English’ earth’ is derived from the Old English’ ertha,’ which means Earth.
Although Earth is the fifth-largest planet in the solar system in size and mass, it is also the densest planet.
Challenger Deep is the Earth’s lowest point, approximately 10.9 kilometers deeper than sea level.
Until Copernicus proposed his solar system model in 1543, it was believed that the Earth was the center of the universe.
The Earth’s rotation is slowing down, even though humans do not realize it. The value of this slowdown is only 17 milliseconds per 100 years, meaning that in about 140 million years, a day could go from 24 hours to 25 hours.
Due to global warming, the average temperature on Earth is expected to rise by 7 degrees Celsius by 2100.
Earth’s powerful magnetic field protects the planet from the solar winds.
The first signs of life on Earth are believed to have developed in the oceans through abiogenesis and biopoiesis. This represents a natural process by which life develops from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds.
Earth has few craters compared to other inner planets in the solar system. This is because Earth is geologically active and has tectonic and erosion processes that reshape its surface.
It is known that water on Earth was initially trapped inside the planet and has risen to the surface over time due to volcanic activity.
Mars
Mars, which ranks fourth among the planets close to the Sun and is the last of the inner planets, is also known as the Red Planet due to its brown-red surface. Becoming the passion of 21st-century space travelers, this planet has exciting features.
Equator Diameter 6.805 km
Pole Diameter 6.755 km
Equator Circumference 21,297 km
Orbital Period 686.98 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -87 to 5 °C
Satellite: Phobos and Deimos
Interesting facts about Mars:
The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Chinese astronomers called Mars the ‘fire star,’ while ancient Egyptian priests called Mars’ her desher,’ meaning ‘the red one.’
Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. Another surprising fact about Mars’s moons is that the red planet had two moons before it was discovered, as mentioned in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
Mars experiences different seasons like Earth but with one difference: the seasons on Mars last twice as long. This is because Mars is tilted on its axis more than the Earth.
The fact that Mars is the only planet other than Earth with polar ice caps strengthens the belief that Mars may have life.
Martians, frequently depicted in science fiction films, do not exist in reality, but the possibility of establishing a life colony here in the future accelerates exploration projects.
The first successful landings on Mars’s surface took place in 1971, and the first mission to send photographs was carried out by Soviet-launched spacecraft in 1988. On 18 February 2021, the Perseverance rover landed on Mars and continued its mission.
Mars has only 37 percent of the Earth’s gravity, which means that it can jump about three times higher than Earth.
On Mars, the Olympus Mons volcano is the highest mountain in the solar system, at about 21 kilometers in height.
Despite the low pressure caused by the thin atmosphere, Mars experiences a number of weather phenomena, such as solid dust storms, frost, fog, and wind.
Jupiter
Known for being the most giant planet in the solar system, Jupiter is named after the god of the sky in Roman mythology. The characteristics of this Jupiter, whose gigantic dimensions cause interesting comparisons, are as follows:
Equator Diameter 142.984 km
Pole Diameter 133.709 km
Equator Circumference 439,264 km
Orbital Period 4.333 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -108 °C
Satellites: At least 67, the most important being Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
Interesting facts about Jupiter:
Jupiter, which makes a difference with its gigantic size, is twice the size of all other planets combined. It is also 317 times heavier than the Earth’s mass.
Jupiter’s giant volume can fit more than 1300 Earths inside it, which is like comparing the size of a basketball to a grape seed.
The large red dot on Jupiter’s surface represents a centuries-old giant hurricane, twice the size of the Earth.
Jupiter has the shortest day in the solar system because it rotates fast around its axis. Jupiter, which has a flat appearance due to this speed, completes its rotation around its axis in 9 hours and 55 minutes.
Jupiter, one of the planets with a ring, is surrounded by fragments of its satellites caused by asteroid impacts.
Jupiter, one of the five planets visible to the naked eye from Earth, is also the fourth brightest object in the solar system.
Since it has the strongest magnetic field in the solar system, Jupiter has 67 known moons. Galileo Galilei first discovered Jupiter’s moons in 1610. The names of these four moons, which are considered the most important ones, are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Saturn
Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system in terms of diameter and mass, has very similar characteristics to Jupiter. This kinship is also reflected in mythology, as it takes its name from the father of Jupiter in Roman mythology. The attributes of Saturn, also known as the ringed planet, are as follows:
Equator Diameter 120.536 km
Pole Diameter 108,728 km
Equator Circumference: 365,882 km
Orbital Period 10,755 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -139 °C
Satellites: At least 62, the most important being Titan, Rhea, and Enceladus.
Interesting facts about Saturn:
Saturn, the most famous planet with a ring, is the last planet discovered by ancient civilizations. It is believed that the Babylonians and Far Eastern astronomers knew about Saturn.
The rings around Saturn, about 20 meters thick, are mainly composed of ice and carbonaceous dust.
Compared to other planets in the solar system, the winds on Saturn reach extraordinary speeds. It is possible to encounter winds traveling at about 1800 km per hour.
Known as the planet with the lowest density, Saturn is mainly composed of hydrogen gases. The parts of this planet consist of helium and hydrogen gases condensed in the depths and form a metallic inner core.
Saturn, the planet with the most significant distance between its equator and pole diameters, is known as the flattest planet in the solar system due to its low density and high speed.
Saturn completes its rotation around itself in about 10.5 hours.
According to Hubble Space Telescope data, the white spots in Saturn’s atmosphere are formed by gigantic storms, just like the red spot on Jupiter.
The first spacecraft to reach Saturn was Pioneer 11, which came within 22,000 kilometers of the planet in 1979.
Uranus
The further away from the Sun, the more unknown things become. Uranus, one of the ice giants, is the seventh planet, named after the father of the Roman god Saturn. So, what are the features that make Uranus, which was discovered in 1781, interesting?
Equator Diameter 51.118 km
Pole Diameter 49.946 km
Equator Circumference 159,354 km
Orbital Period 30,687 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -197 °C
Satellites: At least 27, the most important being Oberon, Titania, Miranda, Ariel and Umbriel.
Interesting facts about Uranus:
Uranus, the first planet discovered by modern science, was discovered by German astronomer William Herschel in 1781.
Like Venus, Uranus rotates in the opposite direction to the other planets. Its rotation around its own axis takes 17 hours and 14 minutes.
Uranus’s journey around the Sun is very long: compared to the Earth, it takes 42 years of light and 42 years of darkness.
Uranus is the lightest of the four outer planets in the solar system, with 14.5 times the mass of Earth.
Also known as the icy planet, Uranus’ unique pale blue color distinguishes it from the others. The planet’s minimum surface temperature is -224 °C.
There has been only one space mission to Uranus. Voyager 2 spacecraft, sent in 1986, could approach the planet only 81,500 kilometers.
Uranus, one of the planets with rings, has 13 known rings.
The element uranium takes its name from this planet.
Neptune
The list of planets in the solar system ends with Neptune. Neptune, which became the last planet after Pluto was included in the class of dwarf planets in 2006, is known for its distinctive blue color. For this reason, its name comes from the god of the sea in Roman mythology.
Equator Diameter 49.528 km
Pole Diameter 48.682 km
Equator Circumference 155,600 km
Orbital Period 60,190 Earth days
Surface Temp: -201 °C
Satellite: At least 14, most importantly Triton
Interesting facts about Neptune:
Neptune, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, represents the last of the four planets, exoplanets.
The planet had the second-largest gravity after Jupiter was discovered in 1846. Triton, Neptune’s largest Moon, was found only 17 days later.
Neptune, which revolves around itself incredibly fast because it is composed of gases, completes a total revolution in 18 hours.
Neptune, which has substantial air movements in its upper layers, has a hurricane similar to that of Jupiter, which is approximately Earth-sized.
The planet’s core, which is about 17 times larger than the Earth, is composed of rocks.
Although it is one of the planets with rings, Neptune’s rings are made up of ice and dust grains that are too pale to be recognized.
Once a Planet, Now a Dwarf: Pluto
Pluto, discovered in 1930 and considered a planet until the controversial Prague meeting of the International Astronomical Union in 2006, is now a dwarf planet. Smaller than Earth’s Moon, Pluto moves in a chaotic orbit. Pluto, which remains mysterious in many ways, is thought to have a solid rocky core surrounded by icy mantles and frozen nitrogen.
Diameter 2,368 km
Orbital Period 248 Earth years
Surface Temperature: -229 °C
Satellite At least 5
The dwarf planets in the solar system are as follows:
Ceres
Pluto
Haumea
Makemake
Eris
Space exploration, planetary journeys, and Mars colonies are the latest astronomical discoveries. Although the idea of living on another planet sounds exciting, the future of Earth, the only habitable solar system planet, must be held tightly.
