Mercury means:

In astronomy mythology, Mercury was the Roman version of the Greek god
Hermes. He was the messenger for the other gods, and for this reason
Mercury is often depicted in pictures with winged sandals. In addition to
delivering messages, he was also the protector of travelers and merchants.

How much would you weigh on Mercury?

If you moved to Mercury you would not weigh as much as you do on Earth.
Not because you would lose weight on the spaceship, but because Mercury is
smaller, and so has less gravity. If you weigh 70 pounds (32 kg) on Earth,
you would weigh only about 27 pounds (12 kg) on Mercury.

The Planet
The planet Mercury is the closest of the planets to the Sun. Because this
planet lies so close to the Sun, and as a result somewhat near to Earth, it is
visible to observers on Earth in the late evening or early morning sky.
Because of this, Mercury has become a part of the mythology and legend of
almost every culture throughout the history of the Earth.

This planet is often called a morning star. This is because Mercury shines
brightly in the early morning just before the sun rises. It has also been
called an evening star for the same reason. Mercury is often visible for a
brief period of time just after the Sun sets.

Mercury is Heavy
Because of its proximity to the Sun, Mercury's evolution took a slightly
different course than that of the other planets. As the Sun formed, it pushed
much of the lighter gas and dust out of the inner Solar System, leaving
behind only heavier elements. As a result, Mercury is made out of a large
percentage of heavier elements, mainly iron. It is essentially a large metal
ball of iron with a very thin silicate crust. Mercury's core makes up about
75% of the planet. Its thin mantle, or crust, is only about 300 to 400 miles
thick (500 to 600 km). Next to Earth, Mercury is the second most dense
planet in our Solar System.
Mercury Has Wrinkles
As Mercury's iron core cooled it contracted, or shrunk. This caused its rocky
crust to become wrinkled. Scientists call these wrinkles Lobate Scarps. This
scarps can be hundreds of miles long and even up to a mile high. Mercury's
core has not cooled completely, however. Researcher recently found
evidence that Mercury has a molten core.

Mercury is Scarred
The surface of the planet Mercury is covered with craters. These craters have
been created by eons of accidental encounters with asteroids and comets. All
celestial bodies within the Solar System are subject to these bombardments.
However, many of the planets have the ability to heal themselves through
natural geological processes.

Because Mercury's crust is so thick and hard, no volcanic activity can make
its way through to the surface of the planet. Since this surface volcanic
activity cannot happen, Mercury will forever retain its scars.

Mercury Has No Atmosphere

The planet Mercury is too small and has too little gravity to hold onto an
atmosphere. Any gases released from the planet quickly escape into space.
Also, Mercury is so close to the Sun that any atmosphere is quickly blown
away by the Sun's solar winds. That means that there is almost no air on
Mercury.

Temperature Extremes
Mercury is just a little bit larger than Earth's moon. The surface of Mercury
that faces the Sun can reach about 800 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other
hand, the temperature on the nighttime side can plummet to almost -300
degrees Fahrenheit. This is because Mercury has little to no atmosphere to
help regulate temperature.

Time on Mercury
Because of its close location to the Sun, the planet Mercury has become
tidally locked to the Sun, or nearly so. The tidal forces of the Sun have over
eons of time slowed down the rotation of Mercury to match its revolution
around the Sun. The result is that Mercury rotates very slowly. One day on
Mercury is about 58-1/2 Earth days long. But while Mercury's days are very
long, its revolution around the Sun is rather fast. Mercury can complete one
orbit around the Sun in only 88 Earth days. That's just about 3 months here
on Earth. This is why Mercury's name is so appropriate. In mythology,
Mercury was a speedy messenger, just like the planet's speedy revolution
around the Sun.

Moons:
Mercury has no moons.

Saturn means:
Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture. He was called Cronus by the
Greeks. He is the son of Uranus and the father of Jupiter. Saturn overthrew
his father to become king of the gods, but was then overthrown himself by
his son Jupiter.

How much would you weigh on Saturn?

Because Saturn is bigger than the Earth, you would weigh more on Saturn
than you do here. If you weigh 70 (32 kg) pounds on Earth, you would
weigh 74.5 pounds (34 kg) on Saturn. Probably not as much as you thought,
right? Keep reading to find out why.

The Planet
In many ways, Saturn is similar to Jupiter, but it is much smaller. It is the
second largest planet in our Solar System and it is a gas giant like Jupiter.
Under the clouds of methane, hydrogen and helium, the sky gradually turns
into liquid until it becomes a giant ocean of liquid chemicals.

Saturn is the least dense planet in our Solar System. It is made up of mostly
hydrogen and helium, which are the two lightest elements in the universe
and thus make Saturn the lightest planet that we know of. This is why you
wouldn't weigh as much on Saturn as you think you would because of its
size. And because Saturn is so light, it does not have as much gravity.
Interestingly, it is believed Saturn would actually be able to float in water
because the hydrogen and helium that make up the planet are so
lightweight.

Because Saturn is such a lightweight planet and it spins so fast, Saturn is

not perfectly round like most of the other planets. Like Jupiter, Saturn is
wider in the middle and more narrow near its top and bottom.

The Rings
Saturn is most well-known for its rings. However, it is not the only planet
with rings. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings. Saturn is a favorite
object for many observers. Its beautiful rings are 169,800 miles wide
(approx 273,266 km). But the rings are amazingly thin, estimated to be less
than a kilometer thick. That's only a little more than half a mile (0.62 miles
to be exact)! The rings are split into categories, Ring A, Ring B, Ring C, Ring
D, Ring E, Ring F and Ring G, totaling 7 in all. The rings are not solid but
rather are made up of particles of ice, dust and rocks. The rings are held in
place around Saturn by the moons that also orbit this large planet. The
gravity of these moons also cause the gaps that are seen in between the
rings.

Moons:
Saturn has 53 official moons and 9 provisional (unofficial) moons. The most
well-known of Saturn's moons is probably Titan. It is the second largest
moon in the Solar System next to Jupiter's Ganymede. Titan is larger than
the planet Mercury. Some of the other moons are Atlas, Calypso, Dione,
Enceladus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Janus, Mimas, Phoebe, and Tethys.

To learn more about these worlds Click Here.

Venus means:
In astronomy mythology, Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
In Greek, her name was Aphrodite.

How much would you weigh on Venus?

Because Venus and the Earth are almost the exact same size, you would
weigh almost exactly the same on either planet. If you weighed 70 pounds
(32 kg) on Earth, you would weigh 63 pounds (29 kg ) on Venus.
The Planet
The planet Venus has long been one of the most misunderstood of all the
inner planets. Like the Earth, Venus has an atmosphere. However, Venus'
atmosphere is far thicker than that of the Earth, making it difficult for
modern science to penetrate. Interestingly, scientists have recently been
able to peek through the thick clouds and get a few glimpses of the surface.
There are numerous volcanoes and many mountains that appear misshapen.

There is much we still do not know about how this planet looks and
what it is like. However, using special instruments and probes
scientists have in recent years unlocked many of the secrets long
hidden by this mysterious world. In the 1970s, the Soviet Union
actually was able to land more than one probe on the surface of
Venus. These scientific probes only lasted a few hours before they
were destroyed by the intense heat of the planet. These probes
were able to take several pictures and send them back to earth for
scientists to study.
The Earth Has a Sister
Venus is in many ways Earth's sister planet. It is almost identical in
size, chemistry, gravity and density as the Earth. In other words,
Venus is made up of almost the exact same types of materials as
the Earth and in about the same amounts. Venus has volcanoes,
mountains and sand, just like Earth.

However, if they are twins, then Venus is the evil twin; she is the
Earth gone wrong, very wrong. Venus is a deadly world where the
surface temperature is hot enough to cook a meal in mere minutes.
There is nowhere to hide from this ever present furnace. And with
the atmosphere containing mostly carbon dioxide, it makes Venus a
highly toxic place. No living thing would ever be able to survive on
Venus.

Global Warming
In the early days of Venus' 4 billion year long life, it would have
appeared very similar to the Earth. The two would have been almost
identical. However, over a period of a few million years, forces on
Venus caused it to take a very different course than the Earth.

Venus lies much closer to the Sun than does our planet. That single
fact has caused an unstoppable chain of events that doomed Venus
to its fiery existence. Owing to its closer proximity to the Sun,
Venus' temperature should have been only slightly warmer than that
of the Earth. But as the planet warmed, the water evaporated. This
increase in water vapor in the atmosphere began a cycle of global
warming that could not be stopped. Water vapor is a very effective
greenhouse gas. (Greenhouse gas soaks up hot air and prevents it
from escaping into space). The increase in water vapor caused the
temperature to rise further, which caused more water to evaporate,
causing the temperature to climb still further.

Today it is likely that all of Venus' water has evaporated into the
atmosphere. This atmosphere effectively traps the Sun's energy
causing the surface to burn much hotter than it naturally would. The
temperatures on Venus can reach almost 900 degrees Fahrenheit
(approx 482 degrees Celsius).

Venus is Dry
The Earth has a protective layer known as the Ozone Layer. This
important shield protects the Earth from the Sun's ultraviolet
radiation. Venus does not have an ozone layer. As a result, the
ultraviolet radiation from the Sun finds its way directly into Venus'
atmosphere. Over many billions of years this radiation has slowly
broken down water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. As a
result, there is today very little water left on Venus.

Geography
Venus has many, many volcanoes. We don't know for sure, but it is
possible that Venus has more volcanoes than any of the other
planets in our Solar System. But unlike the volcanoes on Earth that
can sometimes erupt in an explosive manner, the volcanoes on
Venus are believed to erupt in a less violent way. In fact, it is
believed that they don't erupt at all. Instead, it is thought that the
lava just slowly flows out onto the surface.

Venus has a few mountainous areas along with extensive flat areas.
There are craters and evidence that the surface long ago moved,
much like the surface of the Earth moves today. But unlike the
Earth's surface, there is no evidence that Venus has a tectonic plate
system.

From West to East

If you somehow found a way to survive the scorching heat found on
the surface of Venus, you would quickly notice something strange
about the days. Aside from the fact that Venus rotates very slowly
so that a day on Venus lasts more than 100 Earth days, Venus also
rotates in the opposite direction as almost all the other planets.

Instead of the Sun rising in the east and setting in the west, the
Sun on Venus would appear to rise in the west and set in the east.

Moons:
Venus has no moons.
Uranus means:
In astronomy mythology, Uranus was the lord of the skies and
husband of Earth. He was also the king of the gods until he was
overthrown by his son Saturn.

How much would you weigh on Uranus?

It would take you many years to fly a rocket to Uranus. When you
arrived you would weigh less because Uranus' gravity is not as
strong as the Earth's. If you weigh 70 pounds (32 kg) on Earth, you
would weigh 62 pounds (28 kg) on Uranus.

The Planet
Like Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus is a gas giant. But Uranus is a little
different. Unlike all the other planets and most of the moons in our
Solar System, Uranus spins on its side. It is believed that long ago a
very large object smashed into this planet. The crash was so
powerful that it completely changed the direction of Uranus'
planetary rotation. However, a more recent theory is that the
extreme tilt of Uranus' axis may have been caused by a large moon
that was slowly pulled away from the planet by another large planet
long ago when our Solar System was still new. It is thought that the
gravitational pull of this moon moving away from Uranus may have
caused it to tilt on its side.

Like Saturn, the thick atmosphere of Uranus is made up of

methane, hydrogen and helium. But Uranus is an extremely cold
planet. It has been called the "ice giant." It is believed that Uranus
is made up of rock and ice and has a large rocky core. Because of
the tremendous planetary pressure of Uranus, there could possibly
be trillions of large diamonds in or on the surface of this planet.

Scientists also believe that on the surface of Uranus there may be a

huge ocean. And, interestingly, it is thought that the temperature of
this ocean may be extremely hot, maybe even as hot as 5000
degrees Fahrenheit (2760 Celsius).
Uranus is almost identical to the planet Neptune.

Rings
Uranus also has rings, though they don't stretch out as far as the rings of
Saturn. The rings of Uranus are made up of black dust particles and large
rocks.

Moons:
Uranus has 27 moons. Five of these moons are large and the rest are
smaller. The largest moon is Titania, followed by Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel and
Miranda. Some of the smaller moons are named: Belinda, Bianca, Caliban,
Cordelia, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Ophelia, Portia, Puck, and Rosalind.
Mars means:
Mars was the Roman god of war and agriculture. It may not seem like these
two things go together, but they do. Mars protected those who fought for
their communities, and stayed home to raise crops for food. In Greek, Mars
was known as Ares.

How much would you weigh on Mars?

If you weighed 70 pounds (32 kg) on the Earth, you would weigh about 27
pounds (12 kg) on Mars.

The Planet
Mars excites scientists because its mild temperament is more like the Earth's
than any of the other planets. Evidence suggests that Mars once had rivers,
streams, lakes, and even an ocean. As Mars' atmosphere slowly depleted
into outer space, the surface water began to permanently evaporate. Today
the only water on Mars in either frozen in the polar caps or underground.

You may sometimes hear Mars referred to as the "Red Planet." This is
because the surface of Mars is red. If you stood on the surface of Mars, you
would see red dirt and rocks everywhere.

Exploration
At first, the only way modern explorers could study Mars was with satellites
that would fly close to the surface of Mars and take pictures as it did so. The
satellites would then send these pictures back to Earth.

As scientific technology became more advanced, scientists were able to put

spacecraft into orbit around the Red Planet. These types of missions allowed
scientists and researchers to obtain even more information about Mars.

Then, as technology advanced even more, scientists and researchers were

able to actually land spacecraft on the surface of Mars. To learn more about
these amazing explorations, Click Here.

What if humans went to Mars?

Moons:
Mars has two moons, their names are Deimos and Phobos. To learn about
these worlds, Click Here.

Mars has higher mountains, and deeper

canyons than any other planet. The largest
canyon on Mars would stretch from New York
City to Los Angeles on the Earth. That makes
the Grand Canyon look tiny. It also has the
Solar System's biggest volcano, Olympus
Mons, which is nearly 3 times larger than
Mount Everest.
Neptune means:
At first, Neptune was only the god of water, but later on this was extended to
include the sea when he became associated with the Greek god Poseidon.

How much would you weigh on Neptune?

If you weigh 70 pounds (32 kg) on the Earth, you would weigh 78.5 pounds
(36 kg) on Neptune.

The Planet
For many, centuries people did not know that this planet even existed. It was
discovered by Johann Galle and Heinrich D'Arrest in 1846.

Neptune is the smallest of the four gas giants in our Solar System. Much like
Saturn and Uranus, Neptune's atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium and
methane.

Not much was known about Neptune until it was visited by the spacecraft
Voyager 2 on August 25, 1989. Voyager 2 took many pictures of the planet,
and much of what we know today about Neptune came from this single visit.
These pictures show a brilliant blue planet with a few thin white clouds laced
around its surface.

In Neptune's atmosphere, there is a large white cloud that moves around

rather quickly. The "scooting" of this cloud around the atmosphere has led it
to be named "Scooter."

When Voyager 2 visited Neptune, its pictures showed a giant storm much
like the storm on Jupiter. This storm is called the "Great Dark Spot" because
it appears as a dark oval shape on the surface of the planet. We do not know
how long this storm has been active or if it is still present. More recently, the
Hubble Space Telescope sent pictures back to Earth and there was no sign of
the Great Dark Spot. These pictures did show two other dark spots that
eventually faded away.
Neptune is a very windy place. No other planet in the Solar System has
winds that are as strong as Neptune's. The winds near the Great Dark Spot
were believed to have reached nearly 1,200 miles per hour (approx 1931 km
per hour). Perhaps this extremely windy atmosphere contributes to the
appearance and disappearance of the great dark spots.

Rings
Neptune has six rings which circle the planet. These rings are believed to be
fairly new. The rings are more irregular than the rings of other planets.
There are areas of varying thickness throughout the rings.

Moons:
Neptune has 13 moons that we know of. Because Neptune is so far away, it
is difficult to see any of these worlds. There are probably many more moons
orbiting this blue planet which we have not yet discovered. Perhaps you will
be the astronomer who discovers some of these worlds. The first moon to be
discovered was Triton. Triton was discovered by an amateur astronomer in
England named William Lassell only 17 days after Neptune was discovered in
1846. The names of the other moons are: Despina, Galatea, Halimede,
Laomedeia, Larissa, Naiad, Nereid, Neso, Proteus, Psamathe, Sao, and
Thalassa.

To learn more about these worlds, Click Here.

Neptune's circular orbit is offset from the Sun.

At times, Neptune's orbit takes it further from
the Sun than any other planet in the Solar
System. In 2011, Neptune will complete its
first orbit around the Sun since it was
discovered in 1846.
Pluto means:
Pluto was thought to be the god to whom all men must eventually go.
Romans believed him to be the god of the underworld. In Greek mythology,
he is known as Hades.

How much would you weigh on Pluto?

Because Pluto is so small you would be very light if you visited. If you weigh
70 pounds (32 kg) on Earth, you would only weigh 4 pounds (2.5 kg) on
Pluto.

The Dwarf Planet

Pluto was the only planet to be named by a kid. After the planet was
discovered in 1930, an 11-year-old girl who lived in Oxford, England, by the
name of Venetia Burney, suggested that this new planet needed to be named
after the Roman god of the underworld. Venetia's grandfather sent this
suggestion to the Lowell Observatory and the name was accepted.

Pluto is smaller than 7 of the moons in the Solar System. It is about two-
thirds smaller than Earth's moon. Because it is so small, many scientists
don't consider it a planet at all. In 1999, a group of scientists attempted to
re-classify Pluto as a comet. On August 24, 2006, Pluto's status was officially
changed from planet to dwarf planet. For decades, children have been taught
in school that there are nine planets in our Solar System. However, with this
change, there are now only eight planets. Also because of this change, there
is a new category of small planets known as plutoids.

The Hubble Space Telescope has provided the clearest images yet of this
dwarf planet for scientists to study. Studies of Pluto and its moon are still
being conducted today with the Hubble Space Telescope. However, little is
still known about Pluto and its moons because it is so far away.

Moons:
Pluto has 4 moons. The largest is named Charon. Charon is only slightly
smaller than its parent Pluto. For this reason, Pluto and Charon are often
called a double planet system. The Earth and its moon, Luna, are sometimes
considered double planets. Pluto's two other moons are called Hydra and
Nix. The newest moon, only recently discovered by the Hubble Space
Telescope in the summer of 2011, is temporarily named P4. It is located
between the orbits of Nix and Hydra.

To learn more about Charon Click Here.

Pluto revolves around the Sun in an orbit that

is not exactly circular like the rest of the
planets. Rather, Pluto's orbit is more of an
oval or egg shape. Because of this, Pluto will
orbit inside of Neptune's orbit, which makes
Pluto closer to the Sun than Neptune at times.
Also, its orbit does not lie flat in the same
plane as the rest of the planets. Pluto's orbit
is tilted so it orbits above and below the other
planets' orbits in our Solar System.
Jupiter means:
Jupiter, known as Zeus in Greek mythology, over threw his father
Saturn to become king of the gods. He then split the universe with
his brothers Neptune and Pluto.

How much would you weigh on Jupiter?

If you traveled to Jupiter on vacation, you would be very heavy. If
you weigh 70 pounds (32 kg) on Earth, on Jupiter you would weigh
185 pounds (84 kg). This is because Jupiter is such a large planet
and so has more gravity.

The Planet
Jupiter is by far the largest planet in our Solar System. The Earth
could fit inside Jupiter more than 1000 times.

Jupiter is a very stormy planet. There are storms found throughout

the atmosphere, and most of the storms seem to never end. The
many different cloud formations and storms in the atmosphere also
make Jupiter a very colorful planet.

Jupiter's great red spot, visible in the picture above to the right, is
where a giant storm has been raging for at least 300 years. This red
spot is also called "The Eye of Jupiter" because of its shape. This
storm's super hurricane winds blow across an area larger than the
Earth.

Jupiter is considered a gas giant because it does not have a solid

surface. Under its atmosphere is a large liquid ocean of hydrogen
and water. What lies in between that ocean and the atmosphere?
Actually, there is no in between. The atmosphere slowly gets thicker
and thicker until it becomes part of the ocean. In other words,
Jupiter's ocean has no surface on which you could float a boat. The
sky becomes the ocean.

Rings
Did you know Jupiter has rings? They are faint and are only able to
be viewed when Jupiter passes in front of the Sun. This is because
the light from the Sun lights them up for us to see here on Earth.
There are three rings in all. They are named Gossamer, Main and
Halo.

Moons:
Jupiter has 50 official moons and 12 provisional (unofficial) moons. The four
largest and most well-known were discovered by Galileo in the year 1610.
Their names are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Some of the other
moons are Adrastea, Ananke, Carme, Elara, Himalia, Leda, Lysithea, Metis,
Pasiphae, Sinope, and Thebe.
Earth means:
In astronomy mythology, her Greek name was Gaea. Earth was the mother
of the mountains, valleys, streams and all other land formations. She was
married to Uranus.

How Big is the Earth?

The Earth is the biggest of all the terrestrial planets. A terrestrial planet is a
dense planet found in the inner Solar System. The diameter of Earth is 7,926
miles. The circumference measured around the equator is 24,901 miles.
There are currently almost 7 billion people living on the Earth. About 30% of
the Earth's surface is covered with land, while about 70% is covered by
oceans.

The Planet
Our planet is an oasis of life in an otherwise desolate universe. The Earth's
temperature, weather, atmosphere and many other factors are just right to
keep us alive.

To learn more about Earth, please visit our Earth Sciences website.

Moons:
The Earth has one moon. Its name is Luna. To learn about Luna Click
Here.
Scientists use the Earth to study all the other
planets. Since no human has ever visited
another planet, we have to use what we know
about the Earth, and try to guess what the
other planets must be like. This is called
Comparative Planetology.

What Is The Solar System?

The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun.
In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons,
comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas.

Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun.

The Sun contains around 98% of all the material in the Solar
System. The larger an object is, the more gravity it has. Because
the Sun is so large, its powerful gravity attracts all the other objects
in the Solar System towards it. At the same time, these objects,
which are moving very rapidly, try to fly away from the Sun,
outward into the emptiness of outer space. The result of the planets
trying to fly away, at the same time that the Sun is trying to pull
them inward is that they become trapped half-way in between.
Balanced between flying towards the Sun, and escaping into space,
they spend eternity orbiting around their parent star.

How Did The Solar System form?

This is an important question, and one that is difficult for scientists
to understand. After all, the creation of our Solar System took place
billions of years before there were any people around to witness it.
Our own evolution is tied closely to the evolution of the Solar
System. Thus, without understanding from where the Solar System
came from, it is difficult to comprehend how mankind came to be.

Scientists believe that the Solar System evolved from a giant cloud
of dust and gas. They believe that this dust and gas began to
collapse under the weight of its own gravity. As it did so, the matter
contained within this could begin moving in a giant circle, much like
the water in a drain moves around the center of the drain in a circle.

At the center of this spinning cloud, a small star began to form. This
star grew larger and larger as it collected more and more of the
dust and gas that collapsed into it.

Further away from the center of this mass where the star was
forming, there were smaller clumps of dust and gas that were also
collapsing. The star in the center eventually ignited forming our
Sun, while the smaller clumps became the planets, minor planets,
moons, comets, and asteroids.

A Great Storm

Once ignited, the Sun's powerful solar winds began to blow. These
winds, which are made up of atomic particles being blown outward
from the Sun, slowly pushed the remaining gas and dust out of the
Solar System.

With no more gas or dust, the planets, minor planets, moons,

comets, and asteroids stopped growing. You may have noticed that
the four inner planets are much smaller than the four outer planets.
Why is that?

Because the inner planets are much closer to the Sun, they are
located where the solar winds are stronger. As a result, the dust and
gas from the inner Solar System was blown away much more
quickly than it was from the outer Solar System. This gave the
planets of the inner Solar System less time to grow.
Another important difference is that the outer planets are largely
made of gas and water, while the inner planets are made up almost
entirely of rock and dust. This is also a result of the solar winds. As
the outer planets grew larger, their gravity had time to accumulate
massive amounts of gas, water, as well as dust.

The Solar System Has Over 100 Worlds

It is true that there are only eight planets. However, the Solar
System is made up of over 100 worlds that are every bit as
fascinating. Some of these minor planets, and moons are actually
larger than the planet Mercury!

Others, such as Io, have active volcanoes. Europa has a liquid water
ocean, while Titan has lakes, rivers, and oceans of liquid Methane.
You can read more about these amazing worlds by clicking here.

The Asteroid Belt, The Kuiper Belt, And The Oort Cloud

You have probably heard about the Asteroid Belt. This band of
asteroids sits between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It
is made up of thousands of objects too small to be considered
planets. Some of them no larger than a grain of dust, while others,
like Eros can be more than 100 miles across. A few, like Ida, even
have their own moons.

Further out, beyond the orbit of the minor planet Pluto, sits another
belt known as the Kuiper Belt. Like the Asteroid Belt, the Kuiper Belt
is also made up of thousands, possibly even millions of objects too
small to be considered planets. A few of these objects, like Pluto,
are large enough that their gravity has pulled them into a sphere
shape.

These objects are made out of mostly frozen gas with small
amounts of dust. They are often called dirty snowballs. However,
you probably know them by their other name... comets.
Every once in a while one of these comets will be thrown off of its
orbit in the Kuiper Belt and hurled towards the inner Solar System
where it slowly melts in a fantastic show of tail and light.

Beyond the Kuiper Belt sits a vast area known as the Oort Cloud.
Here within this jumbled disorganized cloud live millions of
additional comets. These comets do not orbit the Sun in a ring or
belt. Instead, each one buzzes around in a completely random
direction, and at extremely high velocities.

Beyond The Oort Cloud

The Sun's solar winds continue pushing outward until they finally
begin to mix into the interstellar medium, becoming lost with the
winds from other stars. This creates a sort of bubble called the
Heliosphere. Scientists define the boundaries of the Solar System as
being the border of the Heliosphere, or at the place where the solar
winds from the Sun mix with the winds from other stars.

The Heliosphere extends out from the Sun to a distance of about 15

billion miles, which is more than 160 times further from the Sun
than is the Earth.
Solar System Facts
Each page is full of fun and exciting facts about our Solar System.
Take your time, and enjoy exploring our solar family.