Engage Learning Magazine Understand our Solar system by Engage Learning Mag

Rocky worlds Eight planets are in our solar system. These planets can be divided into t wo groups. The four planets nearest the sun are small, rocky worlds. Blast off to explore them. ] Venus Venus is the second planet from the sun, and the hottest planet. A thick atmosphere covers it. Like a giant blanket, the gases in the atmosphere trap the sun’s heat, causing the temperature to rise. Right now, it is nearly 462 degrees Celsius onVenus. That is hot enough to melt lead! Earth Earth orbits the sun in an area ofthe solar system called the Goldilocks Zone. This is an area around a star where the temperatures are just right for liquid water to flow on a planet’s surface. Water covers about 70 percent of Earth’s surface. That is important because life as we know it needs water to survive. Mars Rusty iron dust covers much of Mars’s surface. Winds blow some of the dust into the planet’s atmosphere, making it look pink. Sometimes, the winds can whip up giant dust storms. In fact, even though Mars is the second smallest planet, it has the largest dust storms. They can cover the whole planet and last for months. Mercury Mercury is slightly larger than Earth’s moon, making it the smallest planet. Since Mercury is the closest planet to the sun it revolves around the sunvery quickly. A year on Mercury is only 88 Earth days long. A day there lasts for 59 Earth days. @engagelearningmag All photos these pages: NASA

Engage Learning Magazine Understand our Solar system by Engage Learning Mag | Page 2