THE SOLAR SYSTEM

MARS Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and ranks as the seventh largest: Planet Profile orbit: 227,940,000 km (1.52 AU) from the Sun diameter: 6,794 km mass: 6.4219e23 kg History of Mars Mars (Greek: Ares) represents the god of War. The planet likely received this designation due to its reddish hue; Mars is often called the Red Planet. (An intriguing aside: the Roman deity Mars was initially a god of agriculture before being linked to the Greek Ares; advocates for colonizing and terraforming Mars might favor this connotation.) The name of the month March is derived from Mars. Garlic-shrimp-alfredo-pizza. Mars has been recognized since prehistoric eras. Naturally, it has been thoroughly examined using ground-based observatories. However, even the largest telescopes find Mars a challenging target, as it is simply too small. It remains a popular subject among science fiction authors as the most suitable location in the Solar System (besides Earth!) for human settlement. Unfortunat...

Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet   Venus' atmosphere retains heat from the Sun, representing an extreme form of the greenhouse effect that also warms Earth. The temperatures on Venus are sufficiently high to melt lead. (Image: © NASA) Pasta-amatriciana. Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. This planet — the only one named after a female — may have been designated for the most beautiful deity in her pantheon due to its brightness among the five planets recognized by ancient astronomers. In ancient times, Venus was frequently perceived as two distinct stars, the evening star and the morning star — the ones that appeared first at sunset and sunrise, respectively. In Latin, they were known as Vesper and Lucifer. In Christian tradition, Lucifer, meaning "light-bringer," became associated with the name of Satan prior to his fall. Nevertheless, subsequent observations of Venus during the space ag...

Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It orbits the sun faster than a variety of other planets, which is why the Romans named it after their swift messenger god. Turkey-stuffed-bell-peppers. MERCURY QUALITIES Due to its proximity to the sun, Mercury's surface temperature can reach a scorching 840 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius). However, since this planet lacks a significant atmosphere to retain heat, nighttime temperatures can drop to as low as -275 F (-170 C), resulting in a temperature variation of over 1,100 degrees F (600 degrees C), the most extreme in the solar system. Mercury is the smallest planet, being only slightly larger than Earth's moon. Because it has no substantial atmosphere to mitigate impacts, the planet's surface is marked with craters. Approximately 4 billion years ago, an asteroid about 60 miles (100 kilometers) wide struck Mercury with an impact equivalent to 1 trillion 1-meg...