Features and Characteristics of Other Solar System Objects

Features and Characteristics of Planets

A planet is a celestial body that orbits a star (in our case, the Sun), is spherical in shape, and has cleared its orbit of other debris.
There are eight recognised planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The first four are termed the inner planets or terrestrial planets as they are mostly made of rock and metal.
The remaining four are termed the outer planets or giant planets, further divided into Jupiter and Saturn as gas giants, and Uranus and Neptune as ice giants.

Major Characteristics of Inner Planets

Mercury is the smallest and closest to the Sun in our solar system. It has a heavily cratered surface and no atmosphere to speak of.
Venus, second from the Sun and similar in size to Earth, is known for its thick, toxic atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide and a strong greenhouse effect.
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known celestial body to support life. It has a diverse climate and a physical environment that supports a wide array of ecosystems.
Mars is often called the ‘Red Planet’ due to its reddish appearance, caused by iron oxide on its surface. It has a thin atmosphere and is home to the tallest volcano and the deepest canyon in the solar system.

Major Characteristics of Outer Planets

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and is famous for its Great Red Spot, a storm larger than Earth. It has a strong magnetic field and has dozens of moons.
Saturn, the second largest planet, is well-known for its extensive ring system composed primarily of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust.
Uranus, known as an ice giant, has a blue-green colour because its atmosphere contains methane gas. It’s unique for its axis tilt, rotating nearly on its side relative to its orbit.
Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun and is also an ice giant. It is known for its intense blue colour and the Great Dark Spot, a storm similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

Characteristics of Dwarf Planets

Dwarf planets are celestial bodies within our solar system that resemble the regular planets in almost every way, with the key difference being that they have not cleared their orbit of other debris.
The confirmed dwarf planets in our solar system are Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres. Pluto, once considered the ninth planet, was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

Characteristics of Moons

A moon is a celestial body that orbits around a planet.
Not all planets have moons; Mercury and Venus are without, whilst Jupiter and Saturn have dozens each.
Earth has one moon, known simply as The Moon. It’s one of the largest moons in the solar system and is the fifth largest celestial body in our system.

Characteristics of Asteroids, Meteors, and Comets

Asteroids are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system. They are primarily found in the Asteroid Belt, a region of space located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Meteors are small particles or debris in our solar system. When these fall into Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, creating a streak of light which we refer to as a ‘shooting star’.
Comets are icy bodies in the solar system which, when passing close to the Sun, heat up and leave behind a trail of gas and dust that we see as a ‘tail’.

By understanding the features and characteristics of these celestial bodies, you can better understand their role in the solar system and in relation to each other.