Describe characteristics of planets of solar system bcomfa assigment
Answers
Answer:The solar system is host to two broad categories of planets. The four closest to the sun — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — are the terrestrial planets. They have rocky surfaces enclosed by relatively shallow atmospheres. The gas and ice giants — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — are outliers. They are much larger than the terrestrial planets, but their cores are small and icy. Most of their size is formed by a combination of gases that become denser and hotter as you get closer to the core. Scientists count eight planets overall. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It rotates slowly — about twice for every three orbits it completes. Its cratered surface can experience temperatures upwards of 800 degrees Fahrenheit (426.7 degrees Celsius) because of its proximity to the sun. However, temperatures on the side facing away from the sun are cold — about -279 F (-173 C). Slightly larger than Earth's moon, it is the smallest planet in the solar system. It has no moons, no rings, and an atmosphere so thin that scientists classify it as an exosphere.
The second planet from the sun, Venus is slightly smaller than Earth. Because of its relative proximity to Earth, it is the largest planet seen in the night sky. The cratered surface is hot with surface temperatures around 900 F (482 C), the product of a runaway greenhouse effect. Although the atmosphere is nowhere near as thick as that of any outer planet, it's the thickest of the terrestrial planets, and it consists mostly of sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide. The density of its atmosphere makes the air pressure at the surface 90 times that of Earth's. The heat and pressure make the planet decidedly inhospitable to life
Explanation: