Planets and Moons Facts

Planets and Moons Facts

Mercury

• Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.

• It is an extremely hot planet. It is visible two hours before sunrise.

• Its special feature is the presence of a magnetic field in it.

• It is the smallest and lightest of all the planets. It has no moon.

• The planet has no water on it.

• The Mercury planet has no gases like CO₂, N₂, H₂, and O₂, which can act as building blocks of life.The 

• Planet Mercury has no protective blanket like Ozone around it to prevent us from harmful radiation.

Venus

• Venus is the second planet in distance from the Sun. This planet is the nearest to Earth and is also the brightest planet.

• Venus is known as the 'Evening Star' as well as the 'Morning Star'.

• Venus is surrounded by a thick cloud cover, hence known as the 'Veiled Planet' ("veil" means unclear/cover).

• Venus is like the Earth in size and mass, and hence also known as the 'Earth's twin'. It also rotates clockwise like Uranus.

• Venus is the hottest planet (even hotter than Mercury) of our Solar System, due to its veil of clouds.

• Venus has no water on it. There is no sufficient oxygen on Venus.

The Earth

• Earth is the largest of the inner planets and the fifth largest planet of our solar system.

• The Earth is 23° on its axis and thus makes a 66° angle. The Earth rotates by 1° in 4 minutes.

• It takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.091 seconds to rotate on its axis with a speed of 1,610 km/h.

• It takes 365 days, 5 hours, and 48 minutes to revolve around the Sun. Mean velocity = 29.8 km/sec

• The Earth is known as the 'watery planet' or the 'blue planet' due to the presence of a huge amount of water on it.

• The Earth is the only known planet that provides sustenance or life it. It has a large quantity of oxygen, which supports life.

The Moon

• The Moon is the only satellite of the Earth.

• It has a diameter of 3,475 km and its circumference is 10,864 km, while its orbit is elliptical.

• The maximum distance (apogee) of the Moon from the Earth is 4,06,000 km, the minimum distance (perigee) is 3,64,000 km, and the approximate average distance is 3,84,400 km.

• It takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes to rotate on its axis (this period of about 27% days is called the sidereal month) and approximately the same period it takes to revolve around the Earth.

• The Moon's period of revolution concerning the Sun is about 29.53 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds). This period is called a synodic month.

• Only 59% of the total surface of the Moon is visible from the Earth.

• Mass (compared to that of the Earth) - 1:81.30

• Density (relative to that of the water) - 3.34

• Density (relative to that of the Earth) - 0.6058

• Hidden part of Moon's surface - 0.41 (41%)

• Highest point on the Moon - Mt. Leibniz (35,000 ft.) situated on the South Pole of the Moon.

• The bright part of the Moon is full of mountains, whereas the dark patches are low-lying plains.

• 'Sea of Tranquility', made of the plain of dust particles, is on the far side of the Moon, which always remains dark.

• The Moon has no atmosphere, no twilight, and no sound.

• The temperature during the day is about 100°C, and during the night it drops to about -180°C.

• The light from the Moon takes 1.3 seconds to reach the Earth.

• The size of the Moon is one-fourth (1/4th) the size of the Earth.

• The gravitational pull of the Moon is one-sixth (1/6th) that of the Earth.

• Mainly, silicon, iron, magnesium, etc, elements are found on the Moon's surface.

• The study of the Moon is called 'Selenology'.The 

• Moon is also known as the fossil planet.

Special Types of Moons

Super Moon

• Super Moons happen when a full Moon is closest to the Earth, appearing bigger and brighter than normal.

• They are called 'super' because they are 15% brighter and 30% bigger than regular full moons.

Blue Moon

• If in a calendar month there are two full moons, then the second full moon is referred to as a Blue Moon.

• It is because of the gap between the two moons, which is less than 31 days.

• If in any specific year, Blue Moon appears in two or more months, then it is referred to as a Blue Moon Year.

Blood Moon

• A "Blood Moon" is the name given to a view of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Because of the way light passes through the Earth's atmosphere during an eclipse, red light from the Sun is reflected onto it.

• The Moon's reddish colour earns it the nickname—"Blood Moon".

Lunar Tetrad

• A sequence of four total lunar eclipses, including no partial eclipses, is called a tetrad.

Mars

• Mars, known as the 'Red Planet' due to its iron-rich soil and pink sky, is a small, rocky, cold desert world—about half the size of Earth.

• It has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, and weather, with a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon.

• A day on Mars is 24.6 hours, and a year is 687 Earth days. Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos.

• India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), launched by ISRO on November 5, 2013, entered Mars orbit on September 24, 2014, in its first attempt and completed over 1000 Earth days in space.

Jupiter

• Jupiter is the largest planet of the Solar System.

• Jupiter is also known as the winter planet, as its average temperature is very low (-148°C).

• Ganymede (yellow), the largest satellite of Jupiter, is also the largest satellite in the Solar System.

Saturn

• Saturn is the second-largest planet in the Solar System.

• Saturn has bright concentric rings, which are made up of ice and ice-covered dust particles that revolve around it.

• Titan is the largest satellite of Saturn.

Uranus

• Uranus is about four times the size of the Earth. This planet appears greenish because of methane gas present in its atmosphere.

• Uranus was discovered in 1781 by Sir William Herschel. Uranus is the 7th planet from the Sun.

• Uranus is the first planet to have been discovered by the use of a telescope.

• Uranus is the third-largest planet of the Solar System.

• Uranus is extremely cold, having a surface temperature (-190°C, and is surrounded by 13 rings, namely:

• zeta (G)/R1986U2, 6, 5, 4, alpha (α), beta (β), eta (∈), gamma (Y), delta (δ), lambda (γ), epsilon (∈), nu (v), mu (μ).

• Uranus rotates from east to west on its axis, which is opposite to other planets except Venus.

• The axis of Uranus has a large inclination so that it appears to be lying down, hence it bears the name 'A Planet on its Side'.

Neptune

• Neptune is the 8th (farthest) planet of the Solar System.

• The temperature on the surface of Neptune remains low.

• Neptune is very similar to Uranus and can be considered its twin.

• Neptune is surrounded by methane rings of sub-zero temperature.

Pluto is Not a Planet Now

• On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined what qualifies as a planet, leading to Pluto losing its planetary status.

• As a result, the Solar System now officially has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

• Pluto, discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, was considered a planet for 76 years before being reclassified.

Pluto Gets a Numerical Denomination

• Weeks after it was demoted to a sub-planetary status, Pluto was given a new name to reflect its new status as a dwarf planet in September 2006.

• The former 9th planet was assigned the asteroid number 134340 by the Minor Planet Centre (MPC).

• Pluto's companion satellites:

  • Charon

  • Nix

  • Hydra

• These are considered part of the same system and will not be assigned separate asteroid numbers.

• Instead, they will now be called 134340 I, II, a nd III, respectively.

• Before losing its planetary status on 24th August, 2006, Pluto was the outermost planet of the Solar System.

Final Thoughts

The Solar System is a dynamic and diverse collection of celestial bodies, each with its unique features and mysteries.

From Mercury, the smallest and closest planet to the Sun, to Neptune, the farthest and coldest, every planet offers something distinctive—whether it's Venus’ blazing heat and thick clouds, Mars’ red, dusty terrain, or Saturn’s iconic rings made of ice and rock. The Earth, our home, stands out as the only known planet to support life, owing to its abundant water and protective atmosphere.

Our Moon, with its phases, craters, and special events like Super Moons, Blue Moons, and Blood Moons, has fascinated humanity for centuries. Understanding planetary sizes, masses, densities, and their orbits deepens our grasp of how the Solar System functions. The reclassification of Pluto as a dwarf planet shows how scientific perspectives can evolve with discoveries.

Ultimately, learning about the planets and their satellites not only builds scientific knowledge but also sparks curiosity about the universe and our place within it. As we continue to explore space, each fact and observation brings us one step closer to unraveling the vast mysteries beyond our world.