Transcript The Inner Planets are Out of this World

THE INNER PLANETS
The sun is the center of the solar system. The
energy from the sun, which is called solar
energy, gives light and heat to the planets.
The closer a planet is to the sun, the more
light and heat it gets.
Now… Onto the
Inner Planets
The closest planet to the sun is Mercury. It is
very small. A night on Mercury is much
colder than the coldest night on Earth. A day
on Mercury is much hotter than the hottest
day on Earth. No living things could survive
in such cold or such heat! It takes Mercury
only 88 Earth days to travel once around the
sun.
The second planet from the sun is Venus. Venus is
about as big as Earth. It also has mountains and plains
like Earth. However, Venus is different from Earth in
many ways. It is covered by thick clouds of acid. The
clouds hold in the sun's heat, so it is very, very hot on
Venus. It is too hot and dry there for plants or animals
to live. It takes Venus 225 Earth days to travel once
around the sun.
Earth is the third planet from the sun. Almost
three-fourths of Earth's surface is covered by
water. Water allows plants and animals to live. As
far as we know, no other planet has liquid water.
Earth has one moon. It takes Earth 365 days -one year -- to travel once around the sun.
The fourth planet from the sun is Mars. It is smaller than
Earth. Mars is much colder than Earth. Mars does not
have blue patches of liquid water like Earth, but does
have some ice that is solid water below its soil. Mars has
ice "caps" like those at the North and South Poles of
Earth on its surface. Mars has been nicknamed "the red
planet, because it has red soil. Mars has at least 2 moons
and takes 2 Earth years to travel once around the sun.