The Planets In Our

Solar System

Layers of Learning

Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It is sohot that it is a dead planet, with no water andhardly any air at all. Color it gray. Add darkergray craters all over its surface. There aren't any moons surrounding Mercury.

Venus

Venus has lots and lots of clouds, but they are made from poisonous gas called sulfuric acid. Color Venus yellow because it is completely covered by yellowish clouds. There aren't any moons around Venus.

Earth

Earth is our planet! It is perfect for life — justthe right temperature, water, and an atmosphere that protects us. Color the land green and the oceans blue. Add a red dot where you live. Draw our one moon.

Mars

Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. It has polar ice caps (kind of like the ice at the North and South poles on earth). It also has a giant volcano called Olympus Mons. It is bigger than any of earth's volcanoes. Color Mars red, then add its ice caps and Olympus Mons. Draw two tiny oval-shaped moons near Mars.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the biggest planet. It has a hard core, but is mostly just gas. It has 63 moons! Color it brown, orange, and yellow. Color the Great Red Spot, a big storm that is always raging on Jupiter, red.

Saturn

Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun, and many people think it is the most beautiful. LikeJupiter, it is a gas giant. Its rings are bits of ice,rocks, and dust floating all around it. It has 46 moons. Color Saturn yellow and light brown. Color the rings a little bit darker shade of brown.

Uranus

Uranus is cool because it is tipped right over on its side. It has an atmosphere of blue methane gas. Color it bright blue. Color its rings gray. Draw 27 moons around it.

Neptune

Neptune is the 8th planet. It is very far from the sun. It takes Neptune 165 earth years to make its orbit around the sun just once. Color Neptune blue and green. Draw 13 moons around it.