I've always been fascinated by space ,from our planets in our solar system to Exoplanets , inter galactic space travel etc. Spacex CEO Elon Musk said he will put a man on Mars in the next four years and probably a colony later on.

Here are some fun facts about the planets in our solar system.




Mercury:

Mercury is the first planet closest to the sun

1- Mercury is not the hottest planet in our solar system. Although it's the closest to the sun it's actually not the hottest.

2. A year in Mercury is 88 days, yet a Mercury day is 176 Earth days.
This is because Mercury is almost locked to the Sun, the rotation of the planet almost matches that of the sun .

3. Every seven years Mercury can be seen from Earth passing across the face of the Sun. This happens because Mercury’s orbit is inclined by 7 degrees to the plane of Earth’s orbit

4.Since Mercury can be seen without the need of a telescope, many ancient civilizations saw the planet, and as such it is impossible to determine who discovered it first.

5. The planet has no atmosphere

6. Mercury also does not experience any season

Venus.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is the second largest terrestrial planet.

1.Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system.
The average surface temperature is 462 °C, and because Venus does not tilt on its axis, there is no seasonal variation.

2. Venus is the second brightest object in the night sky.
Only the Moon is brighter. Venus is so bright it can be seen during daytime on a clear day( with a telescope)

3. Venus rotate in the opposite direction to other planets. Most other planets rotate counter-clockwise on their axis, however Venus, like Uranus, rotates clockwise. This is known as a retrograde rotation and may have been caused by a collision with an asteroid or other object which caused the planet to change its rotational path.


4. Venus is very similar to earth in terms of size and density

5. Sometimes it rains sulfuric acid on venus

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and last of the terrestrial planets

1.Mars and Earth have approximately the same landmass.

2. Only 18 missions to Mars have been successful.
As of September 2014 there have been 40 missions to Mars, including orbiters, landers and rovers but not counting flybys

3. Sunsets on Mars are blue.
During the martian day the sky is pinkish-red, this is the opposite of the Earth’s skies.

4. Pieces of Mars have been found on Earth

It is believed that trace amounts of the Martian atmosphere were within meteorites that the planet ejected. These meteorites then orbited the solar system for millions of years amongst the other objects and solar debris before eventually entering the Earth’s atmosphere and crashing to the ground

5. With the exception of Earth, Mars is the most hospitable to life – a number of space missions are planning for the next decade the further increase our understanding of Mars and when it has the potential for extraterrestrial life, as well as whether it may be a viable planet for a colony

Jupiter

1 Jupiter is a gas planet and has no solid surface. If you were to enter into Jupiter you will only be falling through clouds.

2.Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets.
It turns on its axis once every 9 hours and 55 minutes.

3.Jupiter has at least 67 moons in satellite around the planet.

4. 12 earth years makes one Jupiter year

Saturn

1.Saturn is the King of the Moons, having a total of 82 confirmed moons. There are probably more out there.

2. Saturn doesn’t have a solid surface. It is enveloped by swirling gases and liquids the further down you go.

3. A day on saturn lasts 10 hours and a year lasts 29 earth years

4. Saturn is so big that Earth could fit into it whooping 755 times!

5. As Saturn has a very low density, if you were able to put it into water, it would float!

Uranus

1.It rains diamonds on Uranus

2.Uranus turns on its axis once every 17 hours, 14 minutes.

3. One year on Uranus is 84 earth years

4. Uranus is the coldest planet in our solar system.

5. It has no solid surface it's mainly made up of gas and liquid

6. Only one spacecraft has flown by Uranus.
In 1986, the Voyager 2 spacecraft swept past the planet at a distance of 81,500 km. It returned the first close-up images of the planet, its moons, and rings.


7. Uranus rotates in the opposite direction than most planets, from East to West. It is also the only planet known to rotate on its side.

Neptune

1.It takes Neptune 164.8 Earth years to orbit the Sun

2.Neptune spins very quickly on its axis. The planets equatorial clouds take 18 hours to complete one rotation. The reason this happens is that Neptune does not have a solid body.

3.Neptune has 14 known moons

4..Neptune is the first planet to be discovered by the use of mathematical calculations and predictions.

5. Neptune has no solid surface

Nice. Seems like Pluto and planet X didn't make your list.

Shepherdd:
Nice. Seems like Pluto and planet X didn't make your list.

lol I didn't add Pluto because it isn't really considered a "planet" but rather a dwarf planet.

But I'll definitely add it soon

Interesting thread.

Insightful. I have always loved astronomy and space voyage, just that having such affinities in Nigeria is almost of no use.