The Planets In Our Solar System.

Today we will explore the planets in our solar system. Thank you for watching. Sit back and enjoy. We will start off with the planet closest to the sun, Mercury. Mercury is a terrestrial or rocky planet that orbits just under 58 million kilometers from the sun or 36 million miles. It is the smallest planet in the solar system with a diameter of just 4,879 kilometers, that's 3,031 miles. It is only slightly larger than the Earth's moon and the two actually look quite similar. Despite Mercury's small size, it is the second most dense planet in the solar system. Mercury completes a full orbit around the sun in just 88 days, yet one full day cycle lasts around 58 days here on Earth. The temperatures on the surface can vary from a whopping 430 degrees Celsius, that's 800 degrees Fahrenheit in the day, but with the lack of atmosphere to retain that heat, the temperatures can plummet to minus 180 degrees Celsius or minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit in the night. The gravity on Mercury is roughly 38 percent of the gravity here on Earth, so if you weighed 220 pounds on Earth, you would only weigh about 84 pounds on Mercury. As you can see from its craters, Mercury has been battered by various impacts over the years. Beyond Mercury lies Venus. Venus is also a terrestrial or rocky type planet, and it orbits just over 107 million kilometers or 67 million miles from the sun. It has a diameter of 12,103 kilometers or 7,520 miles. Even though Venus is not the closest planet to the sun, it is surely the hottest, with surface temperatures that reach nearly 465 degrees Celsius or 900 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures are caused by its thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid. Venus is covered in a thick layer of clouds which would filter the sunlight and make the surface appear orange. The surface is also covered in thousands of volcanoes, as well as mountains and valleys. There is a mountain on Venus called Maxwell Montes that is similar to the size of Mount Everest here on Earth. Venus completes a rotation around the sun in 225 days, and due to its slow rotation, a single day on Venus lasts nearly 243 days here on Earth, which oddly enough is longer than a full year on Venus. The gravity on Venus is about 90% of Earth's gravity, so someone who weighed 220 pounds on Earth would weigh about 198 pounds on Venus. Interestingly enough, it is thought that Venus was once a very different planet, potentially even covered in oceans of liquid water, but a runaway greenhouse effect occurred, drastically changing the conditions on the surface. It gives us a reminder here on Earth what can occur when this happens. Up next is a planet we are all familiar with, our home planet, Earth. The Earth is another terrestrial planet which orbits the sun at a comfortable 149.6 million kilometers, or 92.9 million miles. Our distance from the sun is a large part of what allows the vast diversity of life we see on Earth to thrive, as well as our atmosphere. The Earth is the most dense planet in the solar system, and it measures in at 12,742 kilometers across, or 7,917 miles. The temperatures can vary depending on the time of year and your location on a planet. The highest air temperature ever recorded on Earth was 56.7 degrees Celsius, or 134.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Rather fittingly, this temperature was recorded in the Death Valley Desert in Furnace Creek Ranch, California, in the United States. This temperature was recorded in July of 1913. The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was minus 89 degrees Celsius, or minus 128 degrees Fahrenheit, which was recorded at a Soviet weather station in Antarctica in July of 1983. The Earth completes a trip around the sun once every 365 days, and its days last just under 24 hours. The surface has some amazing diversity, with vast frozen sections, molten sections, lush greenery, expansive wetlands, and brutally dry areas, all of which make up our one and only home. I just hope we humans can better adapt and better understand how to preserve and live off the lands in ways that will sustain the life as we know it, rather than destroying it and depleting it. Next up is the planet commonly known as the Red Planet, Mars. Mars is a terrestrial planet that orbits the sun at an average distance of 228 million kilometers, or 142 million miles, and it completes a trip around the sun in 687 Earth days. One day on Mars lasts 24.6 hours, very similar to that of the Earth. The diameter of Mars is 6,779 kilometers, or 4,212 miles, making it roughly half the size of the Earth. The surface of Mars is cold and dusty, with an average temperature of minus 60 degrees Celsius, or minus 80 Fahrenheit, although the temperature varies greatly depending on location and the time of year. Temperatures have reached 20 degrees Celsius, or 70 degrees Fahrenheit, near the equator. The gravity on Mars is much lower than that of the Earth. It is 62% lower, so if you weighed 220 pounds on Earth, you would weigh just 83 pounds on Mars. Mars is a very interesting planet, sharing many similarities with the Earth. Do you think humans will ever colonize the planet Mars? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. The fifth planet from the sun is also the largest, the mighty Jupiter. Jupiter is a gas giant, with a diameter of 139,820 kilometers, or 86,880 miles, making it about 11 times larger than the Earth. Jupiter orbits at an average distance of 778 million kilometers, or 484 million miles, from the sun, and it orbits the sun only once every 12 years. Yet a single day on Jupiter lasts just 10 hours on Earth. Being a gas giant, Jupiter doesn't have a firm surface, but it has an ocean swirling within of liquid metallic hydrogen, and it lies deep beneath the clouds. This metallic ocean is possible due to the immense atmospheric pressure, which keeps the hydrogen in a liquid state. The temperature within the clouds of Jupiter is roughly minus 145 degrees Celsius, or minus 234 Fahrenheit, but as you venture closer to the core, temperatures may hit 24,000 degrees Celsius, or 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than the surface of the sun. If a person who weighed 100 pounds could stand at the top of those clouds of Jupiter, they would feel like they weighed 240 pounds, with a gravity 2.4 times stronger than that of the Earth. But if you fell into the clouds of Jupiter, you'd be crushed and vaporized by the immense pressure near the core. Jupiter is a very windy and stormy place, the most famous storm being the Great Red Spot, which is a hurricane-like storm that is at least two times larger than the entire Earth, and it has been raging for hundreds of years. The winds of that storm can reach 423 kilometers an hour, or 270 miles an hour. Jupiter is an immense and deadly place for us humans, but it is quite stunning nonetheless. Next up may be one of the most beautiful planets in the solar system, thanks to its mighty rings. Saturn. Saturn is a gas giant planet with a diameter of 116,460 kilometers, or 72,364 miles. It orbits the sun at a distance of 1.4 billion kilometers, or 886 million miles, and it takes Saturn roughly 29 years to orbit the sun, yet one day lasts just under 11 hours here on Earth. Saturn has three layers of clouds, and the conditions change as you venture through them. The upper layers are made up of ammonia ice, and has temperatures that range from minus 173 to minus 113 degrees Celsius, or minus 280 to minus 270 degrees Fahrenheit. The next layer contains frozen water at a temperature varying from minus 88 to minus 3 degrees Celsius, or minus 127 to minus 26 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in the lower layers can reach 57 degrees Celsius, or 134 degrees Fahrenheit. The gravity on Saturn is just 1.8 times stronger than that of the Earth, meaning if you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 108 pounds on Saturn. The atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, but there could also be a solid core somewhere deep within the mighty planet. Saturn is a breathtaking planet that is awe-inspiring to see, even through a basic telescope. I would highly recommend it if you ever get the chance. Next is the planet Uranus. Uranus is an ice giant which orbits 2.9 billion kilometers, or 1.8 billion miles, from the Sun. It has a diameter of 50,724 kilometers, or 31,518 miles. It takes this ice giant 84 years to orbit the Sun, and has a day which lasts 17 hours here on Earth. Despite its frigid temperatures, the majority of its mass comes from a hot, dense fluid of icy materials such as water, methane, and ammonia, meaning you would sink if you tried to land on the surface. The average temperature is about minus 213 degrees Celsius, or minus 353 Fahrenheit, but as you get closer to this planet's rocky core, the temperatures can reach 4,727 Celsius, or 8,540 Fahrenheit. The gravity on Uranus is about 86% of the Earth's gravity, so a person weighing 100 pounds on Earth would weigh 86 pounds on Uranus. The atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of methane, with traces of water and ammonia, and it is the presence of methane which gives this planet its bluish color. Lastly, we arrive at the furthest confirmed planet from the Sun, Neptune. Neptune is also an ice giant, which orbits the Sun at a distance of about 4.5 billion kilometers, or 2.8 billion miles. It takes a whopping 165 Earth years for it to complete a single orbit of the Sun, and a day lasts just 16 Earth hours. Neptune is also the coldest planet in the solar system, with temperatures that can range from minus 218 to minus 200 degrees Celsius, or minus 360 to minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit. Neptune is very similar to its near twin planet, Uranus, with a surface of hot, dense fluid made up from icy water, methane, and ammonia, with an atmosphere of mostly hydrogen and helium, as well as methane. Neptune has a diameter of 49,244 kilometers, or 30,598 miles, and the surface gravity of Neptune is close to that of the Earth, being just 1.14 times stronger. So if you weighed 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh around 114 pounds on Neptune. Intense storms can rage for weeks at a time, with fast-moving, dark vortex clouds, and these storms can grow as large as planet Earth. Our solar system gives us an interesting look at the potential for what lies elsewhere in other solar systems and beyond. It is a great way for us to see our place as well. It gives a sense of appreciation, just knowing the conditions on planet Earth can even support life at all when we see the hellish conditions elsewhere in the solar system. That's not to say there isn't life elsewhere in the solar system. It's just yet to be discovered. But if it were discovered, it would be monumental, and it would be unlike any other life form we've ever seen. I want to thank you very much for watching. Feel free to share your thoughts on the solar system and today's video in the comments. Also feel free to leave a thumbs up to help support the channel, and subscribe if you'd like to see more videos like this in the future. Thanks again, and be well.