Photojournal Home Page Graphic 2009 Artist Concept (2009-07-07) by NASA/JPLNASA
We share the orbit of our Sun with other planets, our neighbors in the vast emptiness of space. But how well do you know our Solar System? Scroll on to see if you can guess the planet from the clues...
False Color View of Mercury (2017-12-08)NASA
Question 1
This planet's orbit takes 87.98 Earth days
It lies 60.676 million km from the Sun
It's named after the Roman god of luck and financial gain
It travels at a speed of 180,000 km/h, faster than any other planet
What is it called?
Answer: Mercury
Visible with the naked eye, Mercury is one of the 5 classical planets that have been known for centuries. First observed through telescopes by astronomers Galileo Galilei and Thomas Harriot in the seventeenth century, Mercury has only been visited by two spacecraft, making it the least explored terrestrial planet.
Hubble Spies Spooky Shadow on Jupiter's Giant Eye (color) (2017-12-08)NASA
Question 2
It's 1,300 times the size of Earth
It travels at a speed of 47,000 km/h
It takes 12 years to orbit the sun
Its named after the king of the Roman gods
It's the largest planet in the Solar System
What's the name of this gas giant?
Answer: Jupiter
Jupiter is by far the biggest planet in our Solar System. First observed by Galileo Galilei in 1610, it’s well known for its gaseous atmosphere and for its Red Spot, the huge, 150-year old storm swirling across its face. Jupiter spins faster than any other planet, taking just 10 hours to complete a rotation.
LIFE Photo Collection
Question 3
One of this planet's years lasts 165 Earth years
It has an average temperature of -392˚F (-200˚C)
It's named after the Roman god of the sea
It has the strongest winds in the solar system
Do you know its name?
Answer: Neptune
Neptune is the furthest planet from the Sun. In fact, only around 1/1000th of the sunlight we receive here on Earth makes it to this distant corner of the solar system. Thanks to the planet’s exceptionally long orbit, it has been summer at Neptune’s south pole for around 40 years.
Saturn … Four Years On (2008-12-30) by NASA/JPL/Space Science InstituteNASA
Question 4
This is the most distant planet visible with the naked eye
It takes 29.4 Earth years to orbit the sun
It is named after the Roman god of agriculture and wealth
It is the second-largest planet in the solar system
You'll recognize it from its rings
Have you got it?
Answer: Saturn
Famous for its rings, Saturn is made up almost entirely of different gasses. In fact, if you landed on the planet, you’d find the ground wasn’t solid at all. It was first observed through a telescope by Galileo in 1610, but thanks to its clear visibility in the night sky, it’s been known about by humans for centuries.
LIFE Photo Collection
Question 5
This is the 7th largest planet in the solar system
It is named after the Roman god of war
Its tallest volcano stands 26km high
One of its years lasts 687 Earth days
It's known as the Red Planet
What is its name?
Answer: Mars
The Red Planet has long been an important omen in the night sky. Also first observed through a telescope by Galileo in 1610, its colour, and proximity to Earth, have made it the stuff of myth and legend ever since.
Uranus Ring System (1996-01-29) by NASA/JPLNASA
Question 6
This planet is nearly 4 times the size of Earth
It has 27 moons
It is named after the Roman god of the sky
It is the coldest planet in the solar system
Do you know it?
Keck Telescope views of Uranus (2004-07-11) by Lawrence Sromovsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison/W.W. Keck ObservatoryNASA
Answer: Uranus
Known as the ‘Sideways planet’ because it rotates on its side, Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in 1781. Like Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter, Uranus is a ringed planet. The planet has short days and long years, with one year on Uranus lasting around 84 Earth years, but a day lasting just 17 hours.
Super-Venus Artist Concept (2013-04-18) by NASA/Ames/JPL-CaltechNASA
Question 7
This is the 2nd brightest natural object in the night sky after the Earth's Moon
One of its days lasts 116 Earth days
It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty
It's the hottest planet in the solar system
What is it called?
Answer: Venus
Venus rotates in a different direction from all the other planets. Thanks to its brightness, Venus was the first planet to have its movements plotted across the night sky.
Solar System Montage (1997-01-15) by NASA/JPLNASA
Read more about the planets, and the history of space exploration, here
