Planet Comparison

Terrestrial Planets: (Inner Planets):

Planet / Information / Surface / Atmosphere / Life Capabilities
Mercury / closet to sun, second smallest planet, extreme temperatures / rocky, many craters / thin, contains helium / living things cannot survive
Venus / second planet from the sun, about the same size as Earth, extreme temperatures / rocky, some places have broad plains, others have high plateaus / thick, mostly carbon dioxide / living things cannot survive
Earth / third planet from the sun, / rocky and covered with plains, plateaus, mountains, valleys, and active volcanoes / 78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen / water, moderate temperatures, and an atmosphere rich in oxygen make it the only planet that can support life
Mars / “Red Planet”, 4th planet from the sun, Has largest volcano in the solar system, probe suggest water may have once flowed / Rocky and dusty, rolling hills, plains, mountains, extinct volcanoes, and some craters. Caps of water ice cover north and south poles / thin, mostly carbon dioxide, / conditions today would make life difficult to support.

Gas Planets: (Outer Planets):

Planet / Information / Surface / Atmosphere / Life Capabilities
Jupiter / The giant planet is the 5th planet from the sun, LARGEST planet in solar system, 1st of 4 gas giants, GREAT RED SPOT is a gigantic storm like a hurricane, has very thin rings / no solid surface, looks as if it is covered by colored bands of gases and a large red spot
GAS GIANT / huge slushy ball of liquid hydrogen, thick, made from hydrogen and helium gases / Life as we know it cannot survive
Saturn / Most complex ring system, 6th planet from the sun / very cold, slushy sphere, made mostly of hydrogen
GAS GIANT / thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium / Life as we know it cannot survive
Uranus / glowing blue-green (clouds of poisonous methane), 3rd largest of planets, 11 rings circle the planet, rotates on its side—no other planet does / thought to be completely covered with ocean water, methane and ammonia
GAS GIANT / clouds of poisonous methane, hydrogen and helium / Life as we know it cannot survive
Neptune / 4th largest, glows blue-green, at least 6 rings orbit / GAS GIANT / methane clouds at the top, below clouds lay icy ocean made of water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen / Life as we know it cannot survive
Pluto
*now considered a dwarf planet / outermost planet, never been visited by a space probe, smallest planet, smaller than our moon, / may have a rocky and methane ice surface / thin atmosphere seems to be made up of methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide / Life as we know it cannot survive