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In our Solar System, astronomers often

divide the planets into two groups —


the inner planets and the outer
planets. The inner planets are closer to
the Sun and are smaller and rockier. The
outer planets are further away, larger
and made up mostly of gas.
The inner planets (in order of distance
from the sun, closest to furthest) are
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
The Inner Planets:
The four inner planets are called terrestrial planets because
their surfaces are solid (and, as the name implies, somewhat
similar to Earth — although the term can be misleading
because each of the four has vastly different environments).
They’re made up mostly of heavy metals such as iron and
nickel, and have either no moons or few moons. Below are
brief descriptions of each of these planets based on this
information from NASA.
Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet in our Solar System and also the closest. It rotates
slowly (59 Earth days) relative to the time it takes to rotate around the sun (88
days). The planet has no moons, but has a tenuous atmosphere (exosphere)
containing oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium and potassium. The NASA
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and
Ranging) spacecraft is currently orbiting the planet.
Venus
Venus was once considered a twin planet to Earth, until astronomers discovered
its surface is at a lead-melting temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit (480 degrees
Celsius). The planet is also a slow rotator, with a 243-day long Venusian day and an
orbit around the sun at 225 days. Its atmosphere is thick and contains carbon
dioxide and nitrogen. The planet has no rings or moons and is currently being
visited by the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft.
Earth
Earth is the only planet with life as we know it, but astronomers have found some
nearly Earth-sized planets outside of our solar system in what could be habitable
regions of their respective stars. It contains an atmosphere of nitrogen and
oxygen, and has one moon and no rings. Many spacecraft circle our planet to
provide telecommunications, weather information and other services.
Mars
Mars is a planet under intense study because it shows signs of liquid water
flowing on its surface in the ancient past. Today, however, its atmosphere is a
wispy mix of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon. It has two tiny moons (Phobos
and Deimos) and no rings. A Mars day is slightly longer than 24 Earth hours and
it takes the planet about 687 Earth days to circle the Sun. There’s a small fleet of
orbiters and rovers at Mars right now, including the large NASA Curiosity rover
that landed in 2012.

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