A planet is very different from a star. A star is a huge ball of hot gases that gives off heat and light. A planet is a much smaller body that shines by reflected light. Now let’s take a brief look at the sizes of all the planets of our solar system. Let’s start with the planet nearest to the sun and then move outward. The first planet of our solar system is Mercury. Diameter of Mercury is 2,900 miles which is the width of the Atlantic Ocean. So it’s only a fraction of the earth’s size. The next planet we meet is Venus. It is very nearly the same size as the earth. The diameter of Venus is 7, 600 miles, while that of the earth is 7, 913 miles. By the way, an odd fact about Venus is that it rotates backward; that is, from east to west. The next planet we meet is earth. The diameter of earth is 7, 900 miles. The axis of earth tilted over at an angle of 23.5 degrees. The next planet is Mars. Mars shines in the sky with a reddish color. It has a diameter of 4, 200 miles, a little more than half that of the earth. Parts of its surface look like the moon, with large craters apparently formed by meteorites but there are also giant volcanoes and valley which prove there could be geological activity on the planet. After Mars we meet the Jupiter, the next planet, is far away from the sun. It takes near about 11.9 years to complete one orbit. Jupiter is the largest of all the planets of our solar system. The diameter of the Jupiter is 88, 700 miles which is 11 times the diameter of our earth. The next planet we meet is Saturn. Saturn is another giant. The diameter of Saturn is 75, 100 miles, nearly 9 times the diameter of earth. An unusual thing about Saturn is the group of flat rings which are made up of billions of tiny particles. After Saturn we meet Uranus, the next planet which is also larger than the earth. The diameter of Uranus is 32, 000 miles. It is titled over on its side. The axis of Uranus is tilted over at an angle of 98 degrees. After Uranus we meet our next planet which is Neptune. The diameter of this planet is 30,000 miles. Then we meet last planet of our solar system which is Pluto. The diameter of Pluto is 1, 865 miles. The Pluto is so far from the sun that the sun appears it as only a bright star in the sky.

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