Brief Description of Planets about shape, size , period of rotation about axis and period of revolution, distance of planets from sun

The solar system in which we live is home to eight planets including Earth. The number was reduced from nine when Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. The distance of each planet from the sun is a determinant of its basic composition. Mars and the planets inside its orbit are known as terrestrial planets because they are composed mostly of rock. The ones outside its orbits are known as gas giants (jovian planets) . The outer planets may have rocky cores, but if so, the cores are deeply embedded in the mixture of gas and ice that forms their bulk. One reason for Pluto's reclassification is that, orbiting beyond Neptune and yet being mostly rock, it doesn't conform to this pattern.

solar system

MERCURY

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is 36 million miles away from the sun . The revolution period around Sun is given as 88 days and the rotation period is 58.8 days. Mercury is small, about 3031 miles in diameter. Mercury's surface is marked by smooth plains and deep craters, and the planet is made mostly of rock and metal. It is named after a Roman god of travel.

                                                            VENUS

Venus, the second planet away from the Sun and is 67.2 million miles from the sun. Its orbital period or revolution period is 224.7 days and the period of rotation about its own axis is 243.7 days. It is the sixth largest planet in the solar system with a diameter of 7,521 miles.  Venus, the brightest object in the sky besides our sun and the moon, has a surface with rocky and dusty mountains, canyons and plains. It is named for the Roman goddess of love.

                                                           EARTH

Earth is 93 million miles away from the sun, and with a diameter of 7,926 miles, it is the fifth largest planet in the solar system. It is the only planet with life, and about 70 percent of its surface is covered in water. It rotates on its axis every 24 hours (a day) and revolves around the Sun every 365 days (a year). The Earth has one moon.

MARS

Mars is often referred to as the Red Planet, because it's covered with reddish dust and rocks. It is named after the Roman god of war and is 141.6 million miles away from the sun. Mars is the seventh largest planet in the solar system, with a diameter of 4,222 miles. It takes 686.98 Earth days for Mars to revolve around the sun, and it rotates on its axis in 24.6 Earth hours. It has a hard, dry, rocky surface and two moons.

JUPITER

Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, is 483.8 million miles away from the sun. It has a diameter of 88,729 miles , more than 11 times wider than the Earth. It takes Jupiter 11.862 Earth years to revolve around the sun and 9.84 Earth hours to rotate on its axis, making it the planet with the shortest day. Its surface is made up of gas (mostly hydrogen), and a core of metallic hydrogen and rock. Jupiter has 4 rings mainly composed of dust.  Jupiter has 67 known satellites (as of 2016) including  the four large Galilean moons (Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede). Jupiter is named for the Roman supreme god of heaven.

SATURN

Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system. It is well known for its system of three rings composed of small particles of ice and rock. It is  886.7 million miles away from the sun  . It has a diameter of 74,600 miles.  It takes 29.456 Earth years for Saturn to revolve around the sun and 10.2 Earth hours to rotate on its axis. . Saturn has 62 moons (as of 2016).Saturn is made of liquid and gas, so it would actually float on water. It is named for the Roman god of agriculture.

URANUS

Uranus , the first planet discovered with a telescope, is 1,784.0 million miles away from the sun. It is named after the Greek god of the sky (father of Saturn, grandfather of Jupiter) and has a diameter of 32,600 miles, making it the third largest planet in the solar system. It takes 84.07 Earth years for Uranus to revolve around the sun and 17.9 Earth hours to rotate on its axis. It is covered by a thick layer of gas, and has a fairly uniform blue-green color. Uranus has 27  moons (as of 2016)  and  is surrounded by a system of nine rings.

NEPTUNE

Neptune is last planet or farthest planet from Sun at 2,794.4 million miles away in the solar system. . It has a diameter of 30,200 miles and is the fourth largest planet in the solar system. It circles the Sun once every 164.79 years, and rotates in 16.11 hours. Its atmosphere appears blue, and is marked by large dark blue storm systems. It is surrounded by a system of five rings and at least 14 moons. Neptune is named for the Roman god of the ocean.

 Planets In Order Of Size:

Planet	Diameter (km)
Mercury	4879.4
Mars	6779
Venus	12104
Earth	12756
Neptune	49528
Uranus	51118
Saturn	120660
Jupiter	142800

Planets in order of distance from the Sun:

Planet	Distance from the Sun (AU/KM)
Mercury	0.39 (57.9 million)
Venus	0.723 (108.2 million)
Earth	1 (149.6 million)
Mars	1.524 (227.9 million)
Jupiter	5.203 (778.3 million)
Saturn	9.539 (1,427.0 million)
Uranus	19.18 (2,871 million)
Neptune	30.06 (4,497.1 million)

Planets In Order Of Mass:

Planet	Mass (kg)
Jupiter	1.8986 x 1027
Saturn	5.6846 x 1026
Neptune	10.243 x 1025
Uranus	8.6810 x 1025
Earth	5.9736 x 1024
Venus	4.8685 x 1024
Mars	6.4185 x 1023
Mercury	3.3022 x 1023

Pluto- It is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond Neptune. It

           was the first Kuiper belt object to be discovered.