MORE ABOUT PLANETS

DURATION OF ROTATION AND OF REVOLUTION

We know that planets differ in size. So, their periods of rotation are bound to be different. As a result, the length of days/nights cannot but differ too. Besides, each planet is at a different distance from the sun. So, it has a different period of its revolution round the sun.

TEMPERATURE

As the planets vary in terms of distance from the sun, they are bound to have different temperatures on them too. The planets nearer the sun are certainly hotter than those farther away from it. For example, the temperature on Mercury rises to about 342°C whereas that on Pluto falls to 223°C. Both these temperatures are not livable at all. As for the Earth, her temperature varies between the livable ranges.

SURFACE FEATURES AND ATMOSPHERE

The surface of each planet is believed to have mountains, flat areas and craters. It is indeed shaped by its weather and atmosphere.

The atmosphere of a planet means the gases that surround it. The atmospheres of four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) are believed to consist chiefly of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. But the atmospheres of the four major planets are believed to have mostly hydrogen and helium.

The atmosphere of our planet - the Earth is known to have a large amount of oxygen and water-vapor that have made life possible on it.

The atmospheric pressure is also different on each planet.