The Giant Planets

The Gas Giants

Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and can boast over 79 moons in orbit around it, including Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. Jupiter also has the shortest day lasting only 10 hours, but one year on Jupiter would last a lengthy 11.86 Earth years.

Credits: NASA, ESA, and J. Nichols (University of Leicester)

A famous feature of Jupiter is the great red spot. This spot is actually a large storm (larger than the Earth) that has been raging for hundreds of years!

Saturn

Saturn is another gas giant in the Solar System, primarily made of hydrogen and helium, this planet is not very dense and would even float in water! One of the most famous features of Saturn are its extraordinary rings! The rings of Saturn stretch 282,000 km from end to end but are only 1 km thick!

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Saturn's rings were named alphabetically in the order they were discovered. The narrow F ring marks the outer boundary of the main ring system.

The Ice Giants

Uranus and Neptune

Uranus and Neptune are collectively known as the ice giants and with temperatures reaching as low as -224.2 degrees Celsius on Uranus its not hard to see why! But, did you know that scientists suspect there may not be very much solid ice on these planets and that liquid oceans could be lurking beneath their clouds?

You have now been introduced to all the planets in our solar system, from the rocky inner planets, the massive gas giants and the cold ice giants. Each planet has a variety of unique features but there are also features you’ll find throughout such as craters, moons and even rings!