-Mercury -Substances Made of -The composition of Mercury's very thin, ionized atmosphere : -42% Molecular oxygen -29.

0% sodium -22.0% hydrogen -6.0% helium -0.5% potassium -Trace amounts of argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, xenon, krypton, & neon -Unique Features -Almost no atmosphere. -It is the nearest planet to the Sun. -Mercury is the fastest planet in the solar system, orbiting the sun at a speed of 48 km (30 miles) p/s. -Discovered -Mid-1960's by The Romans -Venus -Substances Made of -carbon dioxide and the rest is mostly nitrogen. -clouds are made up of sulfuric acid droplets. (The clouds on earth are made up of water droplets.) -Venus has an iron core just like the earth. -Unique Features -One of the brightest objects in the sky -closest in mass to the Earth -Discovered -1610 by Robert Richardson -Earth -Substance Made of -Earth has a core of solid and liquid iron -mantle of ultramafic rock -crust of complex mineral compounds -atmosphere of nitrogen -oxygen -dihydrogen oxide or oxidane -Carbon-cycle -Unique Features -The only planet discovered so far with advanced life -Liquid water -Size is large enough to hold the atmosphere through gravity -Core composition is just perfect for an active but not over-active volcanic system, providing oceans and land -The aspect tilt of 23 degrees allows just the right amount of seasons to occur to support life -Discovered -2000 B.C. by Babylonians

-Mars -Substance Made of -Mars is made of rock and iron oxides -It's surface is covered in mountains, volcanoes, valleys, ice caps and dried up river beds -Mars is also very dry like a desert -It is also red because of the iron oxide in the pulverized rock dust. -Unique Features -the largest volcano in the solar system -the largest canyon system in the solar system -the only other planet besides Earth to posses frozen water at its poles, which scientists have seen grow and shrink as the Mars seasons change -the only other planet (that we know of) that has the capability of supporting life, past or present -Discovered -1600B.C. by Babylonians -Saturn -Substance Made of -94% hydrogen -6% helium -small amounts of methane and ammonia -Unique Features -famous for it's layers of debris that surrounds the planet in rings -the large ring made of ice and gas which is situated around the circumference of this planet -62 moons -out of all ring systems Saturn's is truly spectacular and complex -Discovered -in 1610 by Galileo -Uranus -Substance Made of -methane, mixed with hydrogen & helium -Unique Features -small cores of rock -ice -Discovered -March 13, 1781 by William Herschel -Neptune -Substance Made of -80% hydrogen -19% helium -In smaller amounts, it also consists of: water, methane, ammonia -rocky core -atmosphere is mainly hydrogen and helium

-Unique Features -Neptune has one storm system know as the Great Dark Spot -The storm system is thought to be rotating counter clockwise due to a spiral shape of both the dark boundary and the white cirrus surrounding the spot. -Neptune has a set of four rings which are very narrow and faint. They are made up of dust particles made by tiny meteorites that have crashed into Neptune's moons. -Pluto -Discovered -On February 18, 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh