S P A E Oooo PLANETS NEAR EARTH IAN GRAHAM Smart Apple Media
THE NEAREST PLANETS The four planets closest to the Sun are Mercury Venus Earth and Mars All four of these planets are small worlds made of rock HOT ROCKS When the near planets formed they were so hot that they melted Over millions of years the heat slowly escaped into space As they cooled their surface hardened into a rocky crust Mars Earth Venus Mercury The near planets are also called terrestrial planets meaning that they are like
SURROUNDED BY GAS The near planets are surround by a mixture of gases called an atmosphere Mercury and Mars have very thin atmospheres Earth is surrounded by air Venus has the thickest atmosphere FEW MOON S The eight planets of the solar system have more than 160 moons but only three orbit the near planets Mercury and Venus have no moons Earth has one and Mars has two Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air speckled with white clouds N SP A
