Astronomy: The Solar System

Explanation: Jupiter is so massive it could contain over 1,300 Earths, with a diameter 11 times that of our planet. Its mass is 2.5 times that of all other planets combined! It is a gas giant composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.

Explanation: Mars owes its red color to the iron oxide (rust) present in large quantities on its surface.

Explanation: Since 2006, the solar system has 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union.

Explanation: Saturn's rings are made of billions of pieces of ice and rock, ranging from the size of a grain of sand to that of a house.

Explanation: The Sun is a yellow dwarf (G-type star). It is a medium-sized star that is about 4.6 billion years old.

Explanation: The Moon is the 5th largest satellite in the solar system and Earth's only natural satellite. Located 384,400 km away, it influences tides and remains the only celestial body where humans have walked (1969).

Explanation: Venus is hotter than Mercury (462°C) despite being farther from the Sun, due to its extreme greenhouse effect.

Explanation: The Great Red Spot is an anticyclonic storm that has lasted for at least 400 years. It is so large it could contain Earth!

Explanation: Uranus is unique because it rotates almost on its side, probably due to a collision with an Earth-sized object.

Explanation: The asteroid belt contains millions of space rocks. It marks the boundary between the rocky planets and the gas giants.

Explanation: In 2006, the IAU reclassified Pluto as a "dwarf planet" because it hasn't "cleared" its orbit of other objects in the Kuiper Belt.

Explanation: Europa has an ocean of liquid water beneath its ice crust. It is one of the most promising places to search for extraterrestrial life.

Explanation: This distance, called an "astronomical unit" (AU), is about 150 million km. Sunlight takes 8 minutes to reach us.

Explanation: Mercury orbits only 58 million km from the Sun. A Mercurian year lasts just 88 Earth days. It is also the smallest planet. Despite its proximity to the Sun, it is not the hottest: Venus, with its greenhouse effect, holds that record.

Explanation: Voyager 1 left the solar system in 2012 and is more than 24 billion km from Earth. It carries a golden record with sounds from our planet.