What Are Planets? Planets are bodies of rock and/or gas that orbit a star. Our solar system has 9 known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. They range from very very close to the Sun (equal to or less than 1 astronomical unit) to very very far away (almost 40 AU). They also range in size from 2274 km in diametre, to 142 984 km in diametre. Many of them have moons.
They have been discovered over thousands of years, and have been given names by various cultures and religions. The names that are most commonly used are mostly named after Greek gods. All of them have some form of rock on them, but Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune also have large amounts of gas sorrounding them, adding to their mass. A few of the planets also have rings around them, the most noticeable being those of Saturn and Uranus.
Don’t be fooled by out just referring to planets in our solar system. Planets are believed to have been discovered orbiting other stars. These planets are referred to as ‘extrasolar planets’
We are featuring planets on the 7 Wonders of the Universe Tour because planets are an important part of our solar system. We have a great fascination with planets in our solar system, and many of them have various satellites orbiting them to take pictures and record sounds. He have opted to include a full tour of the planets in our solar system in our tour, with main focus on Mars, Juipter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto. Planets are among the most beautiful things in our solar system, and our customers deserve to see them.
