The special features of planets are really important to understand how they work and interact with each other in our solar system. These features include their size, what they’re made of, their atmosphere, and how far they are from the Sun.

Size and Mass

• Terrestrial Planets (like Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars):
  • Their average size is about 6,779 km across (Earth is about 12,742 km).
  • They are denser, meaning they have more mass for their size (for example, Earth’s average density is 5.52 g/cm³).
• Gas Giants (like Jupiter and Saturn):
  • Jupiter is the biggest planet, measuring about 139,822 km across.
  • It is super heavy—318 times heavier than Earth!
  • Gas giants are less dense, with Jupiter having an average of 1.33 g/cm³.

Composition

• Rocky vs. Gas: Terrestrial planets have solid ground, while gas giants are mostly made of hydrogen and helium.
• Ice Giants (like Uranus and Neptune): These planets have a lot of water, ammonia, and methane ice.

Distance from the Sun

• Inner Solar System: This area has warmer, rocky planets like Earth.
• Outer Solar System: This area is colder and has gas and ice giants. They have strong gravity that affects smaller things, like asteroids and comets.

Atmospheres

• Gas giants have thick atmospheres that create weather and storms. For example, Jupiter has a giant storm called the Great Red Spot that has been around for over 350 years!

All these characteristics help define each planet's role. They support life on Earth and also help with the movement of smaller objects in space.