Space World learning pack

Planets

Meet eight planets and Pluto, the world once called the ninth.

Four source-backed facts each about the eight recognized planets, plus Pluto clearly identified as a dwarf planet.

Discoveries
9
Facts to explore
36
Recommended ages
5–8
Explore time
18 min

Discovery 01

Mercury

The smallest and fastest planet

💡 Mercury races around the Sun in just 88 Earth days!

Small cratered grey Mercury close to the blazing Sun.
A storybook illustration of Mercury.

That gives Mercury the shortest year of any planet in our solar system.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Mercury is the smallest planet and the closest planet to the Sun.
  • Fact 3: A complete day-night cycle on Mercury lasts 176 Earth days.
  • Fact 4: Mercury has no moons and no rings.

Discovery 02

Venus

The hottest planet

💡 Venus is hotter than Mercury even though Mercury is closer to the Sun!

Creamy yellow Venus wrapped in thick clouds with the Sun behind it.
A storybook illustration of Venus.

Venus's thick carbon-dioxide atmosphere traps heat, raising the surface temperature to about 467°C.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Venus is nearly the same size as Earth.
  • Fact 3: Venus spins backward compared with most planets, so the Sun would rise in the west.
  • Fact 4: One rotation of Venus takes 243 Earth days — longer than its 225-day year.

Discovery 03

Earth

Our ocean-covered home

💡 Earth is the only world known to have life!

Blue-green Earth with swirling white clouds and the Moon nearby.
A storybook illustration of Earth.

Scientists keep searching elsewhere, but so far Earth is the only place where life has been confirmed.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Earth's global ocean covers about 71% of its surface.
  • Fact 3: Earth's atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
  • Fact 4: Earth has one natural moon and no rings.

Discovery 04

Mars

The rusty red planet

💡 Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system!

Rust-red Mars showing Olympus Mons, canyons, and a tiny moon.
A storybook illustration of Mars.

Olympus Mons rises more than 40 kilometres from base to summit.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Mars looks red because iron minerals in its rocks and dust have oxidized — a process like rusting.
  • Fact 3: A Martian year lasts 687 Earth days.
  • Fact 4: Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.

Discovery 05

Jupiter

The giant with a famous storm

💡 Jupiter is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined!

Huge striped Jupiter with its Great Red Spot and several small moons.
A storybook illustration of Jupiter.

It is the biggest planet in our solar system and is made mostly of hydrogen and helium.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Jupiter has the shortest day of any planet, spinning once in about 9.9 hours.
  • Fact 3: The Great Red Spot is a giant storm that has been observed for more than 300 years.
  • Fact 4: Jupiter has no true solid surface; its gases become denser and hotter deeper down.

Discovery 06

Saturn

The giant wrapped in icy rings

💡 Saturn's rings are made of countless pieces of ice and rock!

Golden Saturn and its broad rings against a purple star field.
A storybook illustration of Saturn.

The pieces range from tiny grains to house-sized chunks, and each one orbits Saturn.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system.
  • Fact 3: A day on Saturn lasts only about 10.7 hours.
  • Fact 4: Saturn is the only planet whose average density is lower than water's density.

Discovery 07

Uranus

The planet that rolls around the Sun

💡 Uranus spins almost completely on its side!

Pale blue-green Uranus tipped sideways with faint rings visible.
A storybook illustration of Uranus.

Its axis is tilted about 98 degrees, making the planet look like a rolling ball as it orbits.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Uranus is an ice giant about four times wider than Earth.
  • Fact 3: It was the first planet discovered with the help of a telescope, in 1781.
  • Fact 4: Methane gas in its atmosphere helps give Uranus its blue-green colour.

Discovery 08

Neptune

The windy blue world

💡 Neptune takes about 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun once!

Deep blue Neptune with bright clouds, faint rings, and Triton nearby.
A storybook illustration of Neptune.

Its year is so long that each season lasts for more than 40 Earth years.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: A day on Neptune lasts about 16 hours.
  • Fact 3: Neptune has at least five main rings.
  • Fact 4: Its largest moon, Triton, orbits backward compared with Neptune’s rotation.

Discovery 09

Pluto (Dwarf Planet)

The world once called the ninth planet

💡 Pluto is a dwarf planet, not one of the eight planets!

Small reddish Pluto with its bright heart-shaped plain and large moon Charon.
A storybook illustration of dwarf planet Pluto.

The International Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto in 2006 because it has not cleared other objects from its orbital neighbourhood.

Did you know?

  • Fact 2: Pluto lies in the distant Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune.
  • Fact 3: NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made the first close flyby of Pluto in 2015.
  • Fact 4: Pluto has five known moons, and its largest moon is called Charon.