planets and satellites![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Planets, dwarf planets and plutoids orbit the Sun, satellites orbit the planets. They are represented from left to right from the Sun, based on their relative sizes.
Sun ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Star around which the planets gravitate; represents over 99.8% of the total mass of the solar system.
Jupiter ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Fifth planet from the Sun, also the largest; Jupiter is 1,330 times the size of Earth.
Io ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Jupiter; the celestial body with the greatest number of active volcanoes.
Europa ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Jupiter; displays a surface layer of ice that might cover liquid water.
Callisto ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Jupiter; its heavily cratered surface indicates that Callisto is very old.
Ganymede ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Jupiter; the largest natural satellite in the solar system; its glacial surface is thought to cover an ocean and a mantle.
Mercury ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The planet closest to the Sun; devoid of atmosphere, heavily cratered and marked by extreme variations in temperature (-300°F to 800°F).
Venus ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Second planet from the Sun; its density and chemical composition are similar to those of Earth.
Earth ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Third planet from the Sun, inhabited by humankind; up to now, the only planet with evidence of life.
Moon ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Earth’s only natural satellite; devoid of water and atmosphere and characterized by a highly uneven surface.
Phobos ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Mars; slightly larger than Deimos, Phobos features a large crater named Stickney.
Mars ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Fourth planet from the Sun; its crust contains iron oxide, giving Mars its reddish color.
Deimos ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Mars; one of the smallest natural satellites in the solar system, its surface displays numerous craters.
Saturn ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Sixth planet from the Sun, also the second largest planet; Saturn is encircled by rings forming a band about 120,000 mi in diameter.
Titan ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Saturn’s largest satellite, 1.5 times the diameter of the Moon.
Uranus ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Seventh planet from the Sun, also the third largest planet; Uranus is composed mainly of rock, ice and hydrogen and features 11 rings.
Pluto ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Discovered in 1930, it was long considered the ninth planet of the solar system. Since 2008, it has been classified as a plutoid.
Charon ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Pluto’s only satellite; almost equal in size and mass to the planet itself.
Triton ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Neptune’s largest satellite; together with Pluto, Triton is the coldest object in the solar system.
Neptune ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Eighth planet from the Sun; its atmosphere, composed of hydrogen, helium and methane, gives Neptune its bluish color. Features four rings.
Rhea ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Saturn; its cratered surface is covered with ice as hard as rock.
Dione ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Saturn; its cratered surface features ice deposits.
Tethys ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Saturn thought to be composed of ice; visible on its surface is an immense impact crater named Odysseus.
Mimas ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Saturn; features a crater named Herschel spanning one-third of its surface.
Oberon ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The most distant satellite of Uranus; its craters are often surrounded by light rays.
Titania ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The largest satellite of Uranus; its surface displays numerous valleys and faults.
Umbriel ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Uranus; its heavily cratered surface is very dark.
Ariel ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Uranus; its cratered surface is composed of numerous long valleys and extremely high escarpments.
Miranda ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Uranus whose surface is cratered in places; displays vast expanses of arêtes and furrows.
Iapetus ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Satellite of Saturn featuring a bright side composed of ice and a dark side composed of unknown matter.