This then formed a new star - our Sun. Because this solar wind was weaker further away, the remaining gas and dust formed the bigger gaseous Outer Planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. If one looks down from above the Sun's north pole, the Planets move in an counter-clockwise direction. Let us now look at some of these Solar System components individually Click HERE to see the relative size of the Planets compared to that of Earth. It has a trace of an atmosphere consisting mainly of Argon, Neon and Helium.
Mercury therefore bakes and freezes at the same time.
It has no rings or satellites and although it can sometimes be seen with binoculars and even the naked eye, it is very difficult to observe in the twilight sky so near the Sun. It was named after the God of eloquence, games of chance, commerce and story telling and is also known as the messenger of Jupiter. The planet rotates 117 days with respect to the Sun - one Venusion day. We can never see it's surface from the Earth because it is always covered in a dense layer of cloud and this is where any similarity ends and it is extremely unlikely that any form of life can exist on it. Venus was the first planet where a spacecraft from Earth landed - the Mariner 2 that was launched on August 7 1962.