In our solar system, there is a Sun and the eight planets that orbit the Sun. The eight planets are classified into two groups called terrestrial planets and Jovian planets. There are four terrestrial planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus Earth and Mars. These terrestrial planets are located closest to the Sun. The word terrestrial is derived from the Latin word terra, meaning soil or Earth-like. All terrestrial planets share a common rocky and solid surface. The other four planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are Jovian planets. The Jovian planets are gas giants made of cold elements, such as hydrogen and helium, with a rocky core. Knowing about the eight planets and the Sun in our solar system can help us learn and understand other parts of the Universe in richer and deeper ways, which can also help us discover new laws of physics and other forms of life. The first terrestrial planet is Mercury. , which is the planet closest to the Sun and the smallest of the eight planets in our solar system. Mercury orbits at an average distance of 57,910,000 km or 0.38 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun, with a diameter of 4,880 km. Additionally, Mercury has a surface temperature ranging from a maximum of 840° Fahrenheit (450° Celsius) to a minimum of -275° Fahrenheit (-170° Celsius). Mercury is also a dense planet, composed mainly of iron and nickel with an iron core. In many ways, Mercury is similar to Earth's Moon, as it has many deep craters, no plate tectonics, and is covered in a thin layer of tiny silicate particles. Mercury gets its name from the Roman god Mercury, who was considered the swift messenger between the gods because the planet seemed to move so quickly across the sky (Mercury). The next terrestrial planet is...... middle of paper...... "Uranus: facts and figures." Exploration of the solar system. NP, 2013. Web. May 3, 2014. “Uranus: Moons.” Exploration of the solar system. NASA, 2013. The web. May 2, 2014. “Uranus.” Nineplanets.org. Nineplanets.org, 2013. Web. May 4, 2014. “Uranus: Read more.” Exploration of the solar system. NASA, 2013. The web. May 2, 2014. “What are solar flares? European Space Agency. Np, and Web. May 4, 2014. “What is the Great Dark Spot?” Cool cosmos. Np, and Web. May 4 2014. .