1/31/2024 0 Comments Solar system stampIt boasts the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which is 25km tall (almost three times the height of Mt Everest) and one of the biggest canyon systems, the Valles Marineris, more than 4,000 km long. Mars has seasons, like the Earth, and polar caps composed of carbon dioxide ice and water ice. Orbiting spacecraft and rovers have provided considerable evidence there was once water flowing on the surface of Mars water may even exist today, frozen as permafrost beneath the surface. Most of Mars’ atmosphere was either oxidised into its iron rich surface (forming the rusty red colour we see today) or lost to space over time due to Mars’ weak gravity. Mars may once have been Earth-like, but has now lost its surface water and possesses only a very thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and a surface pressure less than one per cent that of Earth. A day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day, and it takes 687 days to orbit the Sun. Our planet has one large moon, with a radius about one quarter of the Earth’s, making it the largest satellite compared to its parent planet.Īt 6,799 km in diameter Mars is about half the size of the Earth, with a surface temperature range of -125 to -20☌. With surface temperatures ranging from -88 to 58☌, Earth is the only place in the solar system where water exists in all three forms –solid, liquid and gas. The Earth’s powerful magnetic field also protects us from bombardment by radiation from space. The atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen (78 per cent) and oxygen (21 per cent) and only allows a narrow slice of the electromagnetic spectrum (mostly visible light) to reach the surface, shielding us from harmful infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma-rays. With its vast oceans and protective atmosphere, our home planet has proved just right for the development of life and is the only world in the universe where life is currently known to exist. In addition, there are dwarf planets, like Pluto, and countless numbers of smaller bodies, including asteroids and comets.įor educational resources and more information for children and teachers, visit our dedicated Stamp Collecting Month website.Įarth is the largest of the “terrestrial”, or rocky, planets (12,742 km in diameter), and has the greatest density of any planet in the solar System. These planets are divided into two groups: the small rocky planets of the inner solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – and the massive gas giants beyond the asteroid belt – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Our solar system is made up of eight major planets that orbit the Sun. Here are just a few snippets of information you may or may not have known about the planets of ‘Our Solar System’. Neptune’s stamp also features the dwarf planet Pluto.Īs more and more exciting astronomical discoveries continue to take place, Australia Post hopes to help inspire both adults and children to explore and enhance their knowledge about our solar system with the new stamp collection. These include the four inner-belt terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars and the larger outer-belt giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The stamp pack features unearthly illustrations of all eight of the fascinating planets of our solar system. These celestial wonders of our solar system were formed about 4.6 billion years ago. The ‘Our Solar System’ stamps feature the eight spectacular planets that orbit our Sun. This year Australia Post celebrates its 2015 Stamp Collecting Month (SCM) with the launch of the ‘Our Solar System’ stamp collection.
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