Extreme Bodies
Science Seeker
The Solar System’s planets and orbiting satellites break all our earthly records.
WORST WEATHER: Jupiter
 The huge Great Red Spot on Jupiter. Photo: NASA/JPL |
Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, weighs the same as 320 Earths, but it’s nearly all fluid. The outer surface is a colourful swirling pattern of chemical clouds that form into planet-sized storms. The biggest storm of all has been around for so long (perhaps more than 400 years!) that it has a name: the Great Red Spot. It’s so big that you could fit two or three Earths inside it! |
MEGA MOUNTAIN: Mars
 Olympus Mons is very high, but it has no snow at the summit. Photo: NASA |
We are now pretty sure that there aren’t any little green men on Mars. But there are plenty of big red volcanoes. One is bigger than all the rest: Olympus Mons. The tallest mountain in the whole Solar System, it’s about 27 kilometres above the average Martian surface. That’s three times as tall as Mount Everest. |
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