THE 10 GREAT COUNTRIES WITH BEST PUBLIC HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD IN 2020

The latest Best Countries rankings examined how people around the globe perceive the quality of the healthcare system in their countries of residence. The quality and efficiency of a country’s health care system can have a massive impact on its inhabitants’ quality of life. The health of a nation depends largely on how the system can cater for their people, which is why a good public health care system is so important. Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of illness, injury, disease, and other physical or mental impairments. Healthcare includes dentistry, psychology, nursing, medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and more. Access to healthcare varies across countries, municipalities, and individuals and is primarily influenced by economic and social factors. According to the World Health Organization, a well-functioning healthcare system requires a steady financing mechanism, a properly-trained and adequately-paid workforce, well-maintained facilities, and access to reliable information to base decisions on. Having access to healthcare is seen as a fundamental human right by many people. Lack of quality healthcare can result in a poor quality of life and lower life expectancy than countries with a stable and accessible healthcare system. Countries with efficient and effective health care systems have overall better health outcomes. As a matter of fact, inflation in medicare is higher than inflation in food and other articles. While inflation in food and clothing is in single digits, medicare costs usually escalate in double digits. Denmark to be perceived as having the most well-developed public healthcare system in the world. Top 10 countries based on their quality of healthcare.

1.Denmark

Denmark is in Northern Europe and is part of Scandinavia. The official language is Danish. Denmark has an area of 43,094 km2 and a population of 5.8 million people. The Danish healthcare system is universal and based on the principles of free and equal access to healthcare for all citizens. The state government, regions and municipalities operate the healthcare system and each sector has its own role. The state government creates general healthcare plans and regulations and allocates funding. The healthcare system offers high-quality services, the majority of which are financed by general taxes. Health expenditure is high in Denmark, as the country spends 10.37% of its GDP on healthcare services.

The Danish universal healthcare system, given by the local government of five regions of the country, offers the citizens free medical care. Apart from that, this country issues national health insurance cards to all its permanent residents. So, Most of the citizens take free treatments and health examinations. Denmark also scored 99.28% in nutrition and basic medical care. The high-quality healthcare system increases life expectancy. Life expectancy in Denmark has increased from 77.9 years to 81.3 years. Danish women have a higher life expectancy (82.5 years) than Danish men (78.6 years). Healthcare in Denmark sets a good example for elderly care in other countries.

2.Sweden

Swedish healthcare is largely tax-funded and the overall quality is high. Healthcare system funded by the Government, is universal for all its citizens. Although, it is also has private hospitals, only few exist in the country and they operate under a mandated city council. Healthcare in this country in primarily financed through taxes. Swedish healthcare is decentralised responsibility lies with the regional councils and, in some cases, local councils or municipal governments. Sweden is divided into 290 municipalities and 21 regional councils. This decentralisation is regulated by the Health and Medical Service Act. The role of the central government is to establish principles and guidelines, and to set the political agenda for health and medical care.

Swedish policy states that every regional council must provide residents with good-quality health and medical care, and work to promote good health for the entire population. The Swedish health system performs well in general, life expectancy in the country is high and the general health among the population is good. This is confirmed by reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others. The average life span among Swedes is now 84.29 years for women and 80.6 years for men.

3.Canada

The publicly funded health care system provides health services that are mostly free to Canadian citizens and managed and administered on a provincial(13) and territorial level guided under the Canadian Health Act. The government aims to ensure the quality of service through federal standards, with very few exceptions, all citizens qualify for health care services regardless of medical history, income and standard of living. The Canadian Medicare takes into consideration the needs of children, disabled citizens and the elderly. Extraordinary advancements across the healthcare system as providers accelerated their adoption of virtual care.

Approximately 65 to 75 percent of Canadians have some form of supplementary health insurance related to the aforementioned reasons; many receive it through their employers or use secondary social service programs related to extended coverage for families receiving social assistance or vulnerable demographics, such as seniors, minors, and those with disabilities. The primary objective of the Canadian healthcare policy, as set out in the 1984 Canada Health Act (CHA), is to “protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.” Its Medicare system provides coverage for up to 70% healthcare needs for its citizens. The remaining 30% is through the country’s private sector. Four chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and diabetes account for 65% of deaths in Canada.

4.United Kingdom

In UK, the whole population is covered by the National Health System (NHS), which is financed through general taxation and run by the Department of Health. United Kingdom provides reliable and comfortable healthcare for its citizens and expatriates. All English residents are automatically entitled to free public health care through the National Health Service, including hospital, physician, and mental health care. Each NHS system uses General Practitioners (GPs) to provide primary healthcare and to make referrals to further services as necessary. Hospitals then provide more specialist services, including care for patients with psychiatric illnesses, as well as direct access to emergency departments. Approximately 10.5 percent of the United Kingdom’s population carries voluntary supplemental insurance to gain more rapid access to elective care. Throughout the UK, there is a coexistence of public hospitals, private non-profit hospitals and private for-profit hospitals.

While hospitals are mainly publicly owned and independently operated, they are organized as hospital trusts with three hierarchical levels: community hospitals, district hospitals, and regional or inter-regional hospitals, as well as a number of specialized hospitals offering advanced treatment. Each country including England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have its own healthcare system and it’s publicly funded by their individual government. Responsibility for the purchasing of health care services across the UK rests at the constituent country level: Primary Care Trusts in England, Health Boards in Scotland, local health groups in Wales and Primary Care Partnerships in Northern Ireland. Despite this coverage, there is an increasing trend towards private care and coverage, with 12% of the population contracting additional private health insurance.

5.Germany

Germany uses universal multi-player healthcare system. That includes both private insurance for people who earn more and statutory health insurance for people who earn below a certain amount of money. The Healthcare system in the country is expensive and also standard. In this country, both Employer and employee pay for most of the healthcare system through premiums. All workers also pay 7.5% of their salaries into the public health insurance pool, which helps country to develop and provide quality treatment. The German public healthcare system is highly decentralized, with 16 municipalities sharing responsibility with the government for hospital planning, building and the upkeep of technical facilities.

In the German system, doctors strictly control access to hospital care and generally work either in hospitals or in private practices. The German health care system is divided into three main areas: outpatient care, inpatient care (the hospital sector), and rehabilitation facilities. The German healthcare system is one of the oldest healthcare systems in the world, dating back to 1880s. The system is organized into two major divisions: Public and Private Health Insurance.

6.Netherlands

Netherlands is one of the countries with best healthcare system in the world, however it’s not cost effective. The Netherlands’ universal social health insurance approach merges public and private insurance. All residents are required to purchase statutory health insurance from private insurers, which are required to accept all applicants. Adults choose a policy on an individual basis, and children under 18 are then automatically covered. Financing is primarily public, through premiums, tax revenues, and government grants. The national government is responsible for setting health care priorities and monitoring access, quality, and costs.

Standard benefits include hospital, physician, home nursing, and mental health care, as well as prescription drugs. Around 63 percent of the population was covered by public health insurance, while the more affluent could opt for private insurance or choose to remain uninsured. It’s Healthcare covers two different forms of insurance, including Zorgverzekeringswet(Zvw) and Algemene Wet Bijzondere Ziektekosten(AWBZ). Zorgverzekeringswet, reffered to as Basic insurance, helps to cover common medical care. On the other hand, AWBZ insurance covers long term nursing and care.

7.Australia

Australia’s health system is one of the best in the world, providing safe and affordable health care for all Australians. It is jointly run by all levels of Australian government – federal, state and territory, and local. Australia has highly developed Healthcare system for both its public and private hospitals. This country utilizes Medicare as its universal health insurance scheme, giving its residents the opportunity to take free treatments in public hospitals. Primary health networks support community health centers, hospitals, GPs, nurses, specialists and other health professionals to help improve patient care.

The Australian, state and territory, and local governments share responsibility for running health system. Private health insurance gives you choice outside the public system. For private health care both in and out of hospital, you contribute towards the cost of your health care. Medicare is available to Australian and New Zealand citizens, permanent residents in Australia, and people from countries with reciprocal agreements. Funding for health and medical research through the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

8.France

It’s standard Healthcare system that extends to both its state and private-owned hospitals. The French health care system is generally recognized as offering one of the best services of public health care in the world. It is a system that works, provides universal cover, and is a system that is strongly defended by virtually everyone in France. The health care system in France is made up of a fully-integrated network of public hospitals, private hospitals, doctors and other medical service providers. It is a universal service providing health care for every citizen, irrespective of wealth, age or social status.

The French health care system is funded in part by obligatory health contributions levied on all salaries, and paid by employers, employees and the self employed; in part by central government funding; and in part by users who normally have to pay a small fraction of the cost of most acts of health care that they receive. Primary health care is provided by a network of 23,000 general practitioners. Most GPs are self-employed professionals, and work either on their own, or in group practices. Most general physicians are in private practice but draw their income from the public insurance funds. These funds, unlike their German counterparts, have never gained self-management responsibility. Instead, the government has taken responsibility for the financial and operational management of health insurance. The French government generally refunds patients 70% of most health care costs, and 100% in case of costly or long-term ailments.

9.Austria

Austria is a democratic republic situated in central Europe, which covers a territory about 84,000 square kilometers. Austria has one of the most generous systems of social security and health services for all people within Europe. The principal objective is to make a contribution to the Austrian healthcare system, so that high quality is warranted to all Austrian citizens. Austria has a high standard of compulsory state funded healthcare. It is mandatory for the citizens of Austria and expatriates to pay into the government’s healthcare insurance scheme. The country uses the tax to deliver the best medical care. The costs for healthcare in Austria are rising and cost pressure in the Austrian healthcare system is increasing. The Austrian healthcare system is characterized by a high density of easily accessible healthcare facilities.

Choosing to move to Austria is a very good decision if it’s for having a stable and high-class developed health care system. Austria has an extensive network of healthcare institutions. With excellent public medical services, you will get a decent treatment. Austria has a very comprehensive and well-regarded public healthcare system, called statutory health insurance (SHI). Public healthcare is applicable to all Austrians, EU passport holders, and those from EEA countries, as long as they hold the European Health Insurance Card. Private healthcare is also available in the country. There are three areas of social insurance in Austria: Health, accident and pension. In Austria, there are about 28 social insurance institutions under public law.

10.New Zealand

New Zealand Healthcare system uses a single care approach as it depends solely on the state to deliver quality medical care. It is funded with the help of taxes and provides effective treatment to the citizens at a free or subsidized rate. New Zealand has achieved universal health coverage through a mostly publicly funded, regionally administered delivery system. Services covered include inpatient, outpatient, mental health, and long-term care, as well as prescription drugs. The national government sets an annual budget and benefit package. People in New Zealand enjoy the benefits of a comprehensive and heavily government subsidized health system.

We also have the option of taking medical insurance for private healthcare, although many New Zealanders choose not to. Approximately one-third of the population has private insurance to help pay for non covered services and copayments. If you are not a resident, you can still use our healthcare services but at a cost. New Zealand has one of the highest nurse turnover rates. Among the European colonists, professional medical care was expensive and most people diagnosed themselves or sought alternative treatment.

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THE LARGEST PLANETS OF SOLAR SYSTEM ACCORDING TO SIZE

Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity — the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, dwarf planets such as Pluto, dozens of moons and millions of asteroids, comets and meteoroids. The most recent definition of a planet was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2006. It says a planet must do three things: The Sun, and everything that orbits it, is located in the Milky Way galaxy. Must orbit a star (in our cosmic neighborhood, the Sun). It must be big enough to have enough gravity to force it into a spherical shape. It must be big enough that its gravity cleared away any other objects of a similar size near its orbit around the Sun. This is a partial list of Solar System objects by size, arranged in descending order of mean volumetric radius, and divided into several size classes. These lists can also be sorted according to an object’s mass and, for the largest objects, volume, density and surface gravity, insofar as these values are available.

1.Jupiter

In our solar system Jupiter is at nearly 11 times the size of Earth and 317 times its mass with a radius of 43,440.7 miles (69,911 kilometers). Despite its size, Jupiter has the shortest day of any other planet; it only takes about 10 hours for a complete rotation. In 1610, astronomer Galileo Galilei used a new invention called the telescope to look at Jupiter and discovered the first moons known to exist beyond Earth. The discovery ended incorrect, ancient belief that everything, including the Sun and other planets, orbited the Earth. From an average distance of 484 million miles (778 million kilometers), Jupiter is 5.2 astronomical units away from the Sun. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined. Jupiter’s familiar stripes and swirls are actually cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years. Jupiter is the fifth planet from our Sun. Jupiter is surrounded by dozens of moons. Jupiter also has several rings, but unlike the famous rings of Saturn, Jupiter’s rings are very faint and made of dust, not ice. Jupiter spins nearly upright and does not have seasons as extreme as other planets do. Jupiter has a central core of solid material or if it may be a thick, super-hot and dense soup. It could be up to 90,032 degrees Fahrenheit (50,000 degrees Celsius).
Jupiter has the same ingredients as a star, but it did not grow massive enough to ignite. Jupiter doesn’t have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids. It may also have a rocky core of heavier elements. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Jupiter. Jupiter’s appearance is a tapestry of colorful cloud bands and spots. With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. Jupiter has 53 confirmed moons and 26 provisional moons awaiting confirmation of discovery. Jupiter’s four largest moons—Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Jupiter’s environment is probably not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to. It is on average the third-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. it was named after the king of the gods in Roman mythology. In a similar manner, the ancient Greeks named the planet after Zeus, the king of the Greek pantheon. Jupiter’s immense volume could hold more than 1,300 Earths. That means that if Jupiter were the size of a basketball, Earth would be the size of a grape.

2.Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun (a star) and orbits at a distance of about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) from the Sun. The rings we see are made of groups of tiny ringlets that surround Saturn. They’re made of chunks of ice and rock. Twice every 29 and a half years the great planet Saturn appears ringless. Saturn is heavily present in pop culture. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mostly a ball of hydrogen and helium. Saturn is unique among the planets with a radius of 36,183.7 miles (58,232 kilometers)and 9 times wider than Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Saturn would be about as big as a volleyball. It is Surrounded by more than 60 known moons. The Saturn system is a rich source of scientific discovery and still holds many mysteries. From an average distance of 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers), Saturn is 9.5 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 80 minutes to travel from the Sun to Saturn.
Saturn has the second-shortest day in the solar system. It’s hard to imagine, but Saturn is the only planet in our solar system whose average density is less than water. The planet is mostly swirling gases and liquids deeper down. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Saturn, it wouldn’t be able to fly through unscathed either. The extreme pressures and temperatures deep inside the planet crush, melt and vaporize spacecraft trying to fly into the planet. The planet is many different shades of yellow, brown and grey. Saturn’s magnetic field is smaller than Jupiter’s but still 578 times as powerful as Earth’s. Saturn’s rings are thought to be pieces of comets, asteroids or shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet, torn apart by Saturn’s powerful gravity. Saturn’s ring system extends up to 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) from the planet, yet the vertical height is typically about 30 feet (10 meters) in the main rings. Saturn’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to.

3.Uranus

Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The planet was named for Uranus, the Greek god of the sky. The seventh planet from the Sun with the third largest diameter in our solar system, Uranus is very cold and windy. The ice giant is surrounded by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons as it rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side, orbiting the Sun like a rolling ball. One day Uranus takes about 17 hours to rotate and Uranus makes a complete orbit around the Sun in about 84 Earth years. Uranus is the only planet whose equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit. With a radius of 15,759.2 miles (25,362 kilometers), Uranus is 4 times wider than Earth. If Earth was the size of a nickel, Uranus would be about as big as a softball. From an average distance of 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers), Uranus is 19.8 astronomical units away from the Sun. It takes sunlight 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel from the Sun to Uranus.

Uranus is also one of just two planets that rotate in the opposite direction than most of the planets (Venus is the other one), from east to west. Uranus is slightly larger in diameter than its neighbor Neptune. Most (80 percent or more) of the planet’s mass is made up of a hot dense fluid of “icy” materials—water, methane and ammonia—above a small rocky core. Near the core, it heats up to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,982 degrees Celsius). Uranus gets its blue-green color from methane gas in the atmosphere. Sunlight passes through the atmosphere and is reflected back out by Uranus’ cloud tops. Uranus doesn’t have a true surface. The planet is mostly swirling fluids. While a spacecraft would have nowhere to land on Uranus, it wouldn’t be able to fly through its atmosphere unscathed either. Uranus’ atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of methane and traces of water and ammonia. The methane gives Uranus its signature blue color. Uranus has an unusual, irregularly shaped magnetosphere. Uranus’ environment is not conducive to life as we know it. Uranus has been visited only once by a spacecraft: Voyager 2.

4.Neptune

Dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds, ice giant Neptune is the eighth and most distant planet in our solar system. Neptune has 14 known moons. Neptune’s largest moon Triton was discovered on October 10, 1846, by William Lassell. More than 30 times as far from the Sun as Earth, Neptune is the only planet in our solar system not visible to the naked eye. Neptune is our solar system’s windiest world. Neptune is the farthest planet from our Sun. Neptune is very similar to Uranus. It’s made of a thick soup of water, ammonia, and methane over an Earth-sized solid center. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane. The methane gives Neptune the same blue color as Uranus. Neptune has six rings, but they’re very hard to see. The warm light we see here on our home planet is roughly 900 times as bright as sunlight on Neptune. The ice giant Neptune was discovered in 1846. With a radius of 15,299.4 miles (24,622 kilometers), Neptune is about four times wider than Earth.
If Earth were the size of a nickel, Neptune would be about as big as a baseball. From an average distance of 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers), Neptune is 30 astronomical units away from the Sun. From this distance, it takes sunlight 4 hours to travel from the Sun to Neptune. Neptune takes about 16 hours to rotate or spin once. And Neptune makes a complete orbit around the Sun in about 165 Earth years (60,190 Earth days). Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune. Scientists think there might be an ocean of super hot water under Neptune’s cold clouds. It does not boil away because incredibly high pressure keeps it locked inside. Neptune does not have a solid surface. Its atmosphere extends to great depths, gradually merging into water and other melted ices over a heavier, solid core with about the same mass as Earth. Neptune is a more vivid, brighter blue. Neptune’s winds can be three times stronger than Jupiter’s and nine times stronger than Earth’s. Neptune’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures, pressures and materials that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme and volatile for organisms to adapt to.

5.Earth

The name Earth is a Germanic word with a radius of 3,959 miles (6,371 kilometers), which simply means “the ground. “Our home planet is the third planet from the Sun, and the only place we know of so far that’s inhabited by living things. While Earth is only the fifth largest planet in the solar system. it is the only world in our solar system with liquid water on the surface. Just slightly larger than nearby Venus, Earth is the biggest of the four planets closest to the Sun, all of which are made of rock and metal. Earth is the only planet that has a single moon. Our Moon is the brightest and most familiar object in the night sky. The Moon is an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away from Earth. From an average distance of 93 million miles (150 million kilometers), Earth is exactly one astronomical unit away from the Sun. It takes about eight minutes for light from the Sun to reach our planet.
As Earth orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 23.9 hours. It takes 365.25 days to complete one trip around the Sun. That extra quarter of a day presents a challenge to our calendar system, which counts one year as 365 days. To keep our yearly calendars consistent with our orbit around the Sun, every four years we add one day. That day is called a leap day, and the year it’s added to is called a leap year. Earth is composed of four main layers, starting with an inner core at the planet’s center, enveloped by the outer core, mantle and crust. It has a solid and active surface with mountains, valleys, canyons, plains and so much more. Earth is special because it is an ocean planet. Water covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface. Earth’s atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen and has plenty of oxygen for us to breathe. The atmosphere also protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up before they can hit the surface. Earth’s global ocean, which covers nearly 70 percent of the planet’s surface, has an average depth of about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) and contains 97 percent of Earth’s water. Earth has an atmosphere that consists of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and 1 percent other gases such as argon, carbon dioxide and neon.

6.venus

Similar in size and structure to Earth, Venus has been called Earth’s twin. These are not identical twins, however – there are radical differences between the two worlds. Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and is Earth’s closest neighbor in the solar system. Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon, and sometimes looks like a bright star in the morning or evening sky. Average diameter of Venus is about 7,500 miles. Surface temperature is 864 degress Fahrenheit. Venus has a thick, toxic atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide. It’s perpetually shrouded in thick, yellowish clouds of mostly sulfuric acid that trap heat, causing a runaway greenhouse effect. It’s the hottest planet in our solar system.
The surface of Venus is not where you’d like to be, with temperatures that can melt lead, an atmosphere so thick it would crush you, and clouds of sulfuric acid that smell like rotten eggs. you couldn’t breathe the air, you would be crushed by the enormous weight of the atmosphere, and you would burn up in surface temperatures high enough to melt lead. The atmosphere traps the small amount of energy from the sun that does reach the surface along with the heat the planet itself releases. It is always found near the Sun. It rises and sets each day, so it has the nicknames Morning and Evening Star! Scientists found that Venus rotates backwards. This means that on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

7.Mars

Mars has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon gases. It is frequently called the “Red Planet” because iron minerals in the Martian dirt oxidize, or rust, causing the surface to look red. Today, a science fleet of robotic spacecraft study Mars from all angles. With a radius of 2,106 miles (3,390 kilometers), Mars is about half the size of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mars would be about as big as a raspberry. From an average distance of 142 million miles (228 million kilometers), Mars is 1.5 astronomical units away from the Sun. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. From this distance, it takes sunlight 13 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mars. As Mars orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, which is very similar to one day on Earth (23.9 hours). Like Earth, Mars has distinct seasons, but they last longer than seasons here on Earth since Mars takes longer to orbit the Sun. On Mars the seasons vary in length because of Mars’ elliptical, egg-shaped orbit around the Sun. Mars has a dense core at its center between 930 and 1,300 miles (1,500 to 2,100 kilometers) in radius. It’s made of iron, nickel and sulfur. Surrounding the core is a rocky mantle between 770 and 1,170 miles (1,240 to 1,880 kilometers) thick, and above that, a crust made of iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium and potassium. This crust is between 6 and 30 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) deep.

Mars formed when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust in to become the fourth planet from the Sun. The Red Planet is actually many colors. At the surface we see colors such as brown, gold and tan. Mars is home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons. It’s three times taller than Earth’s Mt. Everest. Mars appears to have had a watery past, with ancient river valley networks, deltas and lakebeds, as well as rocks and minerals on the surface that could only have formed in liquid water. There is water on Mars today, but the Martian atmosphere is too thin for liquid water to exist for long on the surface. The temperature on Mars can be as high as 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) or as low as about -225 degrees Fahrenheit (-153 degrees Celsius). Mars has no global magnetic field today. Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Phobos, the innermost and larger moon, is slowly moving towards Mars and will crash into the planet or break apart in about 50 million years. Scientists don’t expect to find living things currently thriving on Mars.

8.Mercury

The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon. It doesn’t have any moons. Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days. With a radius of 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers), Mercury is a little more than 1/3 the width of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mercury would be about as big as a blueberry. From an average distance of 36 million miles (58 million kilometers), Mercury is 0.4 astronomical units away from the Sun. It takes sunlight 3.2 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mercury. Mercury’s highly eccentric, egg-shaped orbit takes the planet as close as 29 million miles (47 million kilometers) and as far as 43 million miles (70 million kilometers) from the Sun. Mercury spins slowly on its axis and completes one rotation every 59 Earth days. Mercury is the second densest planet, after Earth. It has a large metallic core with a radius of about 1,289 miles (2,074 kilometers), about 85 percent of the planet’s radius.

Mercury has a central core, a rocky mantle and a solid crust. It’s actually not the hottest. Along with Venus, Earth, and Mars, Mercury is one of the rocky planets. Mercury spins slowly compared to Earth. Mercury takes 59 Earth days to make one full rotation. It goes around the Sun in just 88 Earth days. Most of Mercury’s surface would appear greyish-brown to the human eye. Temperatures on the surface of Mercury are extreme, both hot and cold. During the day, temperatures on Mercury’s surface can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius). Because the planet has no atmosphere to retain that heat, nighttime temperatures on the surface can drop to minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 180 degrees Celsius).  Mercury’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures and solar radiation that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme for organisms to adapt to.

9.Pluto

Pluto is a complex and mysterious world with mountains, valleys, plains, craters, and maybe glaciers. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was long considered our solar system’s ninth planet. Icy Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Pluto is orbited by five known moons, the largest of which is Charon. Charon is about half the size of Pluto itself. Pluto and Charon are often referred to as a “double planet.” With a radius of 715 miles (1,151 kilometers), Pluto is about 1/6 the width of Earth. If Earth was the size of a nickel, Pluto would be about as big as a popcorn kernel. From an average distance of 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers), Pluto is 39 astronomical units away from the sun. It takes sunlight 5.5 hours to travel from the sun to Pluto. Pluto’s orbit around the sun is unusual compared to the planets. Pluto was actually closer to the sun than Neptune. One day on Pluto takes about 153 hours. Pluto is about two-thirds the diameter of Earth’s moon and probably has a rocky core surrounded by a mantle of water ice. Interesting ices like methane and nitrogen frost coat its surface.

Due to its lower density, Pluto’s mass is about one-sixth that of Earth’s moon. Pluto’s surface is characterized by mountains, valleys, plains, and craters. The temperature on Pluto can be as cold as -375 to -400 degrees Fahrenheit (-226 to -240 degrees Celsius). Pluto’s mountains can be as tall as 6,500 to 9,800 feet (2 to 3 kilometers) and are big blocks of water ice, sometimes with a coating of frozen gases like methane. Craters as large as 162 miles (260 kilometers) in diameter dot some of the landscape on Pluto, with some showing signs of erosion and filling. The main constituent is molecular nitrogen, though molecules of methane and carbon monoxide have also been detected. Pluto’s low gravity (about six percent of Earth’s) causes the atmosphere to be much more extended in altitude than our planet’s atmosphere. Pluto has a magnetic field. There are no known rings around Pluto. Pluto has five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx. The surface of Pluto is extremely cold, so it seems unlikely that life could exist there. At such cold temperatures, water, which is vital for life as we know it, is essentially rock-like. Pluto’s interior is warmer, however, and some think there could even be an ocean deep inside.

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