The solar system

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Across
  1. 2. The fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest planet in our solar system. It is a massive gas giant primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, famous for its Great Red Spot, which is a giant, ongoing storm.
  2. 4. The fourth planet from the Sun, widely known as the "Red Planet" due to the iron-rich, rusty dust covering its surface. It is a cold, dry desert world home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.
  3. 6. Icy bodies of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. As they get closer to the Sun's heat, they vaporize and produce a glowing "tail" of gas and dust that stretches behind them.
  4. 8. The smallest and closest planet to the Sun. Because it is so close, it experiences extreme temperature shifts. It zips around the Sun faster than any other planet, completing an orbit in just 88 Earth days.
  5. 10. The second planet from the Sun. It is the hottest planet in the solar system due to a thick, toxic atmosphere of carbon dioxide that traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect.
  6. 11. Generally refers to any natural satellite orbiting a planet, but specifically our Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is a rocky, cratered body that helps stabilize Earth's climate and drives the ocean tides.
Down
  1. 1. A recognized dwarf planet located in the icy Kuiper Belt at the outer edges of the solar system. It was historically classified as the ninth planet until 2006, when the definition of a planet was updated.
  2. 3. The seventh planet from the Sun. It is an "ice giant" that orbits on its side and has a pale blue-green color due to methane in its atmosphere.
  3. 5. The sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in the solar system. It is a gas giant most famous for its spectacular, wide rings made of billions of chunks of ice and rock.
  4. 7. The third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to support life. It is a terrestrial planet distinguished by its abundant liquid surface water and life-sustaining, oxygen-rich atmosphere.
  5. 9. The star at the very center of our solar system. It is a massive ball of glowing gas and plasma powered by nuclear fusion, and its gravitational pull holds the entire solar system together.