How to Write a Planet Report

Learn as much as you can about the planet you report on before attempting to write your report. The local or school library or the Internet will have plenty of useful information on all the planets. Internet sites such as EnchantedLearning.com, ZoomAstronomy.com and WindowstotheUniverse.com can give you excellent insight into whatever planet you have chosen to report on.

Outline your report. Decide which information is pertinent to your assignment and then think about how you wish to present it. Your opening paragraph should give some data about where the planet is relative to the rest of the solar system and its size, especially compared with Earth.

Focus on certain aspects of your planet that people should know. The diameter, its orbital period around the sun, how quickly it spins on its axis and how many moons circle it are all relevant points. Include them in your report, devoting a paragraph to each topic.

Include a paragraph on how your planet acquired its name. For example, Mercury speeds around the sun almost four times quicker than Earth does. This fact caused the ancients to name it after the swift messenger of the gods.

Use numbers to astound readers of your report. Give them a perspective on how long a planet takes to complete one orbit of the sun, using periods on Earth as a reference point. For instance, Neptune's "year" equals nearly 165 of Earth's, meaning that in 2011 it will have just completed one revolution around the Sun from the time astronomers discovered it in 1846.

Incorporate fun facts into your planet report that people will remember long after they have forgotten the statistical data you present within it. Put these facts at the end of the report. These facts should make the person think and garner their attention. For example, Saturn has a density that would allow it to float on water.