Did you know that the largest volcano in our solar system is not on Earth, but on Mars? Olympus Mons, a shield volcano on Mars, is about 13.6 miles high, making it nearly three times taller than Mount Everest! Another interesting fact about space is that the surface area of Pluto is actually smaller than Russia, even though it was once considered the ninth planet in our solar system. This icy dwarf planet has a surface area of about 16.7 million square kilometers, while Russia covers approximately 17.1 million square kilometers. Speaking of Pluto, did you know that it takes about 248 Earth years for Pluto to complete one orbit around the Sun? This means that if you were celebrating your first birthday on Pluto, you would only be about a sixth of the way through your first year! Furthermore, the temperature on Venus can reach a scorching 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius), which is hotter than the surface of Mercury. This intense heat is due to Venus's thick atmosphere, which traps heat and prevents it from escaping. Lastly, the largest known star in the universe is called UY Scuti. This red supergiant star, located about 9,500 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Scutum, has a radius that is over 1,700 times larger than the Sun's. Imagine how tiny our Sun would look next to this massive star!