The Solar System



The Solar System

Our Solar System is an amazing place. Not only is it home to eight planets, it also hold several dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of stars and asteroids.

The eight planets in our Solar System are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets orbit the Sun.





Here is a funny song to help you remember the planets

The Sun

The Sun is the center of our Solar System. It is because of the Sun that our solar system gets its name. Sol is the Roman name for Sun.

The Sun is the largest object within the Solar System - it makes up more than 95% of all the matter! It is because of the Sun's large size that the rest of the objects within the Solar System orbit around it.

The Sun is very, very hot. It is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its surface.





Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, making it the first planet in the Solar System. It is named after the Roman messenger god. In mythology, the god was known for being quick - Mercury is the fastest of all the planets to orbit the Sun, because it has the smallest route it has to take!

Fun Facts about Mercury

Mercury can occasionally be seen from Earth

Mercury is the second densest planet in the Solar System

It is mainly made up of iron

There is no atmosphere on Mercury

Despite its fast trip around the Sun, Mercury's revolution is very slow - one day on Mercury equals about 59 days on Earth!





Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is named after the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Venus is almost the same size as Earth, but other than size the two planets are very different!

Fun Facts about Venus

Venus appears to be the brightest planet in the sky due to the reflection of the Sun from its clouds, and its closeness to Earth

Venus has an incredibly thick atmosphere. This makes it the hottest of the inner planets

Venus rotates East to West

Venus is covered in volcanoes

Venus does not have any moons





Earth

Earth is the only known planet that has any life forms in the Solar System. It is the third planet from the Sun. It is the only planet that is not named after a god.

Fun Facts about Earth

Most of the Earth is covered in water - 70%!

Earth has a thin atmosphere, that protects us from dangerous gasses and heat in space

Earth is the largest of the inner planets

Air, water, and land make up the Earth

Earth's axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees

This a video showing the many different life forms that Earth has





Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Named for the Roman god of war, it is also known as the "Red Planet". It is the last of the inner planets.

Fun Facts about Mars

Temperatures on Mars are very similar to temperatures on Earth

It is believed that Mars once had water on its surface

Mars is called the red planet because its surface is covered in red dust

The largest volcano in the Solar System is on Mars. It is called Olympus Mons

Mars has two small moons





Jupiter

Jupiter is the first of the outer planets, and the fifth planet from the Sun. It is named for the king of the Roman gods. It is the largest of all of the planets.

Fun Facts about Jupiter

Jupiter is best known for its "Great Red Spot" - a mass of hurricanes that have been storming for hundreds of years. The spot is larger in size than that of Earth

Jupiter is made up of gasses - there is no solid surface on it

Jupiter is so big; Earth could fit inside of it more than 1,000 times!

Jupiter has over 50 moons. Four of these moons are as big as planets

Jupiter has the most active volcanic activity in the Solar System

Learn more about the Great Red Spot!





Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is named for the Roman god of agriculture. It is most well known for its highly visible rings.

Fun Facts about Saturn

Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System

Saturn is the most dense planet, being made up mostly of hydrogen and helium

Due to its lightness and speed, Saturn is not round - it is wider in the middle

Saturn's rings are made up mostly of ice

The second largest moon in the Solar System is one of Saturn's moons







Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. The only planet named for a Greek god, its name comes from the god of the sky.

Fun Facts about Uranus

Uranus is unique in that its rotation is horizontal

It is believed that the surface of Uranus could be a huge ocean

It takes Uranus 84 years to orbit the Sun

Uranus's rings are perpendicular to it

The clouds on Uranus are amongst the brightest in the Solar System







Neptune

Neptune is the eighth and furthest planet from the Sun. It is named for the Roman god of sea. It is the smallest of the outer planets, and a gas giant.

Fun Facts about Neptune

Neptune is so far from Earth, it is invisible to the naked eye

Much like Jupiter, Neptune has a "Great Dark Spot", containing hurricanes and storms

Winds on Neptune are the strongest winds within the Solar System

There are rings on Neptune, but it is believed that they are relatively new

Neptune has 13 moons







Other Features of the Solar System

There are many other exciting elements in the Solar System. Here are a few.

Asteroids

Asteroids are rocky bodies in the Solar System that are too small to be considered actual planets. In between Mars and Jupiter lies the Asteroid Belt, containing well over 90,000 asteroids.

Comets

Comets are ice and rock that grow tails the closer they get to the sun. The hotter they get, the longer this "tail" becomes. The sunlight makes comets glow, which causes them to be visible on Earth.

Dwarf Planets

Dwarf planets are bodies that orbit the sun that are not considered large enough to be actual planets. The most famous dwarf planet is Pluto, which was considered an actual planet up until 2006.

Satellites

Satellites are machines put into the Solar System by scientists in order to find out more about the Solar System, and what is in it. These machines take pictures, perform experiments, take data, and much, much more. Without them, we wouldn't have the vast amount of information that we have today.

Summary

The Solar System is a fascinating place. Each of the eight planets have their own unique features, but are also similar in some ways - much like people! It is amazing to think that the Solar System has been around for more than 4.6 billions years. Each of the eight planets orbits the sun in the same direction, and in their own time. We have so much more we can learn about the Solar System, and so much we have learned already today.

sit this page to learn more interesting facts about the Solar System!

Want to get an idea of how far apart the planets are? Click here!

Resources

Our Solar System. Retrieved from http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

Solar System. Retrieved from http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system