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