2. the solar System is made up of the Sun, 9
planets, many other small rocky, metallic and
icy objects and a lot of empty space. The nine
planets move around the Sun in paths called
orbits. Moons, like our own Moon orbit most of
the planets.
3. The Sun is a star, just like those you can
see in the sky at night. Those stars are
billions of miles away, but the Sun is
much closer to us (150 million
kilometres).
The Sun is at the centre of our Solar
System. All of the 9 planets including our
Earth travel around the Sun.
The Sun gives out light and heat without
which life as we know would be
impossible.
4.
5. Mercury is one of the 9 planets in our
Solar System. It is the closest planet to
the Sun. It is smaller than all the other
planets except Pluto and is only 1 third the
size of our own planet Earth. Mercury is
one of the rocky planets.
Mercury is so close to the Sun that the
ground becomes really hot (427 degrees
Celsius (ºC)) - hot enough to even melt
some metals.
6. Venus is one of the 9 planets in our Solar
System. It is the second planet from the Sun
(the closest is Mercury). Venus is one of the
rocky planets. Although, Venus is only slightly
smaller than our own planet Earth it would not
be a very nice place to live. It is hotter on Venus
than on Mercury even though Venus is further
away from the Sun. This is because Venus has
thick clouds which stop the heat from escaping.
7. The Earth is the third closest planet to the Sun. The
Earth is one of the rocky planets.
The Earth is close enough to the Sun so that we can
get sunlight and warmth, but far enough away
from the Sun so that we can have water as a liquid.
On Venus and Mercury, the temperatures are so
high that water would evaporate (boil away). All
living creatures need water, so the Earth is a
perfect place to live.
8. Mars is one of the 9 planets in our Solar System. It
is the fourth planet away from the Sun. Mars is
one of the rocky planets.
Mars is sometimes called The Red Planet. You can
often see Mars in the sky at night as a bright red
dot. Pictures taken by spacecraft that have landed
on its surface show that the ground on Mars is
also red in colour.
9. Jupiter is the largest of the 9 planets in our Solar
System. It is the fifth planet from the Sun.
Unlike the rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth
and Mars), Jupiter is made almost entirely of
gases and so is called a gas giant.
Jupiter is easy to recognise because it has stripes
and a big red spot - these are actually clouds and a
massive storm!
10. Saturn is one of the 9 planets in our Solar System. It is the
sixth planet from the Sun.
Saturn is easy to recognize because it is surrounded by rings
made of dust and ice. Like Jupiter, Saturn is mainly gas and so
is called a gas giant.
11. Uranus is one of the 9 planets in our Solar
System. It is the seventh planet away from the
Sun.
Like Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus is one of the
gas giants, as it is made almost entirely of
gases.
Uranus is very unusual because it appears to
be on its side, with its poles pointing towards
the Sun.
12. Neptune is one of the 9 planets in our Solar System. It is the eighth planet from
the Sun.
Like Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, it is one of the gas giants, made up almost
entirely of gases with some ice and dust. It is the Sun's reflection on the gases
that gives Neptune its blue colour, although it does not receive enough heat from
the Sun to make the planet warm like Earth.
Sometimes Neptune becomes the ninth planet from the Sun. The planet Pluto
moves around the Sun in a very odd path and every 238 years it becomes closer
to the Sun than Neptune.
13. Pluto is one of the 9 planets in our Solar System. It is the ninth planet and the
furthest from the Sun.
Pluto is the smallest planet in the Solar System and can only be seen using very large
telescopes.
Pluto is made of rock with lots of ice on the surface. This is because it is so far away
from the Sun it does not receive any heat or sunlight to warm the surface.
Sometimes (every 238 years) it becomes the eighth planet because the path that it
moves around the Sun is such an odd shape it can move closer to the Sun than
Neptune.
15. What are black holes?
Have you ever had to vacuum your bedroom?
When you do, watch closely because you will
see the dirt and crumbs start to move
towards the vacuum cleaner. A black hole is
similar to a vacuum cleaner, cleaning up
debris left behind in outer space.
However, it is not suction power that makes
things fall into a black hole. Suction would
not be strong enough. Instead, a black hole
uses the power of gravity to pull things
towards it.
