The Solar System

By Charlie Cope

The Solar System

• Our solar system is made up of a star – the sun – 8 planets, 146 moons, comets, asteroids and space rocks, ice and several dwarf planets such as Pluto

• The 8 planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

The Sun

• Our sun is a ball of hot, glowing gases

• It’s one of the hottest things in the universe!

• Without the sun there would be no life on earth (heat and light)

Mercury

• It’s the closest planet to the sun

• The temperature on Mercury can change more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit between night and day

• It is covered with deep craters

Venus

• It is Earth’s closest neighbour and the second brightest object in our night sky. Only the moon is brighter

• To get to the surface of Venus, you would have to pass through the clouds of sulphuric acid, hurricane–force winds and lightning

Earth• It is the fifth largest planet in our solar

system

• Earth has hundreds of names in many languages

• The air is made of nitrogen, oxygen and a little carbon dioxide – just right for us to breathe

Earth’s moon• Our moon is a natural satellite

• The moon is smaller than four other moons in our solar system yet is larger than dwarf planet Pluto

• When the sun is shining, the moon sizzles at 265 degrees Fahrenheit

Mars

• It is sometimes called the “Red Planet” because of its red soil

• The soil on Mars is red because it contains iron oxide (rust)

Jupiter

• It is named for the king of ancient roman gods

• More than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it

• On Jupiter, the pressure is so strong it squishes gas into liquid

Saturn

• It is called the “jewel of the solar system” because of its beautiful rings

• Saturn is named for the Roman god of agriculture

Uranus

• Uranus is named for a Roman god who was the farther of the titans

• Down near the core of Uranus, it heats up to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit (4,982 degrees Celsius)

Neptune

• The fourth largest planet in the solar system

• Very windy

• Blue colour comes from a layer of methane gas above the clouds