We live on planet Earth, yet we share our solar system with other wonderful planets. If you want to know the unique characteristics of them, it is a very good idea to read this fun book.
Have you ever wondered how many stars are in the sky or what it would be like to walk on the moon? Perhaps you have imagined what it would be like to travel in a space ship. If you have ever asked yourself these questions, then you have thought about space.
Space is made up of planets, moons, stars, and other objects in the heavens like asteroids and comets.
Space is made up of many solar systems. A solar system is a group of planets that orbit or move around a star. For us, that star is the sun.
There are eight planets in our solar system that orbit around the Sun-
They are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Earth is the planet we live on. The moon is not a planet. The moon orbits around the Earth.
The sun is the largest object in the Solar System. In fact, the sun is so big that a million planet earths could fit inside the sun. Because it is so large, all the planets orbit the Sun. The Sun produces gravitational force. This means that it pulls on everything around it, creating orbits that each planet follows. The sun is very hot, its surface the sun is more than 5,500 degrees Celsius.
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. Mercury is made mostly of iron, so it’s a lot like a giant metal ball. During the day mercury can be very hot, up to 425 degrees Celsius. But bring a blanket at night, as it can get as cold as -184 degrees Celsius.
After Mercury comes Venus. Venus is similar to Earth in some ways. Venus is about the same size as Earth, it has mountains and volcanoes like our planet. But Venus has little air. You can’t breathe on Venus. Because it has no air, it is extremely hot, and it also has no water.
Earth is the third planet from the sun. What makes our planet so unique is that it has the right temperature, air, and water to support life. In fact, Earth is the only planet known to have life. 30% of the Earth is made up of land and the other 70% is water, such as oceans, lakes and rivers.
Past Earth follows Mars. Mars is known as the red planet. Mars has mountains and canyons larger than any other planet. Mars has many qualities like those found here on Earth, leading many scientists to wonder about the possibility that people might one day be able to live on Mars.
Jupiter is the biggest planet. One thousand (1,000) Earths could fit inside Jupiter. Jupiter does not have a solid surface like Earth, but is instead a large ball of gas. There are a lot of storms on Jupiter. Jupiter’s storms and different cloud formations make it a very colorful planet.
Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system. Like Jupiter, Saturn is a giant ball of gas. Saturn is best known is for its rings. Saturn has seven rings. These rings are not solid, but rather are made up of chunks of ice, rock, and dust.
After Saturn we find Uranus. Although not as well known as Saturn’s rings, Uranus also has rings of large rocks and dust particles. Uranus is a very cold planet, and is believed to be made up of rock and ice.
The planet farthest from the sun is Neptune. Photos of Neptune show a large dark spot, a giant storm on the planet. Neptune is also a very windy planet, with winds reaching speeds of more than 1,900 kilometers per hour.
We already know a lot about space. However, much more is waiting to be explored. Maybe you will be the next scientist to discover more about space!