I spy space!I spy space!

You can use your eyes to look at the night sky but if you want to find out more you will need a telescope.

How big is space?How big is space?

Space is big, huge enormous, bigger than you can imagine. The first man that went into space was a Russian called Yuri Gagarin and he did so in 1961. Men landed on the moon in 1969.

The Sun.The Sun.

The earth travels around the Sun in 365 days, we call this one year. The sun is a star but seems much brighter than the others because it is closer. Without the sun most things on earth would die.

The Solar System.The Solar System.

There are nine planets which travel around the sun. Their names are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

The Moon.The Moon.

The moon does not shine by itself but reflects light from the Sun towards the Earth. As the moon goes round the earth we see different amounts of its surface. It appears to change shape during the month.

Interesting Facts.Interesting Facts.

All the planets go round the Sun in the same direction.

Planets nearer the Sun go round fastest.

All the planets spin about their own axes.

The solar system is flat like a plate.

The bigger planets generally have more moons than the small rocky planets.