The Solar System By E.C. The Solar System The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas. The Sun The sun is the largest object in the solar system. The sun is a normal star. It is much closer to us than any other star. By studying the sun, we can learn more about other stars. Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. Mercury has no air or moons. Venus Venus is the second planet in the solar system. Venus is known as the Earths sister. Venus and the Earth are almost the exact same size so you would weigh almost exactly the same on either planet. If you weighed 70 pounds (32 kg) on Earth, you would weigh 63 pounds (29 kg ) on Venus. Earth Earth is the third planet closest to the sun. The Earth is the biggest of all the terrestrial planets. Our planet is an oasis of life in an otherwise desolate universe. The Earth's temperature, weather, atmosphere and many other factors are just right to keep us alive. THE EARTH Mars Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system It is known as the red planet. It is half the size of Earth. Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet of the solar system. Jupiter is so big that you could fit all the other planets in the solar system inside it. The red spot of Jupiter is the biggest, most violent storm in the known universe -- that spot is at least three times the size of earth! Saturn Saturn is the second biggest planet, but its also the lightest planet. If there was a bathtub big enough to hold Saturn, it would float in the water! The ring that surrounds Saturn could be the remnants of a moon that was shattered by Saturn's gravity. Uranus Uranus has 27 moons, the majority of which are composed from water and ice, and not rock, as previously believed. Uranus spins from east to west, which is opposite of how the Earth spins. The only other planet to spin like Uranus is Venus. Neptune Neptune was discovered in 1846 (over 150 years ago). Since that time it has still yet to make a complete orbit around the sun, because one Neptune year lasts 165 Earth years! Like Jupiter, Neptune has a dark spot caused by a storm. Neptune's spot is smaller than Jupiters. Pluto Pluto is no longer considered a planet -- instead, astronomers call it a dwarf planet or planetoid. Pluto is the smallest, coldest, and lonliest planet in the solar system.