Our Solar SystemWhat Is It?

The Solar System

The Solar System is a region of space that contains 1 star and 8 planets. The star is called the Sun and the 8 planets in order are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In our solar system there are 4 small rocky planets and 4 gas giants. The 4 rocky planets are Mercury, Mars, Earth and Venus. The four gas giants are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

The Sun

The Sun is a big ball of gas and it’s in the centre of our solar system. The sun gives off light and heat and is the reason we have day and night.

Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to

the Sun. 1 Mercury day equals 172 Earth days and 1 Mercury year equals 88 Earth days. Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and is covered in craters.

Venus Venus is the hottest planet in our solar

system even though it is not the closest planet to the sun. This is because it has a thick atmosphere made up of greenhouse gasses. 1 Venus day equals 243 Earth days and 1 Venus year Equals 225 Earth days. Venus is almost the same size as Earth.

Earth Earth is the third closest planet

to the sun and the only planet that has liquid water. Earth is the only planet to grow living things. 1 Earth day equals 24 hours and 1 Earth year equals 365.25 days.

Mars Mars is the 4th planet from the

sun. 1 Mars year equals 687 Earth days and 1 Mars day equals 24 hours and 39 minutes. Mars has two moon called Phobos and Deimos. Mars has the biggest volcano in the solar system named Olympus Mons.

Jupiter Jupiter is the 5th planet from the sun

and it is the biggest planet in the solar system. Jupiter is home to the biggest storm in the solar system, known as the Great Red Spot, which is big enough to swallow the earth whole. 1 Jupiter year equals 11.9 Earth years and 1 Jupiter day equals just under 10 hours.

Saturn Saturn is the 6th planet from the

sun. 1 Saturn year equals 29.5 Earth years and 1 day equals 10 hours. Saturn has big rings made from little pieces of rock. Saturn is the 2nd largest planet in our solar system.

Uranus Uranus is the 7th planet from

the sun. 1 year on Uranus equals 84 Earth years and 1 day equals 16 hours. Uranus has faint rings and is tilted on its side. Uranus has 5 moons.

Neptune Neptune is the last planet and

the furthest planet from the sun. 1 year on Neptune equals 165 Earth years and 1 day equals 22 hours. Neptune has 2 moons. 1 of them, called Triton, circles the planet backwards!