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The Solar System consists of the Sun and all the celestial bodies that surround it.

The Sun is at the centre of the Solar System and is its only star. Everything in the Solar System moves around

the Sun: the eight planets, their satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets. Those movements around the

Sun are called orbits.

SONG: We are the

planets

Vídeo:

The solar system

MORE INFO: EXPLORE THE SOLAR

SYSTEM

These are smaller

celestial bodies that

orbit the planets.

The Moon is the

Earth’s only

satellite, but

Jupiter has more

than sixty.

Dwarf planets

are spherical

bodies that orbit

the Sun. They are

much smaller than

planets. Until

2006, astrologers

considered Pluto

to be a planet, but

now it is classified

as a dwarf planet.

Our part of space is called the Solar System.

It is made up of the Sun, nine planets which go

round it, 43 moons which go round the planets

and a band of space rocks called the Asteroid

Belt.

The Sun gives heat and light to all of the

planets. It is a huge ball of burning gases. The

planets are much smaller balls of rocks and

gases. All of the moons and asteroids are

rocky.

The planet closest to the Sun is Mercury. It is

the hottest planet in the solar system. The

planet farthest from the sun is Pluto. It is the

coldest planet in the solar system. But it is a

dwarf planet. The biggest planet is Mercury.

Saturn has got prominent, beautiful rings. The

planet we live on is Earth. It is between Venus

and Mars. It takes 365 days for the Earth to

complete on orbit, or one trip around the Sun.

This is how we measure a year.

Read the following text and answer the QUIZ

below.

WORDSEARCH AND

SECRET MESSAGE

COMETS: are giant balls of rock and ice. They

orbit around the Sun. When they get close to

the Sun, solar energy evaporates the ice which

forms a tail. Halley´s Comet is the best known.

It can be seen every 76 years. It last

appearance was in 1986.

ASTEROIDS: are small fragments of rock or

metal. They are called meteorites if they hit a

planet or a satellite and they form craters on

its surface. From time to time, small

meteorites that disintegrate in our atmosphere

are called shooting stars. One important

example of shooting stars is the “Lágrimas de

San Lorenzo” (11st August).

Vídeo:

What is a comet?

Stars have different properties:

COLOUR: Depending of its temperature, a star can be: blue,

white, yellow, orange or red. The Sun is yellow.

SIZE: Stars are enormous, but some are larger than others.

Sun is a medium-sized star.

LUMINOSITY: is the amount of energy produced in the

nucleus of a star. Sun is the most luminous star in the sky.

BRIGHTNESS: is the light from a star that reaches the

Earth. This depends on two factors: the star´s luminosity

and its distance from the Earth. Sun is the brightest star in

the sky.

A constellation is a group of

stars that appear close to each

other that forms a pattern in the

sky. They have the names of

characters from mythology of the

names of animals and objects

because of the shapes they form,

for example, Ursa Major.

A galaxy is a collection of thousands or

millions of stars. It also contains rocks and

gases. Galaxies have different shapes:

elliptical, spiral or irregular.

The Solar System belongs to a spiral

galaxy called the Milky Way.

COMPLETE THE CHART

Stars are giant spheres of gas that generate

light and heat. The Sun is the closest star to the

Earth.