Overview

There is perhaps no greater wonder in the universe than the sun. It is the most prominent feature in the Solar System, which is made up of all the planets that revolve around the Sun. The sun is the most powerful source of natural energy in existence.

What is the Solar System?

The Solar System is merely the planets that all revolve around the sun and it also consists of many other elements like moons, comets, dwarf planets, asteroids, gas and dust.The first thing to notice is that the Solar System is mostly empty space. The planets are very small compared to the space between them. It’s important for students to understand how the planets are organized and the potential power of solar energy they can harness by understanding the Solar System and the power of the sun.

What’s the most important thing kids should know about the Solar System?

The Solar System is made up of eight (8) planets that revolve around the sun. For many years, scientists recognized nine (9) planets. In fact, some text books students may study out of may still say there are nine planets. However, in recent years, additional research has been done to draw a distinction between the last planet formerly known and the others existing past Neptune.

What happened to Pluto?

There are several dwarf planets, currently over 40 are known, the most popular of which is Pluto. Scientists formerly named Pluto with the other eight planets but decided in 2006 that it was a dwarf planet by a clear majority of researchers who voted for the new definition at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Prague, Czech Republic. A dwarf planet, according to the International Astronomical Union, is different from a planet in the Solar System because it does not have a clear neighborhood around its orbit and is not a satellite. Conversely, a planet has those two distinctions.

How is the Solar System organized?

The Solar System is organized by an alignment of planets that revolve around the sun. The first planet that exists closest to the sun is called Mercury. The temperature on this planet is exceptionally hot, thus represented in its name. The second planet from the sun is known as Venus. The third planet, of course, from the sun is called Earth. This is the planet we inhabit. The remaining planets are Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

FUN FACTS ABOUT OUR PLANETS

Mercury: It has no moons Venus: has the hottest average temperature of any of the planets

Venus: has the hottest average temperature of any of the planets

Earth: The Earth is the biggest of all the terrestrial planets. A terrestrial planet is a dense planet found in the inner Solar System.

Mars: Did you know that in order to survive a landing on Mars, a spacecraft must have three zeroes off its speed in only six minutes? NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers need both parachutes and rockets to slow down from about 19,000 kph (12,000 mph) as they enter the Red Planet's atmosphere to less than 19 kph (12 mph) before they reach the surface. Wow! Now those are some incredible breaks.

Source: NASA

Jupiter: At night, with a pair of binoculars, it is possible to see some of Jupiter’s moons

Saturn: The rings around this planet are nearly 170,000 miles wide.

Uranus: Unlike any other planet, Uranus spins on its side. Neptune: Was recently made the final planet. Previously that distinction was held by Pluto, which is now considered to be too small to have planetary designation by scientist.