our solar systemOur solar system is an exciting place. It is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to the planets, the Solar System consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, dust, and gas.   The nine planets that orbit the sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, a dwarf planet.  

The solar system is made up of two parts the inner and outer solar system. The inner solar system contains Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These four planets are the closest to the Sun. The Outer solar system contains Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. An Asteroid Belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter separates the inner planets from the outer planets. 

  1. Romans named the planet Mercury, after Mercury, the God of commerce, travel and thievery because it moves so fast through the sky. Mercury is the hottest planet because it is the closest to the sun. It is a small rocky planet slightly larger than our Moon. It looks a lot like our Moon because it has craters all over it. You can see Mercury through a pair of binoculars or just by looking at it, even though it is difficult to see because of it being so close to the Sun.
  2. Venus was named from the Roman goddess of love because it is the brightest of all planets.      Venus is the sixth planet and second closest to the sun. It is even hotter than Mercury.        Venus is the flattest planet in our solar system and turns the opposite way too most all of the other planets.   It is a rocky planet surrounded by thick yellow clouds made of sulphuric acid that is poisonous.    Venus has no moons and seen with then naked eye.
  3. Earth is the fifth largest planet and the third closest to the sun.  Earth is the only planet that has life on it, as far as we know.  It is orbited by one moon.
  4. Mars was named after the Roman God of War because of the planet is so red in color.  Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and the seventh largest.    Mars is visible in the night sky and you can see the planet by looking at it.   Mars has two tiny moons very close to Mar’s surface, called Phobos (terror) and Deimos (panic).
  5. Jupiter was named after the King of the Roman Gods.   Jupiter is by far the largest of the nine planets.   It is a gas planet. Jupiter main feature has a Great Red enormous oval Red Spot with a big mouth!     Jupiter is often the brightest star and has four moons that you can see with a pair of binoculars.
  6. Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture in mythology.  It is the sixth farthest planet from the Sun and the second largest.  Saturn is also another gas planet.      Saturn is recognizable because of it thousands of beautiful bright rings.  You can see Saturn at night very easy because it doesn’t twinkle like stars do.  Saturn has 18 known moons more than any other planet.
  7. Uranus was named after the ancient Greek god of the heavens. Uranus was also the father of Cronus, known as Saturn in Roman times.    Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and the third largest.    It is a gas planet with a center, made up of mostly rock and ice.       Uranus has 11 known rings.    Uranus spins differently from most planets because it seems to be tilted sideways instead of right side up.   Uranus has 15 known moons and can see with a set of binoculars, if you know where to look. It looks like a small disc.
  8. Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea because of its deep blue-green in color.   It is the eighth planet from the sun and the fourth largest.    Neptune has 8 known moons and 7 small ones. The large one is called Tritori.
  9. Pluto is named after the Roman god of the underworld because it is a very dark planet. It is the furthest planet from the sun and has one moon called Charon.  It is also the smallest of the nine planets and one, which the scientists know very little about. You need to see Pluto with a telescope but it is very difficult without knowing exactly where to look in the sky.