Our Place in Space: The Solar System

On a clear night, you can see the Moon, thousands of stars, and sometimes a bright dot that is actually another planet! Earth feels enormous to us, but it is just one small world in a huge family called the solar system. Here is a warm-up question to get you thinking.

The solar system is our Sun and everything that travels around it. The word 'solar' means 'to do with the Sun'. At the centre of the solar system is the Sun — a giant ball of hot, glowing gas. The Sun is so large that about one million Earths could fit inside it. Eight planets travel around the Sun. A planet is a large, ball-shaped world that orbits — travels in a path around — the Sun. Gravity is the invisible pulling force that keeps every planet on its orbit. Without gravity, the planets would fly off into space. The eight planets, in order from the Sun outward, are: 1. Mercury — the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest of the eight. 2. Venus — the hottest planet, wrapped in thick clouds. 3. Earth — the only planet we know has liquid water and life. 4. Mars — a red, dusty planet often called the Red Planet. 5. Jupiter — the largest planet, with a famous giant storm called the Great Red Spot. 6. Saturn — famous for its beautiful rings made of ice and rock. 7. Uranus — an icy blue-green planet that spins on its side. 8. Neptune — the furthest planet, cold and windy. A handy sentence to remember the order is: My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). As well as planets, the solar system contains moons (smaller worlds that orbit planets), asteroids (chunks of rock), and comets (balls of ice and dust that grow bright tails as they travel close to the Sun).