Facts about the Solar System

• There are nine planets in our solar system.

• The sun is at the center.

• Each planet orbits the sun.

• There are two groups of planets: inner planets and outer planets.

• The sun is our closest star.

• The sun is a medium-sized star called a yellow dwarf star.

• It provides us with heat and light so life can survive on Earth.

• There are storms on the sun called “sunspots”.

• The four planets closest to the sun are the inner planets.– Mercury– Venus– Earth– Mars

These four planets are made of rock and metal.

• This planet gets very hot because it has spinning clouds that cover the surface and hold in the heat.

• It has volcanoes.• It rotates in the opposite

direction of all the other planets.

• This planet is often called “Earth’s Twin” because it is about the same size as Earth. VENUS

• This planet is about the same size as our moon.

• The surface has holes in it where meteorites and asteroids crashed into it.

• It travels around the sun faster than any other planet.

• It is the planet closest to the sun.MERCURY

• This planet has some of the tallest volcanoes and deepest valleys in the solar system.

• It has two moons.• The temperature can be

very cold.• It is called the “Red

Planet” because the dirt on the surface has a lot of clay which gives it a red color. MARS

• This is the only planet that can have a total eclipse of the sun.

• It is the third planet from the sun.

• It has only one moon.• This is the only planet

with life.EARTH

• The inner and outer planets are separated by an asteroid belt.– Jupiter– Saturn– Uranus– Neptune– Pluto

All of the outer planets are made of gases except for Pluto.

• This blue-green planet is very windy.

• It has two thick and two thin rings.

• It also has eight moons.• It is so cold that you

would need skin thicker than a polar bear’s to stay warm.

• This planet is similar to Uranus.NEPTUNE

• This planet has clouds that change colors daily.

• It shines very brightly in the night sky for nine months of the year.

• The Great Red Spot is a large swirling area of gas.

• It is so large that all of the other planets in the solar system could fit inside of it. JUPITER

• This planet has only one known moon named Charon.

• It is smaller than one of Neptune’s moons.

• It is the only outer planet that is made of rock and metal.

• It’s orbit crosses Neptune’s orbit every 248 years.PLUTO

• This planet spins very quickly.

• It has white spots that are believed to be powerful storms.

• It is surrounded by over 1000 rings made of ice and dust.

• It has at least 18 moons.

SATURN

• This planet is large enough to hold 64 Earths.

• It has eleven rings and at least 20 moons.

• It tilts so far on it’s axis that it rotates on one side.

• It is Neptune’s twin.

URANUS