Fun Fact 2: There are eight planets in the solar system; in order from the closest to the sun they are; Mercury Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Fun Fact 3: The eight planets in the solar system orbit the sun. The sun is a star that radiates light, heat and energy; it is a giant glowing ball of gas that measures 1,392,000 km in diameter
Fun Fact 4: The four planets closest to the sun are called the inner planets. The inner planets are Mercury Venus, Earth and Mars
Fun Fact 5: Many planets in the solar system have moons. Earth has just one, Jupiter has more than 60! Some moons are rocky, some have an icy surface
Fun Fact 6: Comets are clumps of frozen ice combined with space dust and rock that resemble large dirty icebergs. The main body of a comet typically measures around 1-50km in diameter
Fun Fact 7: Asteroids are large pieces of rock that are smaller than planets. Most asteroids orbit in the area between Mars and Jupiter; the region is called the asteroid belt
Fun Fact 8: Asteroids are sometimes referred to as minor planets. Over 30,000 minor planets have been discovered in the solar system
Fun Fact 9: The planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 it was acknowledged as the solar systems ninth planet. However, in 2006 scientist reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet and stated that there are eight planets in the solar system. The demotion of planet Pluto was a controversial decision that still causes much debate!
Fun Fact 10: Pieces of rock and debris that fall from asteroids are called Meteoroids. When Meteoroids hit earth's atmosphere they burn and produce meteors or shooting stars
Fun Fact 11: What is a small solar system body? Small solar system bodies is the scientific name given to comets, asteroids, meteoroids and similar objects that orbit around the sun in the solar system
Fun Fact 12: The four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are made of ice gas and liquid. They are larger than the inner planets
Fun Fact 13: The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter which has a diameter of about 142,800 kilometers; more than 11 times the diameter of earth! Compared to most other planets earth is not very big, it has a diameter of 12,756 km
Fun Fact 14: The solar system is located in a galaxy called the Milky Way. earth is approximately 28,000 light years away from the middle of the Milky Way; just one light year is equal to 9.5 quadrillion meters - wow, now that's big!
Fun Fact 15: Top tip for kids! An easy way to help remember the names of the eight planets is; 'Many Vegetarians Eat Marvellous Jam Sandwiches Under Nightfall' The first letter of each word relates to the planet in order from the closest to the sun 'Mercury Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune' |
