OUR SOLAR SYSTEMby Dominic Fabbri

Our solar system has two groups of planets, the inner planets and the outer planets.

Our solar system has 8 planets and 1 dwarf planet.

Our solar system contains a variety of objects. These include planets and moons, as well as asteroid, which are small and rocky.

OUR SUN Our Sun is the center of the

Solar System. The Sun’s diameter is more

than 1,000,000 kilometers. It is the source of energy on

Earth, and without it life could not exists.

Mercury Mercury is a small, rocky

planet. It is covered with many

craters. The planet is about the size

of Earth’s moon.

Venus Venus is the second planet

from the sun. The planet is also the

brightest planet in the solar system.

Venus is the third brightest object in Earth’s sky. Only the sun and moon appear brighter.

Earth Earth is the third planet

from the sun. This planet is the fifth

largest. It’s the only planet known to

have life and the only planet whose surface is mostly water.

Mars The nickname Mars has is

the red planet. Mars has huge dust storms

that can last for months. Scientists think that at one

time Mars may have had water on the planet.

THE ASTEROID BELT The asteroid belt is located

between the planets Mars and Jupiter.

More than 7,000 asteroids have been discovered in the asteroid belt. Several hundred more are being discovered each year.

Jupiter This planet is the largest

planet in the solar system. Jupiter has at least 63

moons. For more than 300 years, a

gigantic hurricane- like storm called the Great Red Spot has raged on Jupiter.

Saturn Saturn has rings that are

visible from Earth through a telescope.

Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium.

Saturn has at least 31 moons.

Uranus Uranus rotates on its side

as it orbits the sun. The planet has at least 27

moons. Uranus is one of the gas

giants.

Neptune Neptune’s atmosphere is

mainly made of hydrogen and helium.

It is one of the windiest planets in the solar system.

The Dwarf Planet Pluto Tiny Pluto has a rocky

surface covered with nitrogen, ice, and small amounts of methane and carbon dioxide ices.

From the surface of Pluto, the sun looks like another bright star in the sky.

Pluto’s moon is about the same size as Pluto itself.

The Galaxy A galaxy is a huge system

of gases, dust, and stars. Galaxies contain billions of

stars. Our sun is on the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.

Comets A comet is a ball of rock,

ice, and frozen gases. As a comet’s orbit brings it

close to the sun, the sun’s heat may turn some of the frozen matter into gas.

The Universe The universe is everything

that exists in space. There are many different

galaxies in the universe.

Other Dwarf Planets There are officially 5

recognized dwarf planets in the solar system. They are Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, and Makemake.

There are another 6 objects in our solar system that are almost certainly dwarf planets and there may be 10,000 altogether.

Telescope A telescope is an

instrument that is used to better view the sky.

The first telescopes were all refracting telescopes.

Constellations Constellations are a group

of stars that create an imaginary picture in the sky.

In ancient times, people often gave these constellations names .

Other Stars Here are the names of

some other stars, Procyon, Sirius, Barnard’s Star, Alpha Centauri, and Ross 154.

The 3 closest stars to our solar system make up the star Alpha Centauri.

Thanks For Watching