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The Solar System For Kids

The Solar System is like our local neighbourhood in space. Our largest residence is also our nearest star is the Sun that is located in the centre of our solar system. The Sun’s gravity pull is so strong that it holds all the planets in their orbit around the sun.
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INNER AND OUTER PLANETS

Let’s understand our Solar System a bit more. Our Solar System is broken down into two sections to help us understand it better. The first section is the inner planets. These are the first four planets of our solar system nearest to the Sun. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These are known as rocky planets because they have a mass of rock and metal. The second section of the Solar System is known as the outta planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These are the four planets further away from the Sun. Jupiter and Saturn are known as the Gas Giants because they have a greater mass of Gases containing mainly Hydrogen and Helium with little to no rock. Uranus’s do Neptune are known as the Ice Giants as most of their mass contains frozen liquid making them giant planets of ice.

THE ASTRO BELT

In-between the inner and outer planets are the Astro Belt. The Astro Belt is located between Mars and Jupiter. The Astro Belt separates the inner planets from the outer planet. The Astro Belt contains thousands of rocks and asteroids.
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The Planets

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SCIEPRO GETTY IMAGES

Mercury

Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 88
Date it was discovered: Unknown But known from ancient civilisations.
Number of moons it has in its orbit: None
Location: First planet from the sun

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. Temperatures on Mercury range from -173C (279F) to a staggering 427C (801F). Mercury has no atmosphere, therefore the planet has no ability to retain heat.

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PICTURE: SCIEPRO GETTY IMAGES

Venus

Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 224.7
Date it was discovered: Unknown But known from ancient civilisations.
Number of moons it has in its orbit: None
Location: Second planet from the sun.

Venus is almost the same size as Earth. This planet is no place for the tourist as the atmosphere is very dense and the temperature is so high that you would be toast. This is because the planet is cover in acid clouds the trap heat in the atmosphere.

(Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Earth

Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 365.2
Number of moons it has in its orbit: 1
Location: Third planet from the sun.

As we know it, Earth is the only planet in the solar system the support life. Its temperature is perfect for life as it is perfectly positioned not to close nor too far from the sun. Earth is the only planet to have oceans on its surface and is the only planet to produce oxygen. The very gas that keep us alive.

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(© Artsiom P – stock.adobe.com)
Mars

Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 687
Date it was discovered: Unknown But known from ancient civilisations.
Number of moons it has in its orbit: 2
Location: Fourth planet from the sun.

Mars is one of our neighbouring planets. Its surface is barren with sandy, rocky deserts like landscapes. Mars has two ice caps that cover its poles. Mars is half the size of Earth and has no flowing waters.

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(Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center) and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley))
Jupiter

Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 12
Date it was discovered: Unknown But known from ancient civilisations.
Number of moons it has in its orbit: 69
Location: Fifth planet from the sun.

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar System. It is a planet made of hydrogen gas and it has many storms within it thick cloudy atmosphere. It’s largest storm the Great Red Spot has been active for around 300 years. Jupiter has more moon than any other planet in our solar system.

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(Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Saturn
Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 29
Date it was discovered: Unknown But known from ancient civilisations.
Number of moons it has in its orbit: 62
Location: Sixth planet from the sun.

Just like Jupiter Saturn is gigantic gas planet also made from hydrogen gas. Saturn is so light in weight that if there was a ocean large enough it would float on top. Saturn beautiful rings are made from billions of small icy particles orbiting the planet.
Uranus

(Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Uranus
Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 84
Date it was discovered: 1781
Number of moons it has in its orbit: 27
Location: Seventh planet from the sun.

An astronomer named William Herschel first discovered Uranus in 1781. The planet is to believed to be made from water and ice and has 13 dark rings. Uranus seems to spin on is side which seems rather odd. It is like bottle that has fallen over. Some scientists believe that it is a result of a heavy impact long ago.
Neptune

(Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Neptune
Earth days it takes to orbit the sun: 165
Date it was discovered: 1846
Number of moons it has in its orbit: 14
Location: Eighth planet from the sun.

Neptune is a cold and icy planet and no wonder when it is 30 times further away from the Sun than Earth. The has an extreme weather front from huge storms and very strong winds. A day on this ice ball last 16 hours and 7 minutes and has five dark thin rings within its orbit.
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