Our Solar System

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• Rocky planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are made of rock and metal.
• Gas giants: Jupiter and Saturn are huge balls of gas.
• Ice giants: Uranus and Neptune are cold, icy giants far away.

1. The Sun

   Star

   Our star

   • The Sun is a star. It is a giant ball of hot, glowing gas.
   • It is in the middle of our solar system. Its pull keeps all the planets close.
   • The Sun is huge! More than one million Earths could fit inside it.
   • The Sun gives us light and warmth. Living things on Earth need it.
   🔈 Say “The Sun”
2. Mercury

   Rocky planet

   1 Mercury is planet number 1 from the Sun.

   • Mercury is the smallest planet.
   • It is the closest planet to the Sun.
   • Mercury is the fastest planet. It goes around the Sun in just 88 days.
   • Mercury has no moons.
   🔈 Say “Mercury”
3. Venus

   Rocky planet

   2 Venus is planet number 2 from the Sun.

   • Venus is the hottest planet. It is even hotter than Mercury!
   • Thick clouds cover Venus. They trap the heat like a blanket.
   • Venus spins the other way from Earth. There, the Sun comes up in the west!
   • Venus comes closer to Earth than any other planet.
   🔈 Say “Venus”
4. Earth

   Rocky planet

   3 Earth is planet number 3 from the Sun.

   • Earth is our home!
   • It is the only place we know where living things live.
   • Earth has big oceans of water.
   • Earth has one moon. We call it the Moon.
   🔈 Say “Earth”
5. Mars

   Rocky planet

   4 Mars is planet number 4 from the Sun.

   • Mars is called the Red Planet. Its dirt has rust in it, and rust looks red.
   • Mars has the biggest volcano in the solar system. Its name is Olympus Mons.
   • Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.
   • Robot rovers drive around on Mars to study it.
   🔈 Say “Mars”
6. Jupiter

   Gas giant

   5 Jupiter is planet number 5 from the Sun.

   • Jupiter is the biggest planet.
   • It is a giant ball of gas. There is no ground to stand on.
   • Jupiter has a red spot. It is a giant storm that is bigger than Earth!
   • Jupiter has lots and lots of moons.
   🔈 Say “Jupiter”
7. Saturn

   Gas giant

   6 Saturn is planet number 6 from the Sun.

   • Saturn has the biggest, brightest rings of any planet.
   • The rings are made of chunks of ice and rock. Some are as tiny as dust. Some are as big as a house!
   • Saturn is a giant ball of gas, like Jupiter.
   • All four giant planets have rings. Saturn's are the easiest to see.
   • Saturn has lots of moons too.
   🔈 Say “Saturn”
8. Uranus

   Ice giant

   7 Uranus is planet number 7 from the Sun.

   • Uranus spins on its side. It rolls around the Sun like a ball!
   • A gas called methane makes it look blue-green.
   • Uranus is an ice giant. It is very cold and windy.
   • It has thin, faint rings and many moons.
   🔈 Say “Uranus”
9. Neptune

   Ice giant

   8 Neptune is planet number 8 from the Sun.

   • Neptune is the planet farthest from the Sun.
   • It is dark, cold, and deep blue.
   • Neptune has super strong winds. They are much faster than the strongest winds on Earth.
   • One trip around the Sun takes Neptune 165 of our years!
   🔈 Say “Neptune”

What About Pluto?

• Pluto

  Dwarf planet

  A dwarf planet

  • Pluto is a dwarf planet. That means a small, round world that is not a full planet.
  • People called Pluto the ninth planet for a long time. In 2006, scientists put it in the dwarf planet group.
  • Pluto is smaller than our Moon.
  • Pluto has a big, pale shape on it that looks like a heart!
  🔈 Say “Pluto”

For Grown-ups