Solar System for Kids

All celestial bodies that revolve or move around the Sun are classified as parts of the solar system. This comprises the eight planets and their moons, as well as dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and other small, icy objects. Despite this, the vast majority of the solar system is empty space.

The solar system is merely a minor fraction of the Milky Way galaxy, which is a massive structure of stars and other celestial bodies. The solar system orbits the centre of the galaxy once every 225 million years. The Milky Way galaxy is just one of the billions of galaxies that comprise the cosmos. Let’s understand the solar system for kids in an easy and simple language.

What is the Solar System?

Solar System

The Solar System is a space in which there is the Sun and planets revolve around it due to a force known as gravity. The Earth, the other planets, stars, asteroids, and comets that exist in this space make up the Solar System.

Which Type of Star is the Sun?

Our Sun, as you may know, is a star. Even though it is our closest and most recognizable star, it is still just that: a star. Astronomers have been able to see instances of stars in diverse shapes, sizes, metal compositions, and ages since there is a vast Universe out there populated by numerous stars.

The surface temperature of stars in this classification is between 5,300 and 6,000 K, and they produce light by fusing hydrogen into helium. They have a 10-billion-year lifespan on average.

However, there is more to this subject because G V Stars can go through numerous stages. Some are just beginning to form, while others are in their middle years or towards the end of their life, and do you know? The brightest star apart from sun is Sirius.

Importance of Sun

The sun is a common star, one of approximately 100 billion in our Milky Way galaxy. The sun has a huge impact on our planet: it controls the weather, ocean currents, seasons, and climate, as well as allows plant life to exist through photosynthesis. Life on Earth would not exist without the sun's heat and light and i.e. the most significant importance of sun.

The Planets of the Solar System

Solar System

1. Mercury, the Nearest:

Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It is made up of rock and is the tiniest planet. It is so close to the Sun that it completes its orbit in 88 days and is much hotter than Earth.

2. Venus, the Hottest: 

Venus is the second planet from the Sun after Mercury. It's also composed of stone. Venus, like Earth, has an atmosphere (air) surrounding it, but it is much thicker than Earth's, and Venus is perpetually clouded.

3. Earth, our Home: 

This is our home! Earth is composed of rock and is the only planet with liquid water. The other planets are either excessively hot or excessively cold. It takes the Earth 365 days to orbit the Sun.

4. Mars, the Red Planet: 

Mars is slightly smaller than Earth, but much farther away. It once had an atmosphere similar to that of Earth and Venus, but it no longer has much of one. Mars is reddish in hue and is sometimes referred to as "The Red Planet.

5. Jupiter, the Largest: 

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our Solar System. Jupiter has the capacity to hold 1,321 Earths. It is one of the four "gas giants" and is made of gas. Jupiter has 66 moons, one of which is larger than Mercury.

6. Saturn, Having a Ring: 

Saturn is well-known for its rings. Galileo spotted the rings for the first time (with a telescope) in 1610, and they are composed of a large number of little ice and dust particles (mostly ice).

7. Uranus, the Coldest: 

Uranus is another of the 'gas giants.' Uranus may hold 63 planets the size of Earth. Uranus orbits the Sun every 84 years and has the coldest average temperature of -220°C.

8. Neptune, the Farthest: 

Neptune is the planet that is the furthest away from the Sun. It is 30 times the distance from the Sun as Earth and takes 165 years to orbit the Sun. Neptune is the last of the four 'gas giants,' with a volume 58 times that of Earth.

What is  Constellation?

When viewed from Earth, a constellation is a group of visible stars that form a pattern. They may form the shape of an animal, a mythological creature, a man, a woman, or an inanimate object like a microscope, a compass, or a crown in the pattern they create.

Solar System Facts

Facts You Need to Know About Solar System

• The Sun is a star that generates light and heat and is composed of heated gas.

• Not everything in the Solar System revolves around the Sun. For example, the Moon revolves around the Earth.

• The Sun is orbited by eight planets.

• The planets in the Solar System are in the following order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

• Jupiter is the largest planet, and Mercury is the smallest.

• As it rounds the Sun, the Earth rotates. One day equals one full rotation. A year is completed in 365 rotations or days.

• Our galaxy is known as the Milky Way, and the Sun is one of the hundreds of billions of stars of the galaxy.

• One million Earths might fit inside the sun, which is considered a medium-sized star.

• For many years, Earth was thought to be the sole planet in our solar system containing water. NASA recently uncovered the most compelling evidence that there is occasional running water on Mars!

• Comets are sand, ice, and carbon dioxide remnants from the formation of our solar system roughly 4.5 billion years ago.

• There are no solid surfaces on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune, so you couldn't walk on them!

Let’s Summarise 

You have seen the wonderful facts, planet names of the solar system! Here is the overview of it! The solar system is made up of the Sun and Stars, everything that revolves or moves around it.

The planets of the solar system are:

1. Mercury 

2. Venus 

3. Earth

4. Mars 

5. Jupiter 

6. Saturn 

7. Uranus

8. Neptune