What is the solar system?
It consists of the Sun, the planets, their moons, and other objects that orbit the Sun, such as meteoroids, dwarf planets, and comets.
The Solar System
Sun
The Sun is the centre of our solar system and our only star. However, it is not the only star in the Milky Way galaxy. Why is the Sun essential for us? It is the source of the heat, light and energy for life on Earth. It consists of hydrogen and helium. If you look up at the sky during the day, the Sun will be the brightest and largest object.
Mercury, Venus
Mercury is the smallest planet and the closest one to the Sun. During the day, the temperature on Mercury can rise to 450 degrees Celsius, while at night, it can drop to minus 170 degrees Celsius. Due to these extreme temperature swings, life on Mercury is not possible.
One fascinating fact about Venus is that a day on Venus is longer than its year. In some ways, Venus is similar to Earth. But it is much hotter than Earth, and its atmosphere is poisonous.
Earth, Mars
On the other hand, Earth is perfect for life. Our planet, the third from the Sun, is around 4.5 billion years old. It is the only planet with liquid water on the surface. Its atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen, with trace amounts of argon and carbon dioxide. Earth provides optimal conditions for life, and that is why it is the only planet where humans can live. The ideal conditions for supporting life include the presence of a breathable atmosphere, access to drinking water, a stable temperature range, an existing magnetic field, an appropriate distance from the Sun, and other contributing factors.
Mars, The Red Planet, is only half the size of Earth. The weather is cold, up to minus 140 degrees Celsius. As we know, there is water in the form of ice at its poles and possibly other frozen areas. Mars has two moons – Phobos and Deimos.
Gas giants
Now let’s focus on the so-called gas giants. One of them is named Jupiter. It is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest of all. So many moons orbit around Jupiter, for example, Io, Europa and Callisto. Just as a matter of interest, Jupiter has the largest ocean in the solar system, but it consists of liquid hydrogen, not water.
Saturn is the second-largest planet. It is another gas giant consisting of helium and hydrogen. Saturn’s rings are well-known all over the world. Like Jupiter, Saturn has many moons too.
The seventh planet from the Sun is Uranus. It is often called an ice giant. The dominant colour of its surface is blue (and slightly green) due to methane in its atmosphere. Uranus also has rings, but they are much fainter than the rings of other gas giants.
The last planet, the ice and gas giant, is called Neptune. Neptune also has rings. Like Uranus, Neptune is blue due to methane in the atmosphere.
Moon
The Moon, our natural satellite, has a rough surface with numerous craters. It reflects the light from the Sun. The gravity of the Moon is much weaker than that of Earth. The Moon takes 27 days to complete one orbit around Earth.
Finally, we briefly mention asteroids. They are small objects or planets with irregular shapes that orbit the Sun.
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