The Solar System

The Solar System

The Solar System

The solar system includes:

• The Sun

• The eight planets and their moons

• and many other objects

Gravity

The sun's gravity keeps planets in their orbits.

The sun's gravity pulls planets toward it.

Stars

• Stars not only shine at night, they shine during the daytime too.

• The sun is so bright we can't see them during the day.

Planets

A planet is a very large, round object that moves around a star.

Planets are cooler and smaller than stars.

More about planets...

• Mercury is closest to the sun

• Venus is the second planet from the sun.

• Earth is the third planet from the sun.

• Mars is the fourth planet from the sun.

• The four planets closest to the sun are known as the inner planets.

Jupiter

It is so large that all the other planets could fit inside it.

Saturn

It is the second biggest planet.

Uranus

It is very cold and rotates on its side like a ball rolling through space.

Neptune

It is the farthest planet from the sun. It takes about 165 Earth years to orbit the sun.

Multiple Choice

What is a planet?

• a small rocky object

• a frozen object

• a large, round object that moves around a star

• a comet

Multiple Choice

What keeps the planets in their orbits?

• The Sun's gravity

• the solar system

• the eight planets

• a stretched out circle

Multiple Choice

Stars only shine at night.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How many planets are in our solar system?

• 4

• 8

• 9

• 0

Multiple Choice

Which planet is closest to the sun?

• Earth

• Jupiter

• Mars

• Mercury

Multiple Choice

Which planet is the third one from the sun?

• Jupiter

• Earth

• Saturn

• Mars

Multiple Choice

Which planet is the largest?

• Earth

• Jupiter

• Saturn

• Uranus