OUR SOLAR SYSTEM By Colton Watkins Our solar system is a group of objects in space that orbit a star. The sun is the star in the center of our solar system. All the other things in the solar system are smaller than the sun.

THE SUN The sun is the star that is the center of our solar system. At more than 1 million kilometers in diameter the sun is the largest object in the solar system. The sun is the source of most energy on Earth-without it life could no longer exist.

MERCURY Mercury is about the size of Earths moon. This planet is the closest to the sun but still 36 million miles away from the sun. It is filled with a ton of craters.

VENUS Venus is about the same size as Earth. Venus is the third brightest object in Earths sky. The surface is made up of volcanoes, mountain ranger, highland regions, craters, and lava plains.

EARTH Earth is the largest of all the inner planets. It’s the only planet to have life and the only surface to have water on it. Earth’s distance from the sun helps the plant maintain a temperature that supports life.

MARS Mars is called the red planet because it looks fiery red. The diameter of Mars is only half of Earth’s. Mars has a ton of dust storms that can last for months.

ASTEROID BELT The asteroid belt separates the inner planets from the outer planets. The asteroid belt is a ton of rocks separated. They are floating rocks that move at really fast speeds.

JUPITER Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter is 11 times the diameter of Earth. Jupiter has at least 63 moons.

SATURN Saturn has a rings that are visible from Earth through a telescope. Saturn has at least 31 moons. Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium.

URANUS Uranus is another gas giant. Uranus rotates on its side as it orbits the sun. Uranus has at least 27 moons.

NEPTUNE Neptune’s atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium. It is one of the windiest places in our solar system. Neptune has at least 13 moons.

PLUTO Pluto’s atmosphere is mostly nitrogen. Pluto’s moon is almost as large as Pluto itself. From the surface of Pluto the sun looks like another bright star in the sky.

GALAXY A galaxy is a huge system of stars, gas, and dust. Galaxies contain billions of stars. There are more than a billion galaxies.

CONSTELLATION A constellation is a pattern of stars that form an imaginary picture or design in the sky. The names of 2 constellations are the big dipper and an Orion.

MOON PHASES A natural body that revolves around a planet. It takes 28 days to start a full moon. When the moon is totally dark it is called a full moon.

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