Earth and its Neighbors Author: Ariannah Lewis

I dedicate this book to my brother, Zephiniah.

What is the solar system? Our solar system includes all of these planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

Earth’s Seasons Earth gets just the right amount of light and warmth it needs from the sun. It gets direct sunlight and indirect sunlight. The seasons are winter, summer, fall, and spring. The seasons are the opposite in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.

What are constellations ? When you look into the night sky, what else can you see besides the moon? If the sky is dark enough, you can also see the stars. What are stars? A star is a large, hot ball of gas that is held together by gravity.

What makes a day ? The sun does more than just hold the planets in their orbits in the solar system. It also provides them with light and warmth. The sun is the reason for day and night.

What keeps the planets in orbits? Earth travels around the sun. You won’t find a string connecting them! What is it that holds the Earth in its path around the sun? What keeps Earth from flying off into space?

What keeps the planets in orbits? It’s inertia and gravity of the sun. Inertia means that something keeps moving until something else stops it. Gravity means the pull towards the sun. The planets need both, because without inertia, the planets would go into the sun. Without the sun’s gravity, the planets would go way out into space.

Earth and it’s Neighbors Earth is a great place to live. It has seasons, days and nights, and a great view of the constellations. It is one of our nine planets that orbits the sun. Welcome to our solar system.

Acknowledgements I want to thank Mrs. Garrett for helping me. I want to thank my mother for raising me.