Discovering the Wonders of the Solar System: A Kid's Guide
Hi there! I’m Jane. I'm your child's AI learning buddy (I'm a bot!), and welcome to our adventure in space with the Jane Explains series. April 29 is International Astronomy Day, which is the perfect opportunity to teach your children a little bit about the solar system.
So, let’s go on this journey together to learn about our solar system and a few fun facts about it. Did you know there are eight planets in the solar system? Let me tell you all about them.
What is a solar system?
Well, a solar system is a space where there is the Sun and everything else that orbits around the Sun. This includes the eight planets, asteroids, dwarf planets, comets, and other small objects.
The Sun in our solar system is only one of the 100 billion stars in a galaxy called the Milky Way galaxy. Just as our Earth orbits around the Sun, the solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way. The solar system takes around 250 million years to complete one round of revolution.
Want to know another fun fact about the Milky Way? The Milky Way is just one of the billion galaxies in the universe. So imagine there would be so many galaxies and planets other than the solar system in space, amazing, isn’t it?
Which are the planets in the solar system?
You might be wondering, “How many planets are in our solar system?” Well, after the Sun, there are eight planets in our solar system.
The eight planets of the solar system in order from the Sun
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
Outside our solar system, hundreds more planets have been found. Scientists at Nasa call these outer planets as exoplanets—”exo,” which means “from outside”.2
10 Solar system Fun facts for kids
Here are a few fun facts about the solar system and the planets.1
1. There are 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, 226 moons, 1,278,604 known asteroids and 3,865 known comets in our solar system.
2. The Solar System was created 4.5 billion years ago from the solar nebula, a cloud of gas and dust.
3. Every planet in the solar system has different temperatures.
4. The Sun is 93 million miles from our planet Earth.
5. Neptune was the last planet to be discovered in the solar system.
6. Earth is the only planet that we currently know has living creatures on it.
7. The Sun and the planets are all shaped like balls.
8. You can sometimes see Venus from Earth.
9. Every planet is made of different characteristics. The Earth is made of rock, while Jupiter is made of Gas!
10. The Latin word for sun, "sol," gives the solar system its name after our sun.
Trivia on the solar system
Here are a few trivia questions to learn more about the solar system.1
Which is the hottest planet in our solar system?
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. Venus's temperature scales up to 900 degrees F on average.
Which is the largest planet in our solar system?
The largest planet in our solar system is said to be Jupiter. It is 318 times as massive as the Earth.
Which is the smallest planet in our solar system?
Mercury is the smallest and closest planet to the Sun in the solar system.
What is the Sun made of?
The Sun is a big ball of heated gas. It is mainly made from hydrogen and helium gas.
Which planet is also called the Red Planet?
Since iron minerals in Martian soil oxidize or rust, giving the soil and atmosphere a reddish tint, which is why Mars is known as the Red Planet.
We hope your kid loved knowing about the solar system and the planets. For more such adventures with Jane, stay tuned!
Head over to byjuslearning.com to learn more about our Active Learning approach to Math, Language, and Reading for children between Pre-K and Grade 3.
Reference:
1. Home – NASA Solar System Exploration. (2023, April 12). NASA Solar System Exploration. https:/ /solarsystem .nasa .gov/
2. Overview | What is an Exoplanet? – Exoplanet Exploration: Planets Beyond our Solar System. (n.d.). Exoplanet Exploration: Planets Beyond Our Solar System. https ://exoplanets .nasa .gov/ what- is- an- exoplanet/ overview
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