The solar system consists of the Sun and everything that orbits around it, including eight planets and numerous moons. The Sun is actually a star, being a large hot ball of gases. It is much bigger than Earth but also very far away. The distance between Earth and the Sun is crucial to maintaining a temperature suitable for life. The four inner planets are small and rocky, while the outer planets beyond Mars are mostly gaseous, except for Pluto which is composed of rock and frozen gases.
3. • The solar system is made up of
the Sun and all the things that
orbit it.
• Our solar system contains the
Sun, nine planets, and many
moons!
What is a solar system?
Virtual Tour of
the Solar System
4. • Yes, the Sun is a star!
• The Sun, like all stars, is a big, hot
ball of gases.
• The Sun is only a medium-sized
star, but it looks bigger than other
stars because it is the closest to
Earth.
Is the Sun actually a star?
5. • The Sun is much larger than Earth. In fact, if the
Sun was hollow, more than 1,000,000 Earths
could fit inside it!
• The Sun is very far from Earth, so it does not
seem that large.
• It takes 8 minutes for the light from the Sun to
reach earth.
• We are a good distance from the Sun! If we were
closer Earth would be too hot to live on, and if
we were farther away Earth would be too cold!
What does the Sun have to
do with Earth?
6. • A planet is any of the nine large bodies
that orbit the Sun.
• The planets in order of distance to the
Sun
are, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto, Mercury being the closest to the
Sun and Pluto being the farthest from it.
• There are two categories of planets, inner
planets (the four planets closest to the
Sun) and outer planets (the five planets
farthest from the Sun).
What is a planet?
7. • All the inner planets are relatively small and
made from solid, rocklike material.
Meet the Inner Planets
Mercury:
- Closest to the
Sun
- Looks similar
to Earth’s
moon
Venus:
- 2nd closest to
the Sun
- Cloud covered
- Has been
visited by
many of our
space probes
Earth:
- 3rd closest to
the Sun
- Only planet
with liquid
water
- Our home!
Mars:
- 4th closest to
the Sun
- “Red Planet”
because it has
red rocks
- Has ice on it
8. • All of the outer planets, except for Pluto, are made
of gases. Pluto is made of rocks and frozen gas.
Meet the Outer Planets
Jupiter:
- 5th closest to the
Sun
- The largest planet
in our solar system
- Has had the giant
red spot on it for
300 years
Saturn:
- 6th closest to
the Sun
- Known for
its rings
made of ice
and rock
Uranus:
- 7th closest to
the Sun
- Rotates on
its
side, “sidew
ays planet”
Neptune:
- 8th closest
to the Sun
- Has a great
dark spot
similar to
Jupiter
Pluto:
- Farthest
from the
Sun
- Smallest
9. True or False: The Sun is a star.
a) True
b) False
Question 1
10. How many planets are considered
“inner planets”?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
Question 2
11. Which planet is also known as the
“sideways planet”?
a) Mercury
b) Venus
c) Saturn
d) Uranus
Question 3
