<– Our solar system remember that the planets of the milkway ORBIT the sun.

The Sun

The sun is a star in the middle of our solar system. The Earth and other planets orbit the sun. The distance from The Earth to the sun is around 149,598,000 kilometres and the light of the sun travels that distance on 8 minutes and 20 seconds, What so ever the distance from sun to Earth varies from 147,100,000 on the 3rd of January to 152,100,000 on the 4th of July. The suns energy called “sunlight” supports all life on the Earth, and drives the climate and weather. The sun is around 5,510 C on the surface. The sun moves 250 km/s. When/If the sun runs out of gas, which keeps it glowing, it will eventually explode and create a supernovae destroying the Earth.

Mercury

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system, and is also the closest to the sun. Once every 88.000 Earth-day it have orbited the sun. Mercury is very bright viewed from the Earth. Mankind only know a little about Mercury, telescopes on the Earth reveals only a little part of the planet. In 1974 a spaceship passed by, and mapped 45% of the planet. In 2008 another spaceship flew by revealing another 30% but yet there still remains a lot. In 2011 another spaceship have the mission to map the rest. Already in the Roman time (300 BC to 200 after Christ) Mercury was discovered, Mercury therefore also got its name from the Roman god, “Mercury”.

Venus

Venus is the second closest planet to the sun, orbiting the sun takes 224 days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Except for the moon, Venus is the most bright thing in the night sky. Venus reaches its maximum brightness shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset, for which reason it is often called the Morning Star or the Evening Star. Often Venus is called “Sister of the Earth” because it look like the Earth (in size.)

The Earth

Yeah, the Earth, our planet, the only planet with the perfect atmosphere for things to live in. The Earth is 65 %  water. Water is keeping everything we know of alive. Well find out more yourself. I’m too bored to write about boring Earth

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in the solar system. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as “The Red Planet” due to its red appearance in the sky. Mars is a planet with a thin atmosphere. The surface of Mars got impact craters like the moon and volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar scraps like the Earth.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun, it is also the largest planet in our solar system. It is a gas giant, meaning nothing is able to land/walk on it. Jupiter is named after the Roman god “Jupiter”. Jupiter have a “storm” on the side of the planet, this might be from asteroids crashing into the planets gas, ruining it.

Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second biggest planet in our solar system. Saturn is a gas giant as Jupiter ! Saturn is named after the Roman god “Saturnus”. The wind speeds on Saturn can get to nearly 2000 km/h ! (Why don’t the planet just fly into the sun with that speed ^^). Saturn have a system of rings, mostly made by ice, but also dust and debris creates the rings. I have heard that Saturn’s rings will be vanished in 200 (+) years, but I’m not sure. 61 moons orbit the planet, but more moons (or “Moonlets”) hide in between the rings. “Titan”, Saturn’s biggest moon is bigger then Mercury!

Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. Uranus is named after the Greek god of the skies “Uranus”. Uranus is also a gas giant, but it is very cold what so ever, that’s why it may be called an “Ice giant”. Uranus is a very cold planet with a minimum temperature of -224 degrees (C). It have a Earth-like cloud structure, the clouds surrounding Uranus is made by water!! Like all other gas giant Uranus have some rings too, they are made by ice, but is not very visible. Uranus’s rings will sometimes appear as if Uranus was an archery target ;P

Neptune

Neptune is the eigth planet from the sun. It is also a gas giant. Neptune is named after the Greek god of the sea “Neptune”. Neptune is also a very cold planet. Neptune have a moon similar to our moon, the only difference : This moon may someday be a place where all kind of people can walk around without oxygen masks (Like the project on Mars).

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA :

Dwarf planets

Ceres

Ceres is between the Earth and Mars but just lower (Search “Solar System” on Wikipedia and you will see, i couldn’t upload it here because it took too long time…) Anyway information : Ceres (formal 1 Ceres) is the smallest identified dwarf planet in the solar system, and the only one in an asteroid belt. It was discovered in 1800. Ceres is named after the roman goddess “Ceres” the mother of life. Ceres have a diameter of 950 km. And if far the biggest “Stone” in the asteroid belt having a mass on 32% of the total of the asteroid belt. Ceres’s body is a mix of water and ice. It may have alot of water underneath its surface making it a potential target in the search for a new place to live.

Pluto

Pluto (Formal 134340 Pluto) is the second largest known dwarf planet in this solar system (After Eris, more about that later). In the 20th century, Pluto was classified as a planet but was too small. Sorry but i don’t know anything more…

Haumea

Haumea (Formal 136108 Haumea) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt. It was discovered in 2004. Haumea is named after the Hawaii goddess “Haumea” of birth. Sorry but i don’t know anything more about this RECENTLY found planet. Should i go check Wikipedia?

Makemake

Makemake (Formerly 136472 Makemake) is the third biggest dwarf planet in our solar system. It is also in the Kuiper belt. The average temperature is around -240 C. Sorry i don’t know any more about Makemake either -.-

Eris

Eris (Formerly 136199 Eris) is the largest known dwarf planet in space. Eris was spotted in 2005. It is in the Kuiper belt too, what lies behind Eris is unknown, but i heard that they found “Air sounds” whatever that is??

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NOTE : Ceres is in a ASTEROID belt, the Kuiper belt is a place of 4 dwarf planets in a row.

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