Scientists disagree on exactly how the Solar System was created.  We do know that the Solar System has eight planets.  People are probably more interested in Mars than in any other planet.

It does appear  that about 4.6 billion years ago, a cloud of gas and/or dust (a solar nebula) generated the Sun.  Most of this matter was pulled to the center of the nebula.  It was compressed enough to become a protostar but enough material was left over to form planets, moons, asteroids and comets.  This process took millions of years and then millions of years more to create the planets we know.  The Sun still contains most of the matter from the initial solar nebula.

The eight planets of the Solar System are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.  Because of its small size, Pluto is no longer considered a planet.  Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt.  Although the orbits of seven of the planets are nearly circular, they are still basically elliptical.  The lone exception is Mercury.  Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and Mercury is the smallest.

Mars is the planet that has always fascinated people, inspiring flights of imagination.  The red planet has been fantasized to be the source of evil invaders.  Man has also fancied it to be the home of a dying civilization and a mining colony of the future.  Mars has provided a fertile ground for scientists and science fiction writers.

The Solar System is a fascinating place.  Since he first walked the Earth, Man has gazed with wonder at the Sun, the Moon and the planets.  We have continued to build telescopes through which we can study other worlds.  Now we have super telescopes circling the Earth that can gaze out at other solar systems.   We have walked on the Moon and someday we will walk on Mars.