Solar System Animation

Meteoroids

• Meteoroids are small pieces of rock or metal floating in outer space.
• Meteoroids which enter the Earth’s atmosphere are called meteors.
• Meteors which do not burn completely and reach the Earth’s surface are called meteoroids.
• Meteorites which fall to the ground will make huge craters. One such crate is found in Arizona, the United State of America.

  

Comets

• Comets are small pieces of ice and dust that orbit around the Sun, but their paths are not like those of the planets.
• Most comets spend much of their time out of the Solar System, beyond Pluto. However, they can enter new orbits that bring them into the Solar System where they become visible from earth.
• The most famous comet is called Halley’s comet which returns to the center of the Solar System every seventy-six years.
• Every comet has a head and a long tail. The small solid part at the center of the head is called the nucleus.
• The nucleus contains ice and the heat of the Sun causes the ice to melt and give out gas and dust.
• The gas and dust given out from the head of the comet forms the tail. The gas gives out light.
• The tail of the comet always points away from the sun.

Asteroids

• Besides the nine planets there is also asteroid belt.
• The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
• Asteroids are small pieces of rocks mixed with metals orbiting round the Sun.
• Asteroids vary in size. Some can be as small as dust particles while some can be a few hundred kilometers in diameter.

 

Natural Satellites

• Natural satellites are the natural objects which orbit around planets.
• The Moon is the Earth’s only natural satellite.
• All the planets in the Solar System have natural satellites expect Mercury and Venus.
• The number of natural satellites is shown below. 

The Constituents of the Solar System

• The Solar System consists of nine planets and the Sun
• The other members of the Solar System are natural Satellites, asteroids, comets and meteoroids.
• The nine planets in the Solar System beginning with the nearest to the Sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
• The relative of the Sun its nine planets are shown in above picture.
• All nine planets are moving around the Sun each following its own oval path called orbit.
• Mercury takes shortest time complete one orbit, while Pluto takes the longest.
• This due to the fact that Mercury is nearest planet to the Sun as shown in following table.

 

Mercury

• Mercury is the closet planet to the Sun.
• Since Mercury is closet to the Sun, its temperature can be over 300 Celsius in the day time.
• Mercury rotates on its own axis very slowly, making one full rotation every 59 earth days.

Venus

• Venus is the second planet from the Sun
• The size of Venus is about the same as that of the Earth.
• The planet is always covered by a very thick cloud of carbon dioxide and acid vapor.
• Thus, the temperature of Venus is extremely high, even though Venus is twice as far from the Sun as Mercury and receives only a quarter as much light.
• As a result, the surface temperature can be above 450 Celsius.
• Venus takes about 225 days to revolve around the Sun.
• Venus rotates on its own axis once every 243 days

Earth

• Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
• It is fifth largest planet.
• It is the only planet with oxygen and water. Thus, it is the only planet on which living things can survive and grow
• Earth takes about 365 days to revolve around the Sun and rotates on its own axis once every 24 hours.
• Earth has natural satellite (the Moon) revolving around it.

Mars

• Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun.
• It also known as the Red Planet because its surface is being covered with red dust.
• Mars is a cold and lifeless planet.
• One revolution of Mars around the Sun takes 687 days.

Jupiter

• Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System.
• It is the fifth planet from the Sun.
• Most of Jupiter’s volume is made up of gases and ice with only a small rocky core.
• The atmosphere is composer of mainly hydrogen in gaseous and liquid forms together with helium, methane and ammonia.
• Jupiter has sixteen natural satellites or moons and takes about 12 years to revolve once around the Sun.
• Jupiter rotates so fast, once every ten hours, that it creates strong winds and great storms which persist over most of the planet.
• Therefore, Jupiter is the planet which has shortest day in the Solar System.

Saturn

• Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun.
• It is surrounded by a system of rings which make it the most striking and beautiful planet when viewed through a telescope.
• Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System.
• However, it is lighter than a body of water of the same size.
• Saturn is thought to have a small rocky high-temperature core surrounded by ice and ammonia, mixed with grit gases.
• The time taken for Saturn to revolve around the Sun is around 29 years.
• Saturn rotates on its own axis once every 10.7 hours.

Uranus

• Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun in the Solar System.
• This planet is blue because it has cold gases, mainly made up of hydrogen and helium.
• Uranus also has a ring around it but the ring cannot be seen clearly because it is too thin and dim.
• It has five moons, and it rotates on its own axis slightly more slowly than Saturn.
• The time taken for Uranus to revolve around the Sun is around 84 years. 

Neptune

• Neptune, the eight planet from the Sun is almost the twin of Uranus.
• It is a little heavier than Uranus and is very slightly bigger. It is bluish-green.
• Neptune consists mainly of ice with some rocks and gases, and has less atmosphere.
• Neptune has two moons and takes about 165 years to revolve once around the sun.

Pluto

• Pluto is ninth planets from the Sun.
• It is the smallest planet in the Solar System, and is made of the rock thin ice.
• Pluto is a dark and cold planet its surface temperature can be as low as-230 Celsius.
• This planet can be seen only through a telescope because it is so far away from Earth.
• Pluto takes about 247.7 years to revolve once around the Sun.

The Solar System

What is Universe?

The universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature.