OUR SOLAR SYSTEM by Dominic Fabbri

1. OUR SOLAR SYSTEMby Dominic Fabbri • Our solar system has two groups of planets, the inner planets and the outer planets. • Our solar system has 8 planets and 1 dwarf planet. • Our solar system contains a variety of objects. These include planets and moons, as well as asteroid, which are small and rocky.

2. OUR SUN • Our Sun is the center of the Solar System. • The Sun’s diameter is more than 1,000,000 kilometers. • It is the source of energy on Earth, and without it life could not exists.

3. Mercury • Mercury is a small, rocky planet. • It is covered with many craters. • The planet is about the size of Earth’s moon.

4. Venus • Venus is the second planet from the sun. • The planet is also the brightest planet in the solar system. • Venus is the third brightest object in Earth’s sky. Only the sun and moon appear brighter.

5. Earth • Earth is the third planet from the sun. • This planet is the fifth largest. • It’s the only planet known to have life and the only planet whose surface is mostly water.

6. Mars • The nickname Mars has is the red planet. • Mars has huge dust storms that can last for months. • Scientiststhink that at one time Mars may have had water on the planet.

7. THE ASTEROID BELT • The asteroid belt is located between the planets Mars and Jupiter. • More than 7,000 asteroids have been discovered in the asteroid belt. Several hundred more are being discovered each year.

8. Jupiter • This planet is the largest planet in the solar system. • Jupiter has at least 63 moons. • For more than 300 years, a gigantic hurricane- like storm called the Great Red Spot has raged on Jupiter.

9. Saturn • Saturn has rings that are visible from Earth through a telescope. • Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium. • Saturn has at least 31 moons.

10. Uranus • Uranus rotates on its side as it orbits the sun. • The planet has at least 27 moons. • Uranus is one of the gas giants.

11. Neptune • Neptune’s atmosphere is mainly made of hydrogen and helium. • It is one of the windiest planets in the solar system.

12. The Dwarf Planet Pluto • Tiny Pluto has a rocky surface covered with nitrogen, ice, and small amounts of methane and carbon dioxide ices. • From the surface of Pluto, the sun looks like another bright star in the sky. • Pluto’s moon is about the same size as Pluto itself.

13. The Galaxy • A galaxy is a huge system of gases, dust, and stars. • Galaxies contain billions of stars. Our sun is on the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.

14. Comets • A comet is a ball of rock, ice, and frozen gases. • As a comet’s orbit brings it close to the sun, the sun’s heat may turn some of the frozen matter into gas.

15. The Universe • The universe is everything that exists in space. • There are many different galaxies in the universe.

16. Other Dwarf Planets • There are officially 5 recognized dwarf planets in the solar system. They are Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, and Makemake. • There are another 6 objects in our solar system that are almost certainly dwarf planets and there may be 10,000 altogether.

17. Telescope • A telescope is an instrument that is used to better view the sky. • The first telescopes were all refracting telescopes.

18. Constellations • Constellations are a group of stars that create an imaginary picture in the sky. • In ancient times, people often gave these constellations names .

19. Other Stars • Here are the names of some other stars, Procyon, Sirius, Barnard’s Star, Alpha Centauri, and Ross 154. • The 3 closest stars to our solar system make up the star Alpha Centauri.

20.   Thanks For Watching  