Our Solar System - KidsCast Junior

 

Greetings Children! Welcome to KidsCast! Today we are going to talk about Our Solar System! So first let us see a video on the same topic:

So, in the above video, you got to know about 4 planets. But what about the other planets and things like comets and asteroids? So, let us study each of the eight planets carefully. But before that, let us study about our massive Sun!  And all of these planets will be in the order of from the closest to the farthest to the Sun. 

The Sun: 

The Sun is a star, which is at the center of our Solar System. It is so hot that no one can ever reach its surface. You can also say that it is a hot ball of gases and gives a lot of heat and light. It is the heat and light of the sun which makes our Earth of normal temperature from too cold, and causes Day and Night on our Earth. All the Planets, Dwarf Planets, Comets, Asteroids, etc. , orbit or travel around the Sun. 

Mercury:

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, and is the smallest planet in our Solar System. It is just a bit bigger than our Moon. Even though it is the closest planet to the Sun, it is not the hottest planet. Mercury doesn't have any moon. 

Venus: 

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. Though it is not the closest planet to the Sun, it is the hottest planet in our Solar System. And it is so hot because of its atmosphere which is full of heat keeping gases. It also doesn't have any moon. 

Earth:

Earth is the third planet from the sun and is the planet we live on. Earth is the largest terrestrial planet, and revolves around the sun like all the planets do. However, its size is almost same as the planet Venus, and it is just a bit more bigger than Venus. It is the only planet where life can exist in the Solar System for now, as it has Air, Water, Land and more elements to support life! As you know, that the Earth has one moon which we say almost every night in the sky! Did you Know: Earth is more than 4 Billion Years Old!

Mars: 

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also called the "Red Planet" because of its red soil. It is a dry and cold planet. Mars has two moons named 'Phobos' and 'Deimos'. Did you know: A person whose weight is 100 kg will weigh 38 kg on Mars! 

Jupiter:

And kids here comes the planet Jupiter! Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It is the largest planet in the Solar System. However, Jupiter doesn't have any land or hard surface. If you enter the Jupiter Planet, you will only find thick clouds and storms and nothing! Such a planet is called a Gas Giant. Jupiter is 300 times more bigger than Earth! Did you know: Jupiter has a total of 79 moons! 

Saturn:

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is the second largest planet in the Solar System. It is also a Gas Giant like Jupiter. Saturn is known for its beautiful rings, which are small ice pieces, rocks, and asteroids which orbit or travel around the Planet Saturn. Did You Know: Saturn has 82 moons, which are more than the number of moons Jupiter has!

Uranus:

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is the third biggest planet in our Solar System, after Saturn. It also has beautiful rings. Uranus has 27 moons. it is the second-coldest planet in the Solar System. Uranus is an Ice Giant planet. Did You Know: Uranus rotates on its side because it tilted to its side! That is why its rings are also tilted and not like Saturn. 

Neptune: 

 Neptune is the eighth and last planet from the Sun. It is the coldest planet in our Solar System. Neptune's atmosphere gives it a blue color. Neptune is also an ice giant planet. It is the last planet in our Solar System. Neptune has 14 moons. 

So children, for now we have studied about the 8 planets in our Solar System. Now we will study about the dwarf planets, asteroids, comets and more, in our Solar System. 

DWARF PLANETS:

Pluto:

Now children, here comes a dwarf planet, with a great history. Pluto is now a dwarf planet. Many years ago, Pluto was called a planet, just like all the current planets. It was the ninth planet from the Sun! However, in August 2006, scientists named Pluto as a dwarf planet, because it crossed Neptune's orbit, which a planet doesn't do. That's why, Pluto was named as a dwarf planet.

There are other Dwarf Planets like like Ceres, Makemake, Eris, and Haumea, about which you will learn later. 

Asteroids: 

Asteroids are small and big rocks which orbit or travel around the Sun. And there are many asteroids in space. Most of the asteroids are in the place between the planets Mars and Jupiter. This is a belt of asteroids. That's why, it is called the Asteroid Belt. There are also some asteroids in the Kuiper Belt, which is the farthest belt to the Sun, and is even more farer from the Sun than Neptune. 

Comets:

Comets are beautiful pieces of icy rocks in space, which has a beautiful tail, as you can see in the picture. These are very very far from the Sun, and are not even in the Solar System! But they come near to the Sun very rarely or after a long time. 

So children this was a lot of information about the Solar System, and now you know almost everything about the Solar System! You will learn in more detail later when you come in higher classes! So till then, bye kids!

Also, don't forget to play a new quiz on the same topic: Solar System!

Word Search:

Find the following words from the following word search Puzzle! 

MERCURY, VENUS, EARTH, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, NEPTUNE

*Note: Answers are given below. 

Answers: 

Quiz:

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