In our solar system, nine planets
circle around our Sun. The Sun sits
in the middle while the planets
travel in circular paths (called
orbits) around it. These nine
planets travel in the same
direction (counter- clockwise
looking down from the Sun's north
pole). The picture on the right
shows the different paths and
positions of each planet (not to
scale).
The solar system is
made up of two parts:
• The inner solar system contains
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
These four planets are closest
to the Sun.
• The outer solar system contains
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto. The inner
planets are separated from the
COMPOSITION
• ROCKY PLANETS (Mercury - Venus - Earth - Mars Pluto)
The rocky planets are mostly made up of rock
and metal. These planets are very heavy and
move slowly. They also do not have rings and
very few moons.
• GAS PLANETS (Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune)
The gas planets are mostly made up of gases
(hydrogen and helium). These planets are light
for their sizes (just like a big air balloon) and
move quickly. They have rings and lots of moons
SIZE
• SMALL PLANETS (Mercury - Venus - Earth Mars - Pluto)
The small planets have diameters less than
13000 km across. Mercury and Pluto are
sometimes referred to as lesser planets
because they are so tiny.
• GIANT PLANETS (Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus Neptune)
The giant planets have diameters greater
than 48000 km. The giant planets are
sometimes also referred to as gas giants.
Our solar system is
centered around the Sun
• The Sun is a star - it is not a
planet. Our Sun is just like the
stars we see in the night sky.
The Sun is also the only star we
see during the daytime.
• The Sun's center is about 15
million degrees Celsius. The
Sun is so hot that planets
millions of kilometers away can
Planets
• Mercury is the planet closest to
our Sun, and it is the eighth
largest of the nine planets.
Mercury
Venus
• Venus is the second planet from the
Sun, and the sixth largest of all the
nine planets.
• Venus' hot temperature is due to
what we call "the Greenhouse Effect."
The large amount of carbon dioxide
in Venus' atmosphere acts like a
blanket. The heat gets trapped
underneath the thick layer of clouds.
Because the heat has nowhere to go,
Venus gets hotter and stays hot.
Venus
Earth
• Earth is the third planet from
the Sun, and the fifth largest of
the nine planets.
Earth
Mars
• Mars is the fourth planet from
the Sun, and the seventh largest
of the nine planets.
Mars
Jupiter
• Jupiter is the fifth planet from the
Sun and by far the largest of all nine
planets. Jupiter is more than twice
as massive as all the other planets
combined - It's 318 times bigger than
the Earth!
• Jupiter does not have a solid surface
due to its gaseous composition. The
swirls and bands we see when
looking at Jupiter are the tops of
clouds high in its atmosphere.
Saturn
• Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, and
the second largest of the nine planets.
• Saturn is a giant gas planet which is made
up of about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium.
It's most famous for its thousands of
beautiful rings.
• Saturn's rings are made up mostly of water
ice, but they may also include rocky
particles with icy coatings.
• Saturn is made up of materials which are
lighter than water. If placed in a big pond,
Saturn would float much like an ice cube
does in a glass of water.
Uranus
• Uranus is the seventh planet
from the Sun and the third
largest of the nine planets (in
size). Uranus is larger in size but
smaller in weight than Neptune.
• Uranus is a giant gas planet
which is made up of mostly rock
and various ices.
Neptune
• Neptune is the eighth planet
from the Sun and the fourth
largest (by size) of the nine
planets. Neptune is smaller in
size but it's heavier than Uranus.
• Neptune's blue color is the
result of a gas called "methane"
in its atmosphere
Asteroids
• Asteroids are chunks of rock
and metal that orbit around the
Sun. Scientists think that they
are loose material that never
formed into planets.
• The Main Asteroid Belt is
located between Mars and
Jupiter
• The total mass of all the
Dwarf Planet
Created by:
Master
Nopphadol Panyadee
• http://kids.nineplanets.org/