2. The Solar System
• Our solar system is made up of a star –
the sun – 8 planets, 146 moons, comets,
asteroids and space rocks, ice and
several dwarf planets such as Pluto
• The 8 planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune
3. The Sun
• Our sun is a ball of hot, glowing gases
• It’s one of the hottest things in the
universe!
• Without the sun there would be no life on
earth (heat and light)
4. Mercury
• It’s the closest planet to the sun
• The temperature on Mercury can change
more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit
between night and day
• It is covered with deep craters
5. Venus
• It is Earth’s closest neighbour and the
second brightest object in our night sky.
Only the moon is brighter
• To get to the surface of Venus, you would
have to pass through the clouds of
sulphuric acid, hurricane–force winds and
lightning
6. Earth
• It is the fifth largest planet in our solar
system
• Earth has hundreds of names in many
languages
• The air is made of nitrogen, oxygen and a
little carbon dioxide – just right for us to
breathe
7. Earth’s moon
• Our moon is a natural satellite
• The moon is smaller than four
other moons in our solar system
yet is larger than dwarf planet Pluto
• When the sun is shining, the moon
sizzles at 265 degrees Fahrenheit
8. Mars
• It is sometimes called the “Red
Planet” because of its red soil
• The soil on Mars is red because
it contains iron oxide (rust)
9. Jupiter
• It is named for the king of ancient
roman gods
• More than 1,300 Earths could fit
inside it
• On Jupiter, the pressure is so
strong it squishes gas into liquid
10. Saturn
• It is called the “jewel of the solar
system” because of its beautiful
rings
• Saturn is named for the Roman
god of agriculture
11. Uranus
• Uranus is named for a Roman
god who was the farther of the
titans
• Down near the core of Uranus, it
heats up to 9,000 degrees
Fahrenheit (4,982 degrees
Celsius)
12. Neptune
• The fourth largest planet in the
solar system
• Very windy
• Blue colour comes from a layer
of methane gas above the clouds
