Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which planet is the closest to the Sun?
Which planet is the closest to the Sun?
What is the biggest planet in our Solar System?
What is the biggest planet in our Solar System?
How long does it take for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
How long does it take for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
Which celestial body is known as a massive ball of hot gas that gives off light and heat?
Which celestial body is known as a massive ball of hot gas that gives off light and heat?
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Which celestial body is the only place in the Solar System, apart from Earth, where humans have traveled?
Which celestial body is the only place in the Solar System, apart from Earth, where humans have traveled?
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How many galaxies are estimated to exist in the Universe?
How many galaxies are estimated to exist in the Universe?
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What is the force that keeps the Earth and other planets orbiting around the Sun?
What is the force that keeps the Earth and other planets orbiting around the Sun?
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What is the Aurora australis also known as?
What is the Aurora australis also known as?
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What is a dwarf planet unable to do that planets can?
What is a dwarf planet unable to do that planets can?
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What is the purpose of an atmosphere around a planet?
What is the purpose of an atmosphere around a planet?
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What is a black hole?
What is a black hole?
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What defines a galaxy?
What defines a galaxy?
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Study Notes
The Solar System
- The Solar System consists of the Sun, Earth, and all other planets, asteroids, and comets that orbit around the Sun.
- Everything in the Solar System revolves around the Sun.
The Sun
- The Sun is a star, a massive ball of hot gas that gives off light and heat.
The Planets
- There are eight planets that orbit around the Sun.
- The closest planet to the Sun is Mercury, and the farthest away is Neptune.
- The biggest planet is Jupiter, and the smallest planet is Mercury.
- The Earth is the only planet that we know has creatures living on it.
The Earth
- The Earth rotates as it orbits the Sun, taking one day to complete a rotation.
- It takes 365 days for the Earth to complete one circuit around the Sun, which is called a revolution.
The Moon
- The Moon is a ball of rock that orbits around the Earth.
- The Moon is much smaller than the Earth and takes 28 days to complete one orbit.
- The Moon is 239,000 miles away and is the only place in the Solar System that humans have traveled to apart from Earth.
The Galaxy
- The Sun is just one of the hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy that we live in, which is called the Milky Way.
- The whole Universe has at least 100 billion galaxies in it.
Gravity
- You are held onto the surface of the Earth by a force called gravity.
- Gravity is the same force that keeps the Earth and the other planets orbiting around the Sun.
Other Solar System Features
- Asteroids are rocks floating around in space, ranging in size from a pick-up truck to hundreds of miles across.
- Some planets have moons, with Jupiter having at least 66.
- Not everything in the Solar System orbits directly around the Sun, with the Moon orbiting around the Earth.
Terminology
- Atmosphere: The gases held by gravity around Earth and other planets.
- Aurora australis: Bright glows and bands of light that appear in the skies at night near the South Pole.
- Aurora borealis: Bright glows and bands of light that appear in the skies at night near the North Pole.
- Black hole: A place in space where matter and light cannot escape if they fall in.
- Light year: The distance light travels in one year, equivalent to 5,878,499,810,000 miles or 9,460,538,400,000,000 meters.
- Magnetic field: The space around a magnet where the magnetic force is active.
- Mass: The amount of matter something is made of.
- Matter: The stuff that everything is made of.
- Comet: An icy rock that lets off gas and dust, which may form tails when it is flying close to a sun.
- Constellation: A group of stars in the sky that form patterns based on the viewer's location.
- Dwarf planet: A round object that orbits the Sun but is not able to clear its path around the Sun.
- Galaxy: A collection of thousands to billions of stars held together by gravity.
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Description
Test your knowledge about the Solar System, including the Sun, planets, asteroids, and comets. Learn interesting facts about the planets and their orbit around the Sun.
