# data[].attributes.body
Cite your sources ethically and easily with this simple website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
EasyBib®: Free Bibliography Generator - MLA, APA, Chicago citation styles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Automatic works cited and bibliography formatting for MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian citation styles. Now supports MLA 9.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.seasky.org/solar-system/solar-system.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Solar System is our local neighborhood in space. This incredible system of celestial objects contains a star, eight planets, 200 known moons, and a variety of other objects such as asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets. At the center the is an average-sized, middle aged yellow star known as the Sun. The eight planets and other bodies orbit the Sun in a perpetual dance that has been going on for nearly five billion years. The planets in this system range in size from small, rocky worlds to gigantic balls of gas and ice. These planets are orbited by a multitude of moons that vary from asteroid-sized chunks of rock to nearly planet-sized worlds with atmospheres of their own.

Join us for a tour of our amazing Solar System. You may browse at will by clicking on any of the objects above, or you may take a guided tour by clicking on the arrow buttons at the top and bottom of this page. Use the arrow buttons to continue the tour, or you can break off and explore on your own at any time. The "Continue Tour" buttons will take you to the next stop on the Solar System tour, while the "Return" buttons bring you back to the previous stop. A navigation bar is available at the top of each page to assist you in your journey. All images in this section are courtesy of NASA unless otherwise noted.
Click here for a list of credits & sources.

The Wanderers

For centuries, people have looked into the skies and wondered about the lights in the sky. They soon noticed that several of the lights seemed to move across they sky at regular intervals. They thought these objects were wandering stars, so they called them "planets," which comes from the Greek word meaning "wanderers." At the time, it was commonly believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. Therefore, these lights that moved across the sky must be divine emissaries of the gods. Because of this, they gave them heavenly names. These five wandering lights became known as Mercury, Venus Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

The Renaissance

As the dark ages gave way to the renaissance, scientific knowledge started to evolve. People began to see the five visible planets as celestial bodies that orbited the Earth. In the 16th century, many enlightened scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Kepler supported a new model for the Solar System in which the Sun was at the center and the planets revolved around it. With the invention of the telescope, it was discovered that the Solar System was much more complex than previously thought. The moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn were revealed. It was the beginning of a new age of discovery.

Age of Exploration and Discovery

As astronomers searched the night sky for more planets, Uranus and Neptune were soon found, followed by the discovery of a ninth planet to be named Pluto. Ever more powerful telescopes revealed new moons around Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. By the time we reached the 20th century, we had the technology to leave our planet and explore the Solar System up close. A rare planetary alignment made the Voyager missions possible. Launched in 1977, these two spacecraft revealed never-before-seen details of the planets and discovered many new moons. By the late 20th century, it was discovered that Pluto was only one of many small objects in the outer Solar System. In 2006, the international astronomical community voted to demote Pluto the the status of dwarf planet, bringing the official number of planets in out Solar System back down to eight.

The Solar System Today

The Solar System as we know it today consists of the Sun, the eight planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, dwarf planets, and other assorted objects in the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud beyond Neptune. The eight planets all orbit the Sun in the same direction and in the same plane, known as the ecliptic. The axis of rotation for most of the planets is nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic. The only exception is Uranus, which rotates on its side for unknown reasons.

The Sun is the power plant that drives the Solar System. Its immense gravity holds the planets in orbit. Its energy drives weather systems on the planets with atmospheres. The Sun also provides energy for the vast majority of life on Earth. Without the Sun, it is unlikely that there would be any life forms inhabiting our blue planet.

The Solar System is divided into two main regions. The inner planets consist of the four rocky, or terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, while the outer planets consists of the two gas giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, and the two ice giant planets, Uranus, and Neptune. The asteroid belt divides these two regions. The inner planets are composed mainly of rocky materials such as silicates in their outer crusts and mantles and metals such as iron and nickel in their in their inner cores. The outer planets are composed mainly of gases such as hydrogen and helium.

Beyond the orbit of the last planet, Neptune, lies two regions known as the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. The Kuiper belt is the home of dwarf planets and other small, planet-like bodies. Much farther out, the Oort cloud is the home of the icy comets. Very little is known about the objects in these two regions, but NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is scheduled to reach Pluto in 2015 and may solve many of the mysteries of the last frontier of the Solar System.
Click here to begin your Tour of the Solar System now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Solar System is our local neighborhood in space. This incredible system of celestial objects contains a star, eight planets, 200 known moons, and a variety of other objects such as asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets. At the center the is an average-sized, middle aged yellow star known as the Sun.

# data[].attributes.body
https://universavvy.com/planets-in-order-of-size

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Although quite large by itself, the solar system is just a minute part of the vast universe, and is believed to be billions of years old. It consists of the sun in the center and several other bodies including the planets, their satellites, asteroids, meteoroids etc., all revolving around the Sun.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Although quite large by itself, the solar system is just a minute part of the vast universe, and is believed to be billions of years old. It consists of the sun in the center and several other bodies including the planets, their satellites, asteroids, meteoroids etc., all revolving around the Sun.

# data[].attributes.body
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/overview/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our solar system can be divided into three regions: the inner solar system, the outer solar system, and the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. The inner, rocky planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. These worlds also are known as terrestrial planets because they have solid surfaces. Mercury, Earth, a…

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.kidzone.ws/planets/

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/solar-system.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Solar System Facts for Kids | Planets for Kids | Geography | Quiz

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our Solar System Facts for Kids will provide interesting and fun facts about planets of our Sun. And here you will find our link to the solar systems quiz

# data[].attributes.body
https://kids.kiddle.co/List_of_planets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This is a list of two types of planets: standard planets and dwarf planets, in the Solar System.

Planets in the Solar System

Mercury - The planet with the second highest temperature in the Solar System and the closest planet to the Sun.

Venus - The warmest planet.

Earth - The only planet in the solar system that is known to have life. It has one natural satellite, the Moon.

Mars - Sometimes called the "red planet" and "the brother of Earth". Mars is the closest planet to the Earth.

Jupiter - The largest planet in the Solar System.

Saturn - Sixth planet from the Sun. It has giant rings around it.

Uranus - Seventh planet from the Sun. It has 11 rings around it.

Neptune - The farthest planet from the Sun.

Dwarf planets

Some scientists think that there was once a planet called Theia which crashed into the Earth at one point, creating the Moon.

Definition of a planet

Technically, there was never a scientific definition of the term planet before 2006. When the Greeks observed the sky thousands of years ago, they discovered objects that acted differently than stars. These points of light seemed to wander around the sky throughout the year. The term "planet" is derived from the Greek word "planetes" - meaning wanderer.

Recently, however, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) convened a Planet Definition Committee, deliberated, and ultimately reached consensus on a new definition of planet which leaves us with the eight planets we today consider to comprise our solar system (thus the exit of Pluto). That new definition: " A "planet" is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit [meaning: 'there are no other bodies in its path that it must sweep up as it goes around the Sun'.]"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is a list of two types of planets: standard planets and dwarf planets, in the Solar System. Mercury - The planet with the second highest temperature in the Solar System and the closest planet to the Sun. Venus - The warmest planet.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Nine Planets is an encyclopedic overview with facts and information about mythology and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons, and other objects in our solar system and beyond.

The 9 Planets in Our Solar System

The Five Dwarf Planets

Other Objects in The Solar System

Earth Science course

Excel High School has an online high school Earth Science course. Learn more about the course details here.

Northgate Academy offers Earth science and astronomy as online homeschooling courses.

Washington Technical Institute is an accredited college that offers online paralegal program and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Nine Planets of The Solar System | Eight Planets Without Pluto

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NASA encourages you to visit NASA Kids' Club and use its games and activities to inspire the next generation.

# data[].attributes.body
Kids Learning Tube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Planet Song - 8 Planets of the Solar System Song for Kids | KidsLearningTube