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The Solar System is made up of all the planets that orbit our Sun. In addition to planets, the Solar System also consists of moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas.

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Our solar system formed at least 4.5 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar molecular cloud.

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When a huge cloud of dust and gas collapsed into a dense mass. That mass began to spin and flatten into a disk. That disk grew hotter and hotter until finally a new star, our sun, was born. Leftover dust and gases continued to whirl around the sun and over millions of years formed the planets and moons that make up our solar system.

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The sun is at the center, it’s gravity binds the solar system together. It accounts for 99% of the solar system’s mass.

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1. The closest planet to the sun is Mercury, a relatively small planet known for it’s extremes of temperatures. Above 800ºF during the day and minus 300ºF at night.

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Mercury - Overview | Planets - NASA Solar System Exploration

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Mercury's eccentric orbit takes the small planet as close as 47 million km (29 million miles) and as far as 70 million km (43 million miles) from the sun. If one could stand on the scorching surface of Mercury when it is at its closest point to the sun, the sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth.

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2. The near twin of the Earth in size, mass and density. It’s atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps the sun’s heat and raises the surface temperature to nearly 900ºF.

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Venus - Overview | Planets - NASA Solar System Exploration

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Venus is the second planet from the sun and our closest planetary neighbor. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction most planets do. Its thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.

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3.  An active planet that’s constantly changing. More than 70% of its surface is covered by water. Earth teems with life - something that, so far, has been found nowhere else.

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4. A barren planet with striking geographic features, including red soil, canyons four times deeper than the Grand Canyon, and polar ice.

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All About Mars | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

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Between Mars and the next planet is the Asteroid Belt -millions of rocky fragments, most no more than a mile across.

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5. The fifth planet from the sun is far and away the largest a gaseous giant big enough to hold more than 1,300 Earths. It’s great red spot alone, a huge hurricane-like storm, is twice as wide as Earth.

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IntroductionThe Latest: Ever since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft flew past Jupiter in March, 1979, scientists have wondered about the origin of Jupiter's lightning. That encounter confirmed the existence of Jovian lightning, which had been theorized for centuries. But when the venerable explorer hurtled by, the data showed that the lightning-associated radio signals didn't match the details of the radio signals produced by lightning here at Earth.

In a new paper published in Nature today, scientists from NASA's Juno mission describe the ways in which lightning on Jupiter is actually analogous to Earth's lightning.

The fifth planet from the Sun, and the most massive in our solar system, Jupiter has a long history surprising scientists-all the way back to 1610 when Galileo Galilei found the first moons beyond Earth. That discovery changed the way we see the universe. Explore Jupiter ›

Ten Things to Know About Jupiter

Did You Know

Did You Know?

There are no rockets powerful enough to hurl a spacecraft into the outer solar system and beyond. In 1962, scientists calculated how to use Jupiter's intense gravity to hurl spacecraft into the farthest regions of the solar system. We've been traveling farther and faster ever since.

Pop Culture

The biggest planet in our solar system, Jupiter also has a large presence in pop culture, including many movies, TV shows, video games and comics. Jupiter was a notable destination in the Wachowski siblings' science fiction spectacle Jupiter Ascending, while various Jovian moons provide settings for Cloud Atlas, Futurama, Power Rangers, and Halo, among many others. In Men in Black when Agent J-played by Will Smith-mentions he thought one of his childhood teachers was from Venus, Agent K-played by Tommy Lee Jones-replies that she is actually from one of Jupiter's moons.

Build Your Own 3D Glasses

More to Explore

You can create your own red/blue 3D images to print, or look at on a computer screen, using a normal digital camera and some image processing software.

In this 1-hour activity, students shrink the scale of the vast solar system to the size of their neighborhood.

Unlock the secrets of the planets, then break out the spoons and dig in to these gelatin treats.

› More

Power to Explore: Radioisotope Power

NASA Planetary Photojournal - Jupiter

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IntroductionThe Latest: Ever since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft flew past Jupiter in March, 1979, scientists have wondered about the origin of Jupiter's lightning. That encounter confirmed the existence of Jovian lightning, which had been theorized for centuries.

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6.The second largest planet. Famous for its massive rings of ice and ice-covered particles.

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7. Which is unique because it rotates on its side. It too has rings, and at least 27 moons.

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Uranus is made of water, methane, and ammonia fluids above a small rocky center. Its atmosphere is made of hydrogen and helium like Jupiter and Saturn, but it also has methane. The methane makes Uranus blue.

Uranus also has faint rings. The inner rings are narrow and dark. The outer rings are brightly colored and easier to see. Like Venus, Uranus rotates in the opposite direction as most other planets. And unlike any other planet, Uranus rotates on its side.

Structure and Surface

Uranus is surrounded by a set of 13 rings.

Uranus is an ice giant (instead of a gas giant). It is mostly made of flowing icy materials above a solid core.

Uranus has a thick atmosphere made of methane, hydrogen, and helium.

Uranus is the only planet that spins on its side.

Uranus spins the opposite direction as Earth and most other planets.

Time on Uranus

One day on Uranus lasts a little over 17 hours (17 hours and 14 minutes, to be exact).

One year on Uranus is the same as 84 years on Earth. That's a long time to wait for a birthday cake.

Uranus' Neighbors

Uranus has 27 known moons.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. That means Saturn and Neptune are Uranus' neighboring planets.

Quick History

Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel in Great Britain.

Uranus has only been visited by Voyager 2.

What does Uranus look like?

For more information visit:
NASA Solar System Exploration

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8.  It is perhaps the windiest planet in the solar system. With gusts over 12,000 miles per hour. Neptune marks the end of the planets, but not the end of the solar system.

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Post a picture of your favorite planet and write 2 sentences about why do you like it ?

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Do the homework and bring it tomorrow.