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🪐 Space and stars 🪐 The Sun and planets

The solar system

The solar system

📖 In short

Come on a space trip! At the center of our big family the Sun glows, and around it go eight planets, including our planet Earth. This family is called “the solar system”, and it also has lots of moons, asteroids and comets with shining tails.

🤩 Did you know?

  • Sunlight reaches Earth in about 8 minutes.
  • Venus is the hottest planet, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun.
  • The Sun alone holds more than 99 percent of all the matter in the solar system!
  • Neptune, the furthest planet, goes around the Sun about once every 165 years.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 The eight planets in order

From nearest the Sun to furthest: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. The first four are small and rocky, and the last four are gas and ice giants.

🔍 The Sun: heart of the family

The Sun is a huge star that gives us light and warmth. Its strong gravity keeps all the planets going around it on steady paths.

💡 Giants and rings

Jupiter is the biggest planet, and the Earth could fit inside it more than a thousand times! Saturn is famous for its beautiful rings of ice and rock.

🎯 Our special home

Earth is the only known planet with liquid water, air to breathe and life. It's our wonderful home, so let's look after it!

🧩 Test yourself

1 What is the biggest planet in the solar system?

2 How many planets go around the Sun?

3 Which planet is famous for its beautiful rings?

4 Which picture shows “The solar system”?

🪐 Discover more

📷 Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons