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The Solar System. The Milky Way Galaxy. Our solar system is part of a family of stars called a “galaxy.” Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. Our sun is only one of about 100 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy! .
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The Milky Way Galaxy Our solar system is part of a family of stars called a “galaxy.” Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. Our sun is only one of about 100 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy!
The Milky Way is a giant spiral of stars with arms that curve outward. Our solar system lives in one of these arms.
The following picture is what the Milky Way Galaxy looks like…
Interesting Fact The Milky Way is shaped like a pancake. From the side, it looks like a flat tire. You can sometimes see its shape in the night sky.
The Solar System The solar system is made up of the sun and all of the different bodies that travel, or revolve, around it. This includes asteroids, comets, meteors, moons, and planets.
The Sun The sun is a star. It is a hot ball of fiery gas that is very big. The sun is the largest object in our solar system.
Interesting Fact The sun is so large one million Earths could fit inside of it.
Asteroids Asteroids are relatively small, rocky and metal objects that orbit the sun. Asteroids are made up of left over materials from the formation of the solar system. Millions of asteroids exist in the solar system.
Most of the asteroids in the solar system are found in the asteroid belt. The asteroid belt is made up of millions of asteroids that continuously revolve around the sun. The asteroid belt is located between the planets Mars and Jupiter.
The asteroid belt is divided into an inner belt and an outer belt. The inner belt, which is made up of asteroids that are within 250 million miles of the sun, contains asteroids that are made of metals.
The outer belt, which includes asteroids 250 million miles beyond the sun, consists of rocky asteroids. These asteroids appear darker than the asteroids of the inner belt, and are rich in carbon.
Interesting Fact The asteroid Ida is as long as Manhattan Island and moves within the asteroid belt.
Comets Comets are small, orbiting bodies that are made of dust, ice, and frozen gases.
Interesting Fact As comets move within the solar system, they have flashing tails.
Meteors Meteors are chunks of matter that enter Earth’s atmosphere and are heated by friction with the air. For a few moments, these chunks burn as they fall, appearing as streaks of light across the dark sky.
Interesting Fact Many people think that the dinosaurs died out as a result of an enormous meteor hitting the Earth about 65 million years ago.
Planets A planet is a large body that revolves around the sun. There are eight planets in our solar system. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The first four planets from the sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. These planets are called the inner planets because they are closer to the sun than the other planets are. The inner planets have certain characteristics in common. They are rocky and much smaller than most of the other planets.
Mercury Mercury is the smallest of the inner planets. It is 36 million miles from the sun, making it the closest planet to the sun. It can reach temperatures of over 800° F!
Mercury is a rocky planet that is covered in huge dents, called craters. Craters are made when asteroids crash into a planet or other celestial body.
Interesting Fact The hottest surface temperature on Mercury is 801° F.
Venus Venus is the second planet from the sun and the planet that is nearest to Earth. It is 67 million miles from the sun, yet it is hotter than Mercury is. Venus can reach temperatures of over 900° F.
