Solar System Information
From the good people at thoughtco.com - Our solar system consists of all the objects in our galaxy, the Milky Way. It includes the sun (the star around which the other objects travel); the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; and the dwarf planet, Pluto. It also includes the satellites of the planets (such as Earth's moon); numerous comets, asteroids, and meteoroids; and the interplanetary medium.
The interplanetary medium is the material which fills the solar system. It's filled with electromagnetic radiation, hot plasma, dust particles, and more.
Our solar system is divided into the inner and outer solar systems. The inner solar system includes Earth, Venus, and Mercury the three planets closest to the sun.
The outer solar system includes the remaining planets and the asteroid belt, which lies between Jupiter and Mars. The asteroid belt is made up of thousands of bits of matter, some so large that they have their own moons!
Printable Activities for Curious Star-sailors
If you are a parent or teacher who wants to help your students understand more about the various aspects of the solar system, this set of free printables can help. In addition to teaching children more about our solar system, they will also help students expand their vocabulary and practice their drawing and writing skills.
Greetings Star-Sailors
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
From the surface of Mercury, the Sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth, and the sunlight would be as much as 11 times brighter.
Venus
Mercury
Mercury
Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus's thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system.
Earth
Mercury
Earth
Earth—our home planet—is the only place we know of so far that’s inhabited by living things. It's also the only planet in our solar system with liquid water on the surface.
Mars
Jupiter
Earth
Mars is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. There is strong evidence Mars was – billions of years ago – wetter and warmer, with a thicker atmosphere
Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is more than twice as massive than the other planets of our solar system combined. The giant planet's Great Red Spot is a centuries-old storm bigger than Earth.
Saturn
Jupiter
Jupiter
Adorned with a dazzling, complex system of icy rings, Saturn is unique in our solar system. The other giant planets have rings, but none are as spectacular as Saturn's
Uranus
Neptune
Neptune
Uranus—seventh planet from the Sun—rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit. This unique tilt makes Uranus appear to spin on its side
Neptune
Neptune
Neptune
Neptune—the eighth and most distant major planet orbiting our Sun—is dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds. It was the first planet located through mathematical calculations happening here.
Further information for the curious Star-sailors
We Are NASA
The Formation of the Solar System
NASA Skywatching
A short introductory video to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Skywatching
The Formation of the Solar System
NASA Skywatching
Updated daily with information for stargazers and skywatchers
The Formation of the Solar System
The Formation of the Solar System
The Formation of the Solar System
Listen to the words of Stephen Hawking on the formation of our reality.
Our Solar System in the wiki
Gallery of Images of the Solar System
The Formation of the Solar System
Check the basics in the Book of Knowledge
Planetary Overview
Gallery of Images of the Solar System
Gallery of Images of the Solar System
Four unique, rocky worlds, two complex gas giants and two distant ice giants.
Gallery of Images of the Solar System
Gallery of Images of the Solar System
Gallery of Images of the Solar System
High Resolution and Captivating