Introduction

The Solar System is made of planets that orbit the sun, as well as moons, comets, asteroids, minor planets, and dust and gas. Everything in the Solar System orbits or revolves around the Sun. The orbit are not round, they are elliptical which is more of an egg-shaped. The first four planets (the four closest to the sun) are known as the inner planets. These planets include Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These planets are made mostly of rock. The next five planets (the five further away from the sun) are known as the outer planets. These planets include Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune are known as the gas giants because they are made mostly of gases. Pluto is coated with ice. Pluto is recently been classified as a dwarf planet and not a real planet.

Today we are going to take a brief trip around the solar system. We are going to start at the sun and briefly stop on all the planets before safely returning to earth. Along the way we will discuss other aspects of our Solar System besides the planets. Our goal is return a little bit wiser about the world outside of our own.

The Sun

The Sun is an ordinary star, it is not to big or too small and it is not really old or young. It is the closest star to Earth, as well as the most closely studied. the Sun controls our climate and weather on Earth and is the source of heat that maintains life as we know it.



Some of the outer regions of the Sun's atmosphere that are observed and measured include:

The Photosphere:
The Sun essentially the same chemical elements as can be found on earth, except that the Sun is hot all the elements exist in the gaseous state. The Sun doesn't really have a "surface." Instead "think of it as a bunch of gas which gets denser as you move from space towards the solar core." The photosphere represents the depth at which we can longer see towards the core.

The Chromosphere:
The chromosphere is made up of the gases which extend away from the photosphere. The gases are transparent to most visible radiation.

The Corona:
The corona is the outermost region of the Sun;s atmosphere. The corona extends above the photosphere millions of miles into space. It usually can not be seen due to the brightness of the photosphere, but during a total solar eclipse, the corona shines against the dark sky.

More information about the sun can be found at:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/sun.html
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/our_sun.htm

Mercury

Mercury means:
In astronomy mythology, Mercury was the Roman version of the god Hermes. He was the messenger for the other gods, and for this reason Mercury is often depicted in pictures with winged sandals. In addition to delivering messages, he was also the protector of travelers, and merchants (KidsAstronomy.com).

Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, due to this it is able to travel around the sun faster then any other planet. It is the second smallest planet in our solar system, it is comparable to the size of our moon.



It has a very thin atmosphere, which is not suitable for human life. Mercury's surface has holes in it where meteorites, asteroids, etc have crashed into it. The days on Mercury are so hot that a person could burn to death and the nights on mercury are so cold that a person could freeze to death.

Mercury spins/ routes so slowly that each Mercury day is equal to 176 Earth days. On the other hand its closeness to the sun allows it orbit quickly, one year is equal to 88 Earth days.

Fun Mercury Facts:
Mercury is so close to the Sun, and so small, that it has only a very small atmosphere. It has been blown away by the Sun's solar winds. That means that there is almost no air on Mercury (KidsAstronomy.com)

Mercury is hard planet to study for many reasons, but scientists continue to find out what they can but about this mysterious planet.

For more information check out:
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/mercury-information-kids.htm
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mercury.htm

Venus

Venus means:
In astronomy mythology, Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty. In Greek her name was Aphrodite (KidsAstronomy.com).


Venus has the hottest average temperature of any of the planets, this is due to its thick cloud cover that traps in a lot of the Suns heat. This in turn makes Venus to hot for life, but other than that Venus and Earth are very similar. Venus is ofter n referred to as Earths twin planet, because of its similarities in size, shape, and mass.

Venus' surface is rocky and consists of many craters, mountains, channels, and volcanoes.

Fun facts about Venus
Because Venus and the Earth are the same size, scientists call Venus Earth's sister planet. For a long time most scientists thought that Venus probably had plants, animals, and possibly even people. However because Venus is so hot we now know that it is impossible for anything to live there (KidsAstronomy.com).

For more information check out:
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/venus.htm
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/venus-information-kids.htm

Mars

Mars means:
In astronomy mythology, Mars was the Roman god of war and agriculture. It may not seem like these two things go together, but they do. Mars protected those who fought for their communities, and stayed home to raise crops for food (KidsAstronomy.com).

Mars has two Moons Deimos and Phobos, the moons are thought to have been asteroids that were pulled into orbit by Mar's gravitational pull.

Deimos


Phobos


Mars has a very thin atmosphere which is composed mostly of carbon dioxide, but dust storms can cover the planet for months at a time. It has a third of the Earth's force of gravity and about a tenth of the Earth's mass.

There has been talk of possible life on existing life on Mars as well as the possibility of humans being able to travel and live there in the future. While this sounds like an incredible, conditions on Mars are harsh. Temperatures vary greatly from summer to winter due to the Mars oval orbit. There is a lot of research to be done but there is a possibility of scientists vising Mars in our lifetime.

Fun facts about Mars:
Mars has higher mountains, and deeper canyons than any other planet. The largest canyon on Mars would stretch from New York City to Los Angeles on the Earth. That makes the Grand Canyon look tiny. It Also has the Solar Systems biggest volcano, Olympus Mons (KidsAstronomy.com).

For More Information Check Out:
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/mars-information-kids.htm
http://www.kidscosmos.org/kid-stuff/mars-facts.html

From Inner to Outer

For now we are going to pass by Earth the fourth Planet from the Sun and leave the inner planets behind on our journey to the outer planets. While we make this trip I find it important to point out a few other aspects of our Solar System.

For Instance the Comet:


Comets are made of dust and ice, and are beautiful as they travel across the sky. They travel in from the outer realms of the Solar System and are among the most rare and brilliant objects in the night sky.

Comets originate in two places, the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. Comets Spend billions of years in the Oort Cloud or the Kuiper Belt before crashing into one another, sending at least one of them shooting off towards the Inner Solar System. It is at this point that the comet begins to shine. This is due to the change in temperature as it enters the Inner Solar System, it is at this point that the comet begins to melt leaving behind beautiful tails.



Another aspect of our Solar System is the Asteroid:



An asteroid is a large rock in outer space. They come in all shapes and sizes. Asteroids are the left over materials from the formation of the Solar System. Due to this they formed what is known as an asteroid belt. The Belt is divided into two parts the inner belt and the outer belt. The inner belt has the asteroids that are within 250 million miles of the Sun and are usually made of metal. The outer belt contains the asteroids that are located 250 miles beyond the Sun. These asteroids are usually rich in carbon and appear darker than those of the inner belt.



While is there is more to explain in our Solar System we are quickly approaching Jupiter.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the first of what are considered to be the outer planets.



Jupiter means:
Jupiter known as Zeus in Greece over threw his father Saturn to become king of the gods. He then split the Universe with his brothers Neptune and Pluto (Kids Astronomy.com).

Jupiter is the largest known planet in our solar system. It is a giant planet that has no solid surface, under its atmosphere is a large liquid ocean of hydrogen and water. In fact there is nothing between the ocean and atmosphere. The atmosphere just continues to get thicker and thicker, it is almost as if the sky and the ocean are one.



Jupiter has many satellites as well as moons. Scientists are continuing to find moons orbiting Jupiter. Also, it has a faint system of rings.

Fun Facts About Jupiter:
You can see four of Jupiter's moons With a pair of binoculars at night. Also Jupiter spins really fast. It only takes 10 hours to go from night to day on Jupiter. For that reason its middle has been stretched out. Rather than round it is short and fat. Kind of like when someone spins pizza dough really fast to stretch it out (KidsAstronomy.com).

For More Information Check Out:
http://www.kidscosmos.org/kid-stuff/jupiter-facts.html
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/jupiter-information-kids.htm

Saturn

Saturn means:
Saturn was the god of agriculture, he was called Cronus by the Greeks. He is the son of Uranus, and father of Jupiter. Saturn over threw his father to become king of the gods, but was then over thrown himself by his son Jupiter (KidsAstronomy.com).

Like Jupiter Saturn is a gas planet and is composed of a lot of the same materials. While Jupiter has rings Saturn is known for the beauty and composition of its rings.



Fun Facts About Saturn:
Saturn has several hundred rings. However it is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune also have rings (KidsAstronomy.com).

For More Information Check Out:
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/saturn-information-kids.htm
http://www.kidscosmos.org/kid-stuff/saturn-facts.html

Uranus

Uranus means:
Uranus was the lord of the skies and husband of Earth. He was also the king of the gods until his son Saturn overthrew him (KidsAstronomy.com).

Uranus is unlike the other planets and moons because it spends on it side. The south pole is pointed directly at the Sun. The polar regions receive more energy from the Sun then the equatorial regions, yet the equator is still hotter than the poles. The reasoning for this is unknown.



It has a large rocky core that is believed to possibly have trillions of large diamonds. The atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane.

Fun Facts About Uranus:
Scientists think Uranus has a huge water ocean underneath its clouds (KidsAstronomy.com).

For More Information Check Out:
http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/uranus-facts-information.htm

Neptune

Neptune means:
Neptune was originally only the god of water, but was latter extended to the ocean when he became associated with the Greek god Poseidon (KidsAstronomy.com).

Neptune is very much like Uranus, except for the fact that it is smaller. It also has a giant storm similar to the one on Jupiter, the storm is referred to as the The Great Dark Spot.


It is the methane gas that gives Neptune its blue color because the gas absorbs red light and then the blue reflects back into space. Like the other outer planets Neptune has rings and moons. The rings on Neptune are more faint then on other planets but they still exist.

Fun Facts About Neptune:
Like Uranus, Scientists think there is a very large water ocean under Neptune's clouds (KidsAstronomy.com).

For More Information Check Out:
http://www.happynews.com/living/space/neptune-information-kids.htm
http://www.kidscosmos.org/kid-stuff/neptune-facts.html

Pluto

Pluto means:
To the Romans Pluto was thought to be the god to whom all men must eventually go. They believed him to be the god of the underworld. His name in Greece was Hades (KidsAstronomy.com).

Pluto is the smallest and furthest planet from the Sun. It is considered a dwarf plant. In fact recently they demoted it from the title of being a planet, but we are including on this tour anyways.

Pluto is far from the Sun that it takes hours for the Sun to reach it. Because of this Pluto is freezing. Substances such as oxygen and nitrogen, that are vital to human life, freeze on Pluto. Size wise Pluto is only about two-thirds the size of our moon.

Due to the fact that Pluto is so small and located so far away it has never been visited by a space craft and therefore the knowledge we have on it is very limited.

Fun Facts About Pluto:
Pluto is so far away, that no satellites have ever been sent there. This means that we have no good pictures of it. All we can do is guess what is must look like. The picture above was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is the most detailed picture we have (KidsAstronomy.com).

For More Information Check Out:
http://www.kidscosmos.org/kid-stuff/pluto-facts.html
http://www.nineplanets.org/pluto.html

Back to Earth

It is time to head back to Earth the only planet with known life. Today we have traveled the Solar System from the Sun all the way to Pluto. It was a long day, but I hope you have fun and learned a lot! Now its time to take what we learned today and see what we can do with it!