Solar System - The words
solar system refer to the sun and all of the objects that travel
around it planets, natural satellites such as the moon, asteroid
belt, comets and meteoroids. Our solar system is part of a spiral
galaxy known as the Milky Way. The sun, the centre of our solar
system, holds eight planets and countless smaller objects in its
orbit. Our solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago.
Sun - The sun is a star, a
hot ball of glowing gases at the heart of our solar system. It is a
ball of gas (92.1 percent hydrogen (H2) and 7.8 percent
helium (He)) held together by its own gravity. The sun is the centre
of our solar system and makes up 99.8% of the mass of the entire
solar system. Without the sun's intense energy and heat, there would
be no life on Earth.
Mercury - Mercury is the
smallest planet in our solar system only slightly larger than the
Earth's moon. It is the closest planet to the sun. Mercury is a
rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet. Mercury is
composed mostly of oxygen (O2), sodium (Na), hydrogen
(H2), helium (He) and potassium (K). Mercury is
appropriately named for the swiftest of the ancient Roman gods.
Mercury, the god of commerce.
Venus - Venus is the second
closest planet to the sun. Venus is by far the hottest planet in
Solar System. Venus is only a little smaller than Earth. Venus’s
thick and toxic atmosphere is made up mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2)
and nitrogen (N2), with clouds of sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
droplets. Venus is a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial
planet. Venus is named for the ancient Roman goddess of love and
beauty.
Earth - Earth, our home
planet, is the only planet in our solar system known to harbour
life. Earth is the third planet from the sun and the fifth largest
in the solar system. Earth's atmosphere is made up of 78 percent
nitrogen (N2), 21 percent oxygen (O2) and 1
percent other ingredients, the perfect balance to breathe and live.
The name Earth is an English / German word, which simply means the
ground.
Mars - Mars is known as the
Red Planet because iron minerals in the Martian soil oxidize or
rust. Mars is a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet.
Mars’s solid surface has been altered by volcanoes, impacts,
crustal movement and atmospheric effects such as dust storms. Mars
has a thin atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2),
nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar). Mars was named by the
Romans for their god of war because of its red, bloodlike colour.
Jupiter - Jupiter is the
largest and most massive planet in our solar system with dozens of
moons and an enormous magnetic field. Jupiter is a gas-giant planet
and therefore does not have a solid surface. However, it is
predicted that Jupiter has an inner, solid core about the size of
the Earth. Jupiter's atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen (H2)
and helium (He). Jupiter was named Jupiter by the Romans he was
their most important deity.
Saturn - Saturn is unique
among the planets, Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets.
Saturn is a gas-giant planet and does not have a solid surface.
Saturn's atmosphere is made up mostly of hydrogen (H2)
and helium (He). Saturn is the farthest planet from Earth that can
be observed by the unaided human eye. Saturn is named for the Roman
god of agriculture.
Uranus - Uranus is the
first planet found with the aid of a telescope, Uranus was
discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel, although he
originally thought it was a comet or star. Uranus is an ice giant.
Most (80 percent or more) of the planet's mass is made up of a hot
dense fluid of "icy" materials – water (H2O),
methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) – above a
small rocky core. Uranus has an atmosphere which is mostly made up
of hydrogen (H2) and helium (He), with a small amount of
methane (CH4). The planet was named for Uranus, the Greek
god of the sky.
Neptune - Neptune was
discovered in the year 1846. Neptune is mostly made of a very thick,
very hot combination of water (H2O), ammonia (NH3)
and methane (CH4) over a possible heavier, approximately
Earth-sized, solid core. Neptune's atmosphere is made up mostly of
hydrogen (H2), helium (He) and methane (CH4).
Neptune has six rings. This planet is named after the Roman god of
the sea.
Pluto - Pluto was
discovered in the year 1930. Pluto was long considered our solar
system's ninth planet. But after the discovery of similar intriguing
worlds deeper in the distant Kuiper Belt, icy Pluto was reclassified
as a dwarf planet. Pluto was considered a planet from 1930, when it
was first discovered, until 2006. It is thought that Pluto has a
rocky core surrounded by a mantle of water ice with other ices
coating its surface. Pluto is the name of the Roman god of the
Underworld
Moon – The Moon is
Earth's only natural satellite. It is one of the largest natural
satellites in the Solar System and the largest among planetary
satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. It is
the second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known.
Moon is thought to have formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago.
Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides, body tides
and the slight lengthening of the day.
Corona – A corona is an
aura of plasma which surrounds the sun and other stars. The Sun's
corona extends millions of kilometres into space and is most easily
seen during a total solar eclipse. It is also observable with a
device called a coronagraph. The word "corona" is a Latin
word meaning "crown".
Phases of Moon - Moon is
lit up by the sun as it goes around the Earth. This means sometimes
people on Earth can see the whole Moon and other times only small
parts of it. This is because the Moon does not send out its own
light. People only see the parts that are being lit by sunlight.
These different stages are called Phases of the Moon.
Solar Eclipse - Solar
Eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun.
This makes the Moon fully or partially cover the sun. Solar eclipses
can only happen during a new moon. Every year about two solar
eclipses occur. Sometimes there are even five solar eclipses in a
year. However, only two of these can be total solar eclipses.
Lunar Eclipse - Lunar
eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into
its umbra. This can occur only when the sun, Earth and moon are
aligned exactly or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle.
Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only the night of a full moon. The
type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location
relative to its orbital nodes.
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