Solar System, A Family Of Eight Planets
If you look at the sky at night you can see many stars. Some of these are not stars but planets. They shine because they reflect the light of other stars. Some of the planets you see at night are actually revolving around the sun, just like our own planet Earth. These planets, together with the Earth, are called the planets of the solar system.
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The solar system is the name given to the Sun and all the planets that revolve around it. There are eight such planets. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Planets of the Solar System
Mercury:
Firstly, Mercury is the closest to the sun and it completes a circle around the sun much faster than the earth. It means that a year on mercury would be as short as 87 days on the earth.
Venus:
Secondly, Venus is the second planet of the solar system. It is also one of the brightest planets in the sky. People in the old days thought it was the goddess of beauty.
Planet Earth:
Thirdly, The Earth is the third planet. It may be the only planet in the solar system where life is possible. You also know that the Earth has a moon, which circles it just as the Earth itself circles the sun.
Planet Mars:
Fourthly, Mars appears like a red star in the night sky. It is the fourth planet of the solar system/People in the old times considered it to be the god of war due to its red colour. Some people in the beginning of this century thought there was some form of life on Mars. They made up stories about intelligent Martians (creatures of Mars) attacking the Earth with advanced weapons. Now we know that this type of life does not exist there. Mars has two moons.
Jupiter:
Fifthly, Jupiter is the fifth planet in the solar system. The size of Jupiter is larger than all other planets of the solar system put together. It is made up of gases and has no solid surface and shines very brightly in the night sky. Moreover, It has 16 moons revolving around it.
Saturn:
Sixthly, Saturn is also made up of gases like Jupiter. It has splendid rings around it that are visible even from the earth. Actually, these rings are various particles that circle the planet. Saturn has 18 moons. Uranus is also made up of gases. It cannot be seen from the earth without a telescope. It was first discovered in 1781 by a German musician living in England. Uranus has 15 moons.
Neptune:
Lastly, Neptune, another planet made up of gases also cannot be seen from the earth without a telescope. It was discovered in the 19th century by a German astronomer. It has 8 moons.
Human beings have not landed on any other planet of the solar system, but space ships from the Earth have been sent to observe them. These space ships also bring detailed photographs of the planets, which help us to acquire knowledge about them.
