THE SOLAR SYSTEM!

The Solar System is the world outside our world. It is all of the planets inside our universe, the Milky Way. No, we are not living inside a chocolate bar! The solar system consists of eight planets circling around the giant, fiery sun. There was once nine planets but it was recently confirmed that Pluto, the furthest planet away from the sun, was not classified as a normal planet, but a dwarf planet.

The inner planets (also known as terrestrial planets) are smaller and made mostly of rock and metal. These include Mercury, Venus, Earth and mars. The outer planets (also known as gas giants) are much larger and made mostly of hydrogen, helium and other gases. These include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

For thousands of years humans were unaware of the Solar System and believed that Earth was at the centre of the Universe. It wasn't until 1704, that the Solar System was discovered and that the Earth was not the centre of the universe.

FUN FACTS!

• The solar system includes the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it due to its gravity.

• The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

• The Solar System was formed by the collapse of a giant molecular cloud, the mass at the centre collecting to form the Sun and a flat disk of dust around it which the planets and other bodies would eventually be formed from.

QUSTION?

How many planets are there in our Solar System?

Hint: you will find it in the text.