Planets are large spherical objects that keep orbiting the sun in space. Our home, earth, is also a planet that has one moon orbiting it. There are seven other planets in our solar system that revolve around the sun. Each of these planets have their own moons and there are many moons in our solar system. Out of all the eight planets earth is the only planet that has life on it. Let’s explore more about earth, moon and other planets in our solar system.

What are Planets?

A planet is a heavenly body that moves around the sun. They are smaller than stars and do not give off light of their own. There are eight planets that are the members of the solar system family. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are the names of the eight planets in our solar system. These planets keep orbiting the sun due to a high gravitational force that keeps them together in space. Each planet has its own moon that keeps revolving around it and earth has only one moon that is visible during night. Some dwarf planets like Pluto, Ceres and Eris are also part of our big solar system. You can see some planets like Venus in the night sky as it reflects the sunlight and looks like a bright white star.

Our Planet Earth

Planet earth is our home in this big solar system. We live on this planet and see everything in our solar system like the sun, moon and sky from here. It is in the third position among the planets moving around the sun. It just has one moon that spins around it. The earth completes one circle around the sun in 365 days. When we see the sun it is day and when we see moon it is night. Our planet appears blue from space as it has 70% of water present on its surface.

The Moon: The Moon: Earth’s Natural Satellite

Our glowing moon in the night sky is a natural satellite that revolves around the earth. It doesn’t have any light of its own and only reflects the light from the sun. It is around 239,000 miles away from earth. Have you ever wondered why the moon changes shapes? When we see the moon changing shapes we see only some part of it that is reflecting sunlight while it is orbiting around its axes. In the past we used to follow a lunar calendar that was based on the motion and appearance of the moon. The gravity of the moon impacts the movement of tides on earth and we see high tides during the full moon period.

8 Planets in Our Solar System

There are 8 planets in our solar system and all of them look different based on how they are formed. Here are some interesting facts and features of each planet in our solar system.

Mercury: Slightly bigger than moon mercury is the first planet revolving around the sun closest to the sun. It is the smallest planet in our solar system. Even though it is quite near to the sun it is not the hottest planet of our solar system.

Venus: Venus is the hottest planet of the solar system with many active volcanoes on its surface. The surface temperature and thick atmosphere of Venus are too dangerous for spaceships. Due to its size, similar to the earth, Venus and earth are also called the twin planets. It is also called the morning star or evening star, as it ranks second brightest in the sky after the moon

Earth: Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is our home and we see everything in the solar system from this planet. Earth has 70% water, which makes it appear blue from space. It is the fifth largest planet in our solar system.

Mars: Mars is the fourth planet that revolves around the sun after Earth. It is about half the size of the earth and is often called the red planet due to its red appearance. It is much colder than earth with polar ice caps. There is evidence of the water of mars in the past that makes this planet more interesting for us.

Jupiter: Jupiter is also believed to be the oldest planet, formed around 4.5 billion years ago. It has the shortest day of all the planets, which is about 10 hours. It is the largest planet in the solar system with a very high gravity and lots of moons. Thousands of earth could fit in it. It is also known as the gas giant.

Saturn: Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and is the second-largest planet of our solar system. It has 146 recognised moons. Its nickname is also ring planet as it has a ring around it made from debris.

Uranus: The seventh planet from the sun is Uranus. The hydrogen and helium present on it gives it a greenish-blue color.

Neptune: Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun. Its atmosphere has a lot of methane that makes it appear bright blue. One year on Neptune is equal to 165 years on earth due to its distance from the sun.

Each of the eight planets in our solar system is unique based on its size, appearance and colour. Some are very hot and some icy cold. Learning about each of these amazing space bodies will help you understand more about how this wonderful solar system works.