Exploring Space and Astronomy and Solar System

Did you know Earth is the only planet not named after a roman god? Our Solar System was estimated to have formed 4.6 billion years ago! The planets formed around the sun in a circle due to its gravity.

Inner Planets

As Astronomers gaze out into our Solar System, they see 8 planets. The planets are split up into 2 categories: Inner Planets, and Outer Planets. The 4 Inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. These planets are the closest to the sun, therefore, it makes sense to call them the Inner Planets. These Planets may also be known as the rocky planets or the Terrestrial Planets. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, therefore it is the hottest. They are mostly made of rocks and metal. Outer Planets Have you ever wondered what the planets far, far away from the sun are called? The 4 Outer Planets are called Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Isn’t it so wonderful and relaxing to look out into the night sky? When I look out in the night sky I look at all the plants that exist out there in the universe(or at least what I can see). These planets are the hardest to see when we look out into the night. The Outer Planets are the coldest planets because they are the farthest from the sun. Did you know that these planets can get down to -290 degrees fahrenheit(-178 degrees celsius)! These planets may also be known as the gas giants.

Gas Giants

People gaze out into space wondering, what is a Gas giant? Gas Giants are the same planets as the Outer Planets. It makes sense why they call them gas giants. These 4 planets are all made of gas. A lot of people may ask, what kinds of gases are out there in space? The Planets are mostly made of Hydrogen and Helium, but they are not all gas. Also, a question you may have is, What else is it made of? Did you know that beneath the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn are layers of small molecular Hydrogen and liquid metallic Hydrogen. hSome people may think these gases are stinky or unhealthy. Because the planets are mostly made of gases there is no solid surface on them. They also have a small rocky core.

Dwarf Planets

Have you ever seen one of those really small planets out there? There are many dwarf Planets out there in our solar system. They are all different sizes and shapes. Some are different colors too. Astronomers gaze out to all the tiny planets as they look through the microscope to see them. The 3 largest dwarf planets are Pluto, Ceres, and, Eris. You may know about Pluto because it is right on the line. What I mean is they recently changed it to a dwarf planet, however it has been a regular planet before. Astronomers gaze out to the sky and fight over if it should be a planet or a dwarf planet.

Moons and Their Planets

Many planets have moons. Did you know that neither Mercury or Venus have any Moons? Earth has 1 moon, however many other planets have multiple moons. Did you know that Pluto (A dwarf Planet) has 5 moons!? 1 of pluto’s moons is half its size! Everyone just looks in the night sky and says “look it’s the moon!” but our moon is actually called Luna. Did you know that Saturn has over 50 confirmed moons? If you think that’s a lot check out Jupiter. It has 67 moons! The 3 ring planets have all their moons around their rings. In case you don’t know a moon is a large, rocky body that orbits a planet like Earth. Mars has 2 moons. Many people fight over how moons formed. The most common theory is that the moons crashed into their planets or their rings.

Planets and Their Sizes

All planets are different in their own way. Why are they different? Because they all formed at different times, different places, and have different temperatures. Jupiter is the biggest planet with Saturn right behind it. These 2 planets are so big because they are made of gases, and gases come in large amounts when the solar system first formed. Uranus and Neptune, the other planets made of gases therefore, they are the next biggest planets. Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury are the smallest by a lot. Our planet is the biggest planet with a solid surface. Did you know that Astronomers think these planets are so small because all the planets are formed from the solar nebula. The inner planetsare also not as big because they are closest to the sun. Think about what the planets will be like in 100 years. Do you think they have changed? Did you know that in the future the moon will be too far away from earth to have a solar eclipse? There is a lot of things that will happen in our solar system 100 years from now.