Planets of the Solar System
According to the official position of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization that assigns names to astronomical objects, there are only 8 planets.
Pluto was removed from the planet category in 2006. because There are objects in the Kuiper belt that are larger/equal in size to Pluto. Therefore, even if we take it as a full-fledged celestial body, then it is necessary to add Eris to this category, which has almost the same size as Pluto.
By MAC definition, there are 8 known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
All planets are divided into two categories depending on their physical characteristics: terrestrial planets and gas giants.
Schematic representation of the location of the planets
Terrestrial planets
Mercury
The smallest planet in the solar system has a radius of only 2440 km. The period of revolution around the Sun, equated to an earthly year for ease of understanding, is 88 days, while Mercury manages to rotate around its own axis only one and a half times. Thus, his day lasts approximately 59 Earth days. For a long time it was believed that this planet always turned the same side to the Sun, since periods of its visibility from Earth were repeated with a frequency approximately equal to four Mercury days. This misconception was dispelled with the advent of the ability to use radar research and conduct continuous observations using space stations. The orbit of Mercury is one of the most unstable; not only the speed of movement and its distance from the Sun change, but also the position itself. Anyone interested can observe this effect.
Mercury in color, image from the MESSENGER spacecraft
Its proximity to the Sun is the reason why Mercury is subject to the largest temperature changes among the planets in our system. The average daytime temperature is about 350 degrees Celsius, and the nighttime temperature is -170 °C. Sodium, oxygen, helium, potassium, hydrogen and argon were detected in the atmosphere. There is a theory that it was previously a satellite of Venus, but so far this remains unproven. It does not have its own satellites.
Venus
The second planet from the Sun, the atmosphere is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide. It is often called the Morning Star and the Evening Star, because it is the first of the stars to become visible after sunset, just as before dawn it continues to be visible even when all the other stars have disappeared from view. The percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 96%, there is relatively little nitrogen in it - almost 4%, and water vapor and oxygen are present in very small quantities.
Venus in the UV spectrum
Such an atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect; the temperature on the surface is even higher than that of Mercury and reaches 475 °C. Considered the slowest, a Venusian day lasts 243 Earth days, which is almost equal to a year on Venus - 225 Earth days. Many call it Earth's sister because of its mass and radius, the values of which are very close to those of Earth. The radius of Venus is 6052 km (0.85% of Earth's). Like Mercury, there are no satellites.
The third planet from the Sun and the only one in our system where there is liquid water on the surface, without which life on the planet could not have developed. At least life as we know it. The radius of the Earth is 6371 km and, unlike other celestial bodies in our system, more than 70% of its surface is covered with water. The rest of the space is occupied by continents. Another feature of the Earth is the tectonic plates hidden under the planet's mantle. At the same time, they are able to move, albeit at a very low speed, which over time causes changes in the landscape. The speed of the planet moving along it is 29-30 km/sec.
Our planet from space
One revolution around its axis takes almost 24 hours, and a complete passage through the orbit lasts 365 days, which is much longer in comparison with its closest neighboring planets. The Earth's day and year are also accepted as a standard, but this is done only for the convenience of perceiving time periods on other planets. The Earth has one natural satellite - the Moon.
Mars
The fourth planet from the Sun, known for its thin atmosphere. Since 1960, Mars has been actively explored by scientists from several countries, including the USSR and the USA. Not all exploration programs have been successful, but water found at some sites suggests that primitive life exists on Mars, or existed in the past.
The brightness of this planet allows it to be seen from Earth without any instruments. Moreover, once every 15-17 years, during the Confrontation, it becomes the brightest object in the sky, eclipsing even Jupiter and Venus.
The radius is almost half that of Earth and is 3390 km, but the year is much longer - 687 days. He has 2 satellites - Phobos and Deimos .
Visual model of the solar system
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Sun
The Sun is a star that is a hot ball of hot gases at the center of our Solar System. Its influence extends far beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto. Without the Sun and its intense energy and heat, there would be no life on Earth. There are billions of stars like our Sun scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
Mercury
Sun-scorched Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's satellite the Moon. Like the Moon, Mercury is practically devoid of an atmosphere and cannot smooth out the traces of impact from falling meteorites, so it, like the Moon, is covered with craters. The day side of Mercury gets very hot from the Sun, while on the night side the temperature drops hundreds of degrees below zero. There is ice in the craters of Mercury, which are located at the poles. Mercury completes one revolution around the Sun every 88 days.
Venus
Venus is a world of monstrous heat (even more than on Mercury) and volcanic activity. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus is covered by a thick and toxic atmosphere that creates a strong greenhouse effect. This scorched world is hot enough to melt lead. Radar images through the powerful atmosphere revealed volcanoes and deformed mountains. Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation of most planets.
Earth is an ocean planet. Our home, with its abundance of water and life, makes it unique in our solar system. Other planets, including several moons, also have ice deposits, atmospheres, seasons and even weather, but only on Earth did all these components come together in a way that made life possible.
Mars
Although details of the surface of Mars are difficult to see from Earth, observations through a telescope indicate that Mars has seasons and white spots at the poles. For decades, people believed that the bright and dark areas on Mars were patches of vegetation, that Mars might be a suitable place for life, and that water existed in the polar ice caps. When the Mariner 4 spacecraft arrived at Mars in 1965, many scientists were shocked to see photographs of the murky, cratered planet. Mars turned out to be a dead planet. More recent missions, however, have revealed that Mars holds many mysteries that remain to be solved.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, with four large moons and many small moons. Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. To become a full-fledged star, Jupiter needed to become 80 times more massive.
Saturn
Saturn is the farthest of the five planets known before the invention of the telescope. Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Its volume is 755 times greater than that of the Earth. Winds in its atmosphere reach speeds of 500 meters per second. These fast winds, combined with heat rising from the planet's interior, cause the yellow and golden streaks we see in the atmosphere.
Uranus
The first planet found using a telescope, Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The seventh planet is so far from the Sun that one revolution around the Sun takes 84 years.
Neptune
Distant Neptune rotates almost 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun. It takes him 165 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. It is invisible to the naked eye due to its vast distance from Earth. Interestingly, its unusual elliptical orbit intersects with the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto, which is why Pluto is inside the orbit of Neptune for about 20 years out of 248 during which it makes one revolution around the Sun.
Pluto
Tiny, cold and incredibly distant, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was long considered the ninth planet. But after discoveries of Pluto-like worlds that were even further away, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.
Planets are giants
There are four gas giants located beyond the orbit of Mars: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are located in the outer solar system. They are distinguished by their massiveness and gas composition.
Planets of the solar system, not to scale
Jupiter
The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in our system. Its radius is 69912 km, it is 19 times larger than the Earth and only 10 times smaller than the Sun. The year on Jupiter is not the longest in the solar system, lasting 4333 Earth days (less than 12 years). His own day has a duration of about 10 Earth hours. The exact composition of the planet's surface has not yet been determined, but it is known that krypton, argon and xenon are present on Jupiter in much larger quantities than on the Sun.
There is an opinion that one of the four gas giants is actually a failed star. This theory is also supported by the largest number of satellites, of which Jupiter has many - as many as 67. To imagine their behavior in the planet’s orbit, you need a fairly accurate and clear model of the solar system. The largest of them are Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Moreover, Ganymede is the largest satellite of the planets in the entire solar system, its radius is 2634 km, which is 8% greater than the size of Mercury, the smallest planet in our system. Io has the distinction of being one of only three moons with an atmosphere.
Saturn
The second largest planet and the sixth in the solar system. In comparison with other planets, it is most similar to the Sun in the composition of chemical elements. The radius of the surface is 57,350 km, the year is 10,759 days (almost 30 Earth years). A day here lasts a little longer than on Jupiter - 10.5 Earth hours. In terms of the number of satellites, it is not much behind its neighbor - 62 versus 67. The largest satellite of Saturn is Titan, just like Io, which is distinguished by the presence of an atmosphere. Slightly smaller in size, but no less famous are Enceladus, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Iapetus and Mimas. It is these satellites that are the objects for the most frequent observation, and therefore we can say that they are the most studied in comparison with the others.
For a long time, the rings on Saturn were considered a unique phenomenon unique to it. Only recently it was established that all gas giants have rings, but in others they are not so clearly visible. Their origin has not yet been established, although there are several hypotheses about how they appeared. In addition, it was recently discovered that Rhea, one of the satellites of the sixth planet, also has some kind of rings.
> Solar system
Description planets of the solar system for children: look at the model of the solar system and all the planets in order with photos and drawings, interesting facts about the Sun.
solar system- This is a huge place with a lot of empty space between the planets. But there are also asteroids, comets, rocky and icy objects, and dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud that have yet to be explored.
For the little ones you need to know that the solar system is represented by the sun and the objects revolving around it: planets, asteroids, meteorites, comets and satellites. All of them extend from the main star (the ancient Romans called it "Sol") and pass the four inner planets through the Asteroid Belt to the four gas giants, the Kuiper Belt (disc-shaped) and beyond the giant Oort Cloud (spherical shape) and the teardrop heliopause . Researchers believe that the edge of the system is 15 billion km from the star.
This article will reveal the most interesting facts about the solar system for children and will provide a complete description of all planets and objects with photos, drawings, pictures and videos. In addition, you will find out which planet is the largest or smallest, the first and the last, hot and cold. Be sure to consider the diagram with the location and orbits, where all the planets of the Solar System are in full view.
Discovery of the Solar System - for children
Parents or teachers At school can start explanation for children from detection of our system. Astronomers did not stop admiring the shine of the stars in the sky and tracking their movements. The ancient Greeks called these points planets - “wanderers”. Children They will be surprised, but Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were already known then, and the advent of telescopes only added to the Asteroid Belt, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and their satellites. With the development of space research, many probes have been launched into space, which continue to further expand the boundaries of understanding the system. With the discovery of Eris, the era of dwarf planets began.
Since January 20, 2016, scientists have been tracking the mysterious Planet Nine (10 times the mass of Earth and 5,000 times the mass of Pluto).
Formation Solar system - for children
Most researchers agree that the solar system emerged from a giant rotating cloud of gas and dust - the solar nebula. Important explain to the children, that with increasing gravity, it expanded, accelerated rotation and flattened into a disk shape. Most of the material concentrated in the center to create the main star, the Sun. The rest of the material continued to collide and combine until it became comets, asteroids, moons and planets.
Children should know that the solar wind was so powerful that it transported light elements (hydrogen and helium) from the inner planets, leaving behind rocky formations. In the outer regions it weakened, allowing gas giants to form.
Sun - for children
For the little ones It will not be news that the Sun ranks first in size in the solar system. It is our only star whose mass represents 99.8% of the mass of the entire system. Thanks to its light and warmth, life appeared on our planet. The planets move in an oval orbit (ellipse). Moreover, in each ellipse the Sun is shifted from the center.
Internal system- for children
There are 4 relatively small inner planets of the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They are similar in composition (iron and rock) and size, which is why they are called terrestrial planets. The Earth has one satellite, and Mars has two (Deimos and Phobos). Previously, Pluto was in first place in terms of tinyness, but since 2006 it has been classified as a dwarf planet. Now Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.
In the area between Mars and Jupiter is the Asteroid Belt. These are small stone fragments with a diameter of 1 km. Children should know that an incredible number of celestial bodies rotate there. The dwarf planet Ceres (950 km) is also located here. Some asteroids have orbits that cause them to move toward the solar system. Because of this, there have been so many collisions with our planet and other planets in the past.
External system - for children
This includes the major planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These are huge worlds with thick gas layers. Important explain for the youngest children that almost all of their mass is represented by hydrogen and helium, which is why they resemble the Sun in composition. There is no solid surface beneath these layers, although there may be a rocky core. Around them there are rings of rocks and ice (the most famous are those of Saturn). Of course, Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
Comets are often called dirty snowballs because they are made of ice and rock. When their orbit is directed toward the Sun, some of the ice in the central core turns into gas, which is sprayed into space in the form of a long tail. There are comets with short periodicities (200 years) that emerge from the Kuiper belt. But with a long periodicity - Oort cloud objects.
Trans-Neptunian region- for children
For a long time, astronomers suspected that a long icy strip, the Kuiper Belt, was hidden behind Neptune. Children should know that its distance is 30-55 times greater than the Earth-Sun distance. To date, more than a thousand objects have been discovered. Scientists believe that icy bodies 100 km wide, as well as more than a trillion comets, live there.
Objects beyond Neptune's orbit:
The dwarf planet Pluto also lives there. Recent research has also found Eris, Makemake and Haumea. Quavare is also quite massive, but has not yet been classified. Sedna (3/4 the size of Pluto) was the first to be found in the Oort cloud. This happened on July 14, 2015 thanks to NASA's New Horizons mission.
For the little ones It will be fascinating to hear about the mysterious Planet Nine. It orbits 20 times further than Neptune and 600 times the Earth's orbit. So far, researchers have not been able to see it in telescopes, so its existence is known only due to its gravitational influence on other Kuiper Belt objects.
The Oort cloud is located beyond the Kuiper belt and occupies 5000-100000 times the Earth-Sun distance. In the past, this was the edge of the system, the heliosphere and most of space filled with electrically charged particles. Astronomers believe that the limit of the heliosphere occurs at the heliopause (15 billion km from the Sun).
We hope you liked the description and characteristics of the Solar System. Be sure to visit the page for each planet and object to learn interesting facts with photos, drawings, pictures and diagrams from telescopes and spacecraft. Also, a 3D model of the solar system, where all the planets are in full size, is available for children and adults completely free of charge. You can admire maps, surface features, orbits and movements for a year or more. If schoolchildren and children of any age are interested in real observations, then many planets, as well as the Earth’s Moon, can be seen through an online telescope in real time. Let's also remember that there are many solar systems based on distant stars in the Milky Way and other galaxies, so check out the amazing deep space objects.
solar system– these are 8 planets and more than 63 of their satellites, which are being discovered more and more often, several dozen comets and a large number of asteroids. All cosmic bodies move along their own clearly directed trajectories around the Sun, which is 1000 times heavier than all the bodies in the solar system combined. The center of the solar system is the Sun, a star around which the planets orbit. They do not emit heat and do not glow, but only reflect the light of the Sun. There are now 8 officially recognized planets in the solar system. Let us briefly list them all in order of distance from the sun. And now a few definitions.
Planet is a celestial body that must satisfy four conditions:
1. the body must revolve around a star (for example, around the Sun);
2. the body must have sufficient gravity to have a spherical or close to it shape;
3. the body should not have other large bodies near its orbit;
4. the body should not be a star
Satellites of the planets. The solar system also includes the Moon and the natural satellites of other planets, which they all have except Mercury and Venus. Over 60 satellites are known. Most of the satellites of the outer planets were discovered when they received photographs taken by robotic spacecraft. Jupiter's smallest satellite, Leda, is only 10 km across.
is a star without which life on Earth could not exist. It gives us energy and warmth. According to the classification of stars, the Sun is a yellow dwarf. Age about 5 billion years. It has a diameter at the equator of 1,392,000 km, 109 times larger than that of Earth. The rotation period at the equator is 25.4 days and 34 days at the poles. The mass of the Sun is 2x10 to the 27th power of tons, approximately 332,950 times the mass of the Earth. The temperature inside the core is approximately 15 million degrees Celsius. The surface temperature is about 5500 degrees Celsius. In terms of its chemical composition, the Sun consists of 75% hydrogen, and of the other 25% elements the majority is helium. Now let’s figure out in order how many planets revolve around the sun, in the solar system and the characteristics of the planets.
The four inner planets (closest to the Sun) - Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars - have a solid surface. They are smaller than the four giant planets. Mercury moves faster than other planets, being burned by the sun's rays during the day and freezing at night.
Period of revolution around the Sun: 87.97 days. Diameter at the equator: 4878 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 58 days.
Surface temperature: 350 during the day and -170 at night.
Atmosphere: very rarefied, helium.
How many satellites: 0.
The main satellites of the planet: 0.
More similar to Earth in size and brightness. Observing it is difficult due to the clouds enveloping it. The surface is a hot rocky desert. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 224.7 days.
Diameter at the equator: 12104 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 243 days.
Surface temperature: 480 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: dense, mostly carbon dioxide.
How many satellites: 0.
The main satellites of the planet: 0.
Apparently, the Earth was formed from a gas and dust cloud, like other planets. Particles of gas and dust collided and gradually “grew” the planet. The temperature on the surface reached 5000 degrees Celsius. Then the Earth cooled and became covered with a hard rock crust. But the temperature in the depths is still quite high - 4500 degrees. Rocks in the depths are molten and during volcanic eruptions they flow to the surface. Only on earth there is water. That's why life exists here. It is located relatively close to the Sun in order to receive the necessary heat and light, but far enough so as not to burn out.
Period of revolution around the Sun: 365.3 days. Diameter at the equator: 12756 km.
Period of rotation of the planet (rotation around its axis): 23 hours 56 minutes.
Surface temperature: 22 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly nitrogen and oxygen.
Number of satellites: 1.
The main satellites of the planet: the Moon.
Because of its resemblance to Earth, it was believed that life existed here. But the spacecraft that descended to the surface of Mars found no signs of life. This is the fourth planet in order. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 687 days.
Diameter of the planet at the equator: 6794 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 24 hours 37 minutes.
Surface temperature: –23 degrees (average).
The planet's atmosphere: thin, mostly carbon dioxide.
How many satellites: 2.
The main satellites in order: Phobos, Deimos.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are made of hydrogen and other gases. Jupiter exceeds Earth by more than 10 times in diameter, 300 times in mass and 1300 times in volume. It is more than twice as massive as all the planets in the solar system combined. How long does it take for planet Jupiter to become a star? We need to increase its mass by 75 times!
Period of revolution around the Sun: 11 years 314 days. Diameter of the planet at the equator: 143884 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 9 hours 55 minutes.
Planet surface temperature: –150 degrees (average).
Number of satellites: 16 (+ rings).
The main satellites of the planets in order: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto.
It is number 2, the largest of the planets in the solar system. Saturn attracts attention thanks to its ring system formed of ice, rocks and dust that orbit the planet. There are three main rings with an outer diameter of 270,000 km, but their thickness is about 30 meters. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 29 years 168 days.
Diameter of the planet at the equator: 120536 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 10 hours 14 minutes.
Surface temperature: –180 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium.
Number of satellites: 18 (+ rings).
Main satellites: Titan.
A unique planet in the solar system. Its peculiarity is that it rotates around the Sun not like everyone else, but “lying on its side.” Uranus also has rings, although they are harder to see. In 1986, Voyager 2 flew at a distance of 64,000 km, he had six hours to take photographs, which he successfully implemented.
Orbital period: 84 years 4 days. Diameter at the equator: 51118 km.
Period of rotation of the planet (rotation around its axis): 17 hours 14 minutes.
Surface temperature: -214 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium.
How many satellites: 15 (+ rings).
Main satellites: Titania, Oberon.
At the moment, Neptune is considered the last planet in the solar system. Its discovery took place through mathematical calculations, and then it was seen through a telescope. In 1989, Voyager 2 flew past. He took stunning photographs of the blue surface of Neptune and its largest moon, Triton. 
Period of revolution around the Sun: 164 years 292 days.
Diameter at the equator: 50538 km.
Rotation period (rotation around an axis): 16 hours 7 minutes.
Surface temperature: –220 degrees (average).
Atmosphere: Mainly hydrogen and helium.
Number of satellites: 8.
Main satellites: Triton.
On August 24, 2006, Pluto lost its planetary status. The International Astronomical Union has decided which celestial body should be considered a planet. Pluto does not meet the requirements of the new formulation and loses its “planetary status”, at the same time Pluto takes on a new quality and becomes the prototype of a separate class of dwarf planets.
How did the planets appear? Approximately 5–6 billion years ago, one of the disk-shaped gas and dust clouds of our large Galaxy (Milky Way) began to shrink toward the center, gradually forming the present Sun. Further, according to one theory, under the influence of powerful forces of attraction, a large number of dust and gas particles revolving around the Sun began to stick together into balls - forming future planets. As another theory says, the gas and dust cloud immediately broke up into separate clusters of particles, which compressed and became denser, forming the current planets. Now 8 planets revolve around the Sun constantly.
PLANETSIn ancient times, people knew only five planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, the only ones that can be seen with the naked eye.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were discovered using telescopes in 1781, 1846 and 1930. For a long time, astronomers studied the planets by observing them from Earth. They determined that all the planets, except Pluto, move in circular orbits in the same plane and in the same direction, calculated the sizes of the planets and the distances from them to the Sun, formed their idea of the structure of the planets, and even assumed that Venus and Mars could be similar Earth, and there may be life on them.
The launch of automatic space stations to the planets made it possible to significantly expand, and in many ways revise, ideas about the planets: it became possible to see photographs of the surface, explore the soil and atmosphere of the planets.
Mercury.
Mercury is a small planet, slightly larger than the Moon. Its surface is also dotted with craters from collisions with meteorites. No geological processes have erased these dents from his face. Mercury is cold inside. It moves around the Sun faster than other planets, but around its axis very slowly. Having circled the Sun twice, Mercury only has time to turn around its axis three times. Because of this, the temperature on the sunny side of the planet exceeds 300 degrees, and on the unlit side there is darkness and severe cold. Mercury has virtually no atmosphere.
Venus.
Exploring Venus is not easy. It is shrouded in a thick layer of clouds, and under this serene exterior lies a real hell, the pressure is a hundred times higher than on Earth, the temperature on the surface is about 500 degrees, which is caused by the “greenhouse effect”. The Soviet automatic station “Venera - 9” for the first time managed to transmit to Earth images of a surface filled with lava and covered with stones. In the conditions of Venus, the apparatus lowered to the surface of the planet quickly breaks down, so American scientists decided to obtain data on the planet’s topography in a different way.
The Magellan robotic station, having flown around Venus many times, probed the planet with radar, resulting in a comprehensive picture of the surface. In some places, the relief of Venus is similar to that of Earth, but mostly the landscapes are strange: high mountainous round areas surrounded by mountain ranges 250 - 300 km in diameter, the entire area of which is occupied by volcanoes; other volcanic formations resemble cakes with steep edges and a flat top. The surface of the planet is cut by channels laid by lava. Traces of active volcanic activity are visible everywhere. Meteor craters on the surface of Venus are distributed evenly, which means that its surface took shape at the same time. Scientists cannot explain how this could happen; Venus seemed to boil and be flooded with lava. Now volcanic activity is not detected on the planet.
The atmosphere of Venus is not at all similar to that of Earth; it mainly consists of carbon dioxide. The thickness of the gas shell of Venus, compared to the earth's, is monstrously large. The cloud layer reaches 20 km. The presence of a concentrated aqueous solution of sulfuric acid was detected in them. Sunlight does not reach the surface of Venus, twilight reigns there, sulfur rain falls, and the landscape is constantly illuminated by flashes of lightning. High in the planet's atmosphere, constant winds rage, driving clouds at tremendous speed; the upper layer of the Venusian atmosphere makes a complete revolution around the planet within four Earth days. The solid body of Venus, on the contrary, rotates around its axis very slowly and in a different direction than all the other planets. Venus has no satellites.
Mars.
In the 20th century, the planet Mars was chosen by science fiction writers; in their novels, the Martian civilization was incomparably higher than the earthly one. The mysterious, inaccessible Mars began to reveal its secrets when Soviet and American automatic spacecraft began to be sent to study it.
The Mariner 9 station, orbiting Mars, took photographs of all areas of the planet, which made it possible to create a detailed map of the surface relief. Researchers have discovered traces of active geological processes on the planet: huge volcanoes, the largest of them, Olympus Mons, 25 km high, and a huge fault in the Martian crust, called Valles Marineris, which crosses an eighth of the planet.
Gigantic structures grew in the same place for billions of years, unlike the Earth with its drifting continents, the surface of Mars did not move. The geological structures of the Earth, compared to those on Mars, are dwarfs. Are volcanoes active on Mars now? Scientists believe that geological activity on the planet is obviously a thing of the past.
Martian landscapes are dominated by reddish rocky deserts. Light transparent clouds float above them in the pink sky. The sky turns blue at sunset. The atmosphere of Mars is very thin. Every few years there are dust storms that cover almost the entire surface of the planet. A day on Mars lasts 24 hours 37 minutes, the inclination of the axis of rotation of Mars to the orbital plane is almost the same as that of the Earth, so the change of seasons on Mars is quite consistent with the change of seasons on Earth. The planet is poorly heated by the Sun, so its surface temperature even on a summer day does not exceed 0 degrees, and in winter, frozen carbon dioxide settles on the rocks due to the severe cold, and the Polar Caps are mainly made of it. No traces of life have yet been found.
From Earth, Mars is visible as a reddish star, which is probably why it bears the name of the god of war, Mars. His two companions were named Phobos and Deimos, which translated from ancient Greek means “fear” and “horror.” The satellites of Mars are space “rocks” of irregular shape. Phobos measures 18km x 22km, and Deimos measures 10km x 16km.
The planets are giants.
In 1977, American scientists and engineers launched an automatic interplanetary station towards Jupiter as part of the Voyager program. Once every 175 years, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto are positioned in such a way relative to the Earth that a launched spacecraft can examine all these planets in one flight. Scientists have calculated that, under certain conditions, a spacecraft, approaching a planet, falls into a gravitational slingshot, and the planet itself sends the apparatus further to another planet. The calculations turned out to be correct. Earthlings were able to see these distant planets and their satellites through the “eyes” of space robots, and unique information was transmitted to Earth.
Jupiter.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It does not have a solid surface and consists mainly of hydrogen and helium. Due to the high speed of rotation around its axis, it is noticeably compressed at the poles. Jupiter has a huge magnetic field; if it became visible, it would look the size of the solar disk from Earth.
In the photographs, scientists were able to see only clouds in the planet’s atmosphere, which create stripes parallel to the equator. But they moved with great speed, bizarrely changing their shape. Numerous vortices, auroras and lightning flashes were recorded in the cloud cover of Jupiter. On the planet, wind speeds reach one hundred kilometers per hour. The most amazing formation in the atmosphere of Jupiter is a large red spot 3 times the size of the Earth. Astronomers have observed it since the 17th century. It is possible that this is the tip of a gigantic tornado. Jupiter releases more energy than it receives from the Sun. Scientists believe that in the center of the planet, gases are compressed to the state of a metallic liquid. This hot core is the power plant that generates winds and a monstrous magnetic field.
But the main surprises for scientists were not presented by Jupiter itself, but by its satellites.
Satellites of Jupiter.
There are 16 known satellites of Jupiter. The largest of them, Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede, were discovered by Galileo; they are visible even with strong binoculars. It was believed that the satellites of all planets are similar to the Moon - they are cold and lifeless. But Jupiter's moons surprised researchers.
And about- the size of the Moon, but it is the first celestial body other than Earth on which active volcanoes have been discovered. Io is completely covered in volcanoes. Its surface is washed by multi-colored lava flows, volcanoes emit sulfur. But what is the reason for the active volcanic activity of such a small cosmic body? Revolving around the huge Jupiter, Io either approaches it or moves away.
Under the influence of either increasing or decreasing gravitational force, Io either contracts or expands. Friction forces heated its inner layers to enormous temperatures. Io's volcanic activity is incredible, its surface changing before our eyes. Io moves in Jupiter's powerful magnetic field, so it accumulates a huge electrical charge, which is discharged onto Jupiter in the form of a continuous stream of lightning, causing storms on the planet.
Europe has a relatively smooth surface, virtually without relief. It is covered with a layer of ice, and it is likely that the ocean is hidden underneath it. Instead of molten rocks, water oozes from cracks here. This is a completely new type of geological activity.
Ganymede- the largest satellite in the solar system. Its size is almost the same as that of Mercury.
Callisto dark and cold, its surface, pockmarked with meteorite craters, has not changed for billions of years.
Saturn.
Saturn, like Jupiter, does not have a solid surface - it is a gas giant planet. It also consists of hydrogen and helium, but it is cooler, since it produces less heat itself and receives less of it from the Sun. But on Saturn the winds are faster than on Jupiter. Stripes, vortices and other formations are observed in the atmosphere of Saturn, but they are short-lived and irregular.
Naturally, scientists' attention was directed to the rings that surround the planet's equator. They were discovered by astronomers back in the 17th century, and since then scientists have been trying to understand what they are. Photos of the rings transmitted to earth by an automatic space station surprised researchers. They were able to identify several hundred rings nested inside one another, some intertwined with each other, dark stripes were found on the rings that appeared and disappeared, they were called knitting needles. Scientists were able to see the rings of Saturn from a fairly close distance, but they had more questions than answers.
In addition to the rings, 15 satellites move around Saturn. The largest of them is Titan, slightly smaller than Mercury. Titan's dense atmosphere is much thicker than Earth's and consists almost entirely of nitrogen; it did not allow us to see the surface of the satellite, but scientists suggest that the internal structure of Titan is similar to the structure of the Earth. The temperature at its surface is below minus 200 degrees.
Uranus.
Uranus differs from all other planets in that its axis of rotation lies almost in the plane of its orbit, all planets look like a toy top, and Uranus rotates as if “lying on its side.” Voyager was able to “see” little in the atmosphere of Uranus; the planet turned out to be very monotonous in appearance. There are 5 satellites orbiting Uranus.
Neptune.
It took Voyager 12 years to get to Neptune. How surprised the scientists were when, on the outskirts of the solar system, they saw a planet very similar to Earth. It was a deep blue color, with white clouds moving in different directions in the atmosphere. The winds on Neptune blow much stronger than on other planets.
There is so little energy on Neptune that the wind, once it picks up, cannot stop. Scientists have discovered a system of rings around Neptune, but they are incomplete and represent arcs; there is no explanation for this yet. Neptune and Uranus are also giant planets, but not gas, but ice.
Neptune has 3 satellites. One of them is that Triton rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of Neptune itself. Perhaps it did not form in Neptune's gravitational zone, but was pulled toward the planet when it came close to it and fell into its gravitational zone. Triton is the coldest body in the solar system, its surface temperature is slightly above absolute zero (minus 273 degrees). But nitrogen geysers were discovered on Triton, which indicates its geological activity.
Pluto
Now Pluto is officially no longer a planet. It should now be considered a "dwarf planet", one of three in the Solar System. Pluto's fate was determined in 2006 by a vote of members of the International Astronomical Society in Prague.
To avoid confusion and not clutter maps of the Solar System, the International Astronomical Union has prescribed that fairly large celestial bodies that are not among the eight previously defined planets be classified as dwarf planets. In particular, Pluto, Charon (a former satellite of Pluto), the asteroid Ceres, orbiting between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, as well as the so-called Kuiper belt objects Xena (object UB313) and Sedna (object 90377) received a new status.
This short note presents material on the topic: solar system for children. In simple and understandable language, we described the solar system, the planets that are in it and many other interesting things.
There are many objects in the Universe, including planets and satellites, stars and systems, as well as galaxies. The solar system, in which our planet Earth is located, is also full of planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and many other interesting objects. Today, scientists suggest that our solar system was formed from a giant cloud of gas and dust. There are 8 planets in it, which are divided into 2 groups - the inner planets (they are also the planets of the terrestrial group). This group includes Mercury, Venus, Earth (the third planet from the Sun) and Mars. And the outer planets or gas giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Between these two groups is the asteroid belt. And behind the gas giants are trans-Neptunian objects. The largest of which is Pluto. Previously, Pluto was considered an ordinary planet, but now it is classified as a dwarf planet and at the same time the largest object in the Kuiper belt.
The Kuiper Belt is similar to the asteroid belt, but differs in that it is 20 times wider and also in its composition.
solar system
How to remember the planets and their order?
Short mnemonic phrases, also known as mnemonics, make it easier to memorize various information by forming artificial associations.
On this page we have collected memories of the planets of the solar system for children that will make this sometimes difficult task easier. The only caveat is that when they were invented, Pluto was classified as a planet, and therefore it is present in almost all memos. And as we know, since 2006 Pluto began to be considered a dwarf planet, and now when memorizing it can be omitted.
Memories of the planets of the solar system
You can remember the order of the planets of the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) by the first letters of the words M-Mercury V-Venus W-Earth M-Mars Yu-Jupiter S-Saturn U-Uranus N-Neptune P-Pluto in phrases:
- We Know After All - Yulia’s Mom Sat on Pills in the Morning!
- Little Bear Snacked on the Ham with Raspberries, Nimble Gopher Stole the Penknife.
- On a Frosty Evening I Climbed Jung's Mast, Trying to See an Unfamiliar Port.
- Mom Always Forbade Me, a Young Explorer, to Find out the Names of the Planets.
- The Sea Wolf Tormented the Young Jung, Completely Tiring the Unhappy Guy.
- We Will Meet Tomorrow, My Young Companion, Near the New Planet.
- The Wise Sorceress The Golden-Headed Fashionista of the Southern Countries Is Fond of the Newest Poetry.
- We Know Everything: Many Young Marmots Learn the Names of the Planets.
- You can fly beyond Mars, Jewelly Turning Off Our Planet.
- Mom makes strawberry juice, but the young son no longer cries.
- Venya measured the Earth with Marusya's Skirt, Satin and Uranium, He is a good-for-nothing Trickster.
- Gloomy Venereal Disease Can Quickly Slay a Tired Nymphomaniac.
- Maria of the Southern Sun Notices the Smile on the Beach Least of All.
- Little Peter Slowly Carries the Earth; The Garden is Decorated with Unbreakable Plafonds (Mnemonic of the Planets by Alexey Golovnin).
- Dreaming of getting married, take off your little skirt - you need to smile and kiss.
Remembering the order of planets in the asteroid belt
Masha Chalked the Earth with a Broom, And Yura Sat at the Spider Hole.
That is, in this phrase the letter “A” was added - the Asteroid Belt.
Memorization of planets from the farthest planet (Pluto) to the closest (Mercury) to the Sun
It is not difficult for the youngest child to remember the planets, knowing Venus and Mercury.
Poems for memorizing planets
The little hare rushed between the wolves,
slipped, stumbled, fell -
didn't get up.
All planets in order
Any of us will name it.
One Mercury, two Venus,
three Earth, four Mars.
Five Jupiter, six Saturn,
Seven Uranus, followed by Neptune.
He is the eighth in a row
and quite later
and the ninth planet called Pluto
There lived an astrologer on the moon
He kept track of the planets:
MERCURY - once,
VENUS - two, sir,
Three - EARTH,
Four - MARS,
Five - JUPITER,
Six - SATURN,
Seven - URANUS,
Eight - NEPTUNE,
Nine is PLUTO the furthest away,
If you don't see it, get out!
Verse for remembering 8 planets without Pluto
Mercury - one, Venus - two, sir,
Three - Earth, four - Mars,
Five - Jupiter, six - Saturn,
Seven - Uranus, eighth - Neptune
Blank verse for remembering the order of the planets
It is not enough to measure the earthly age
the youth of the garden is wretched
no fruit
Other ways to remember the order of the planets of the solar system for children and adults
Another way to remember the order of the planets is to compare them with other but similar words and write a sentence using them.
For example: My friend Venus (Venus) fades (Mercury) on Earth (Earth). Because she ate Mars (Mars), which was lying on the music stand (Jupiter), and threw the wrapper into a full, that is, full urn (Saturn), after which she shouted “Hurray” (Uranus). And it wasn’t a vocational school (Neptune), but she graduated from an institute, later running away with some rogue (Pluto).
Between two gods starting with the letter M: Mercury and Mars, there are 2 women: Venus and Earth. Behind the god Mars is his father, Jupiter. Behind the supreme god Jupiter is a planet unique with its rings - Saturn. The name Saturn encrypts both Saturn (SAT) and the subsequent planets: Uranus (UR) and Neptune (N). Following them, Pluto is not a planet, but looks like the dog Pluto looking with bewilderment at the pantheon of Greek gods in front of him.
Acronyms for remembering planets
Another way to learn the order of the planets is to use an acronym - that is, an abbreviation that is formed by the first sounds of words in a phrase. That is, this is a word that can be pronounced together, while it is an abbreviation. To memorize the planets, you can remember the acronym: MeVeZeMa YUSUNP.
Do you also know any interesting memory cards or original ways of memorizing the planets of the solar system? Write them in the comments.
