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The Sun lies at the
centre of our Solar System. It is a star like any other you see in the night sky, except
it is much closer! The fiery surface of the Sun has a temperature of over 6000 degrees
centigrade. Some parts of the surface of the Sun are cooler. These colder areas show up on
special pictures and are known as 'sunspots.' |
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Mercury is the
closest planet to the sun. Mercury is a small rocky planet about the size of our Moon.
Just like the Moon, Mercury has no atmosphere. Mercury does not have to go so far around
the sun because it is so close. A year on Mercury is only 88 Earth days long! |
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Venus is the second
planet. It is a rocky planet that is covered by thick clouds of poisonous gases. The
thick clouds act like insulation and keep the surface warm. Venus is the hottest planet in
the solar system even though it is not as near to the Sun as Mercury. |
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Earth is the third
planet from the Sun. The Earth is a small rocky planet with an atmosphere. Most of the
surface is covered by water or ice. The temperature on Earth is just right for carbon
based life. Lucky for us! It takes 365 and a quarter days for the Earth to go around the
Sun. Earth has a small grey Moon. |
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Mars is almost a twin of the Earth. It is a bit
smaller, but it has an atmosphere and ice at the North and South poles. |
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Jupiter is huge. It is hundreds of times bigger than Earth and it does not
have a solid surface. Jupiter is called a 'gas giant' because it is made from a huge ball
of swirling gases. The famous 'red spot' is actually a giant storm that has been raging
for over 200 years. In fact the Earth would fit into the red spot many times. That is a
BIG STORM!! |
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Saturn is the sixth
planet from the Sun. It is the second largest planet and is famous for its huge rings,
which are made from bits of rock and ice. Like Jupiter it is a 'gas giant.' |
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Uranus is the
seventh planet from the Sun. It is a very long way from the centre of the Solar System.
Uranus is another 'gas giant.' Photographs rarely show any detail and the whole planet
seems to be just one big blue cloud. |
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Neptune is the last
of the 'gas giants' and looks similar to Uranus. Some photographs have shown clouds and
weather patterns in its thick atmosphere. |
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Pluto is the loneliest place in the Solar System. It is usually the
furthest planet from the Sun but it has a funny shaped orbit which sometimes takes it
closer to the Sun than Neptune. At the moment it is actually the eighth planet. Pluto is
actually a very small rocky ball, much smaller than Earth. It has a moon called Charon.
There are no clear pictures of Pluto because it is so far away. |