The solar system is an assemblage of eight (formerly nine) planets, many planetary satellites or moons, asteroids, and comets. It also contains a vast reaches of highly tenuous gas and dust known as the interplanetary medium. The Sun shoots out a stream of particles called the solar wind. This flows outward through the solar system…
The solar system began to form when a massive cloud of dust and gas known as the solar nebula collapsed. This happened 4.6 billion years ago. During the collapse of this nebula, the densest material was drawn inwards, forming our sun. This was probably caused by a nearby star’s supernova, which sent shock waves that…
The shiny third installment of the wonderfully illustrated Kids Books for Young Explorers series, this book is for anyone who loves reading playful poems, discovering cool science, and chasing down a galaxy full of fun. Buy this tail-wagging journey now! This paw-some space adventure will delight you with vibrant descriptions, incredible facts, and cutaways in…
In our solar system, the Sun is surrounded by eight planets and more than 210 planetary satellites (moons). Many asteroids and comets also orbit around the Sun. The average distance between the planets is 149 600 000 kilometers, or about one Astronomical Unit. This measurement tells you how far away an object is from the…
The solar system consists of the Sun and the planets, natural satellites, asteroids, meteoroids and comets that orbit it. These objects range in size from microscopic dust to the largest planets. They all have certain characteristics that scientists use to classify them. These include size, temperature and composition. Planets In our solar system, a planet…
The Sun is only one of billions of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. This means there are many other solar systems out in space, each with their own planets and moons. The eight planets in the Solar System and their hundreds of natural satellites (moons) are surrounded by countless asteroids, comets and other…
The Sun, the eight planets and their moons, and countless asteroids, comets, and other small, icy objects comprise our Solar System. The Solar System formed 4.5 billion years ago from leftover materials from the collapse of a cloud of interstellar material. The four inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, were rocky, but the outer…
Animated gifs are a great way to show off a variety of subjects. Space is no exception. In a recent Twitter animation, planetary scientist James O’Donoghue from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows us how Earth, our solar system and the galaxy are moving through space at different speeds. The Sun The Sun is…
Our Solar System is a collection of planets, moons and dwarf planets that orbit the Sun. The planets range in size from the rocky Earth to the gaseous Jupiter. The Solar System also contains a large number of comets, asteroids and other small objects that fall into the system from outer space. Many of these…
