- TH E S O L AR SYSTE M

- TH E S U N
-

- TH E E I G HT PL AN ETS:
-

-
- MERCURY
-
- VEN U S
-
- EARTH
-
- MAR S
-
- JU PITE R
-
- S AT U R N
-
- URANUS
-
- N EPTU N E

P
 The solar system is made up of all the planets that
orbit the sun.
 The sun is a star. It’s in the centre of the solar system.
 There are eight planets that orbit it:
- MERCURY - VENUS
- EARTH - MARS
- JUPITER - SATURN
- URANUS - NEPTUNE
• The Sun gives life and energy to the Earth.

• The Sun is only one of millions and millions of stars in the Galaxy.

• We see it as a large round red/yellow ball.

• We are much closer to the Sun than to any of the other stars.

• Other stars may be larger, smaller, brighter than our Sun but they are
so far away that we only see them as points of light in the night sky.
 MERCURY
 The planet Mercury is very difficult to study from
the Earth because it is close to the Sun.
 It is the second smallest planet and also the
fastest in its orbit since it is the innermost planet.
 The name Mercury derives from its speed in
moving around its orbit.
 VENUS
• Venus is the brightest planet in the Solar System.

•We can see it even in daylight if we know where to

look.
 EARTH

•It is the only planet that has an atmosphere 21 percent oxygen.

•It is the only planet that has liquid water on its surface.

•It is the only planet in the solar system that has life.

•The Earth has one large satellite, the Moon.

 MARS
•It is the closer to Earth and more engaging to the imagination than any
other planets.

•It is called the Red Planet. This is due to a mineral called iron oxide that is
very common on the planet’s surface.

•In a lot of ways, Mars looks a lot like our home, though instead of blue
oceans and green land, Mars is home to an ever present red tint.
 JUPITER

•Jupiter is the giant of the Solar System, with a mass more than 300 times the
mass of the Earth.

•It is called after the ancient Roman sky-god, Jupiter, known to the Greeks as
Zeus.

•Jupiter has a diameter of 88,700 miles, or 142,750 kilometres.

•Jupiter is the fifth planet in order from the Sun and is about 483 million miles,
or 777 million kilometres from the Sun.
 SATURN

. The bright globe of Saturn is surrounded by rings which may

be composed of ice.

. Three of these rings are visible from the Earth using a

telescope.

. Recently more rings have been found.

 URANUS

•Uranus cannot be seen from the Earth without a telescope.

•Uranus was first seen by William Herschel in 1781 using a telescope. In 1782
George III appointed Herschel as Astronomer Royal.
 NEPTUNE

•The discovery of the planet Neptune was one of the most exciting
discoveries in astronomy.

•Neptune cannot be seen without a large telescope.

•Was first seen in 1846 from the observatory in Berlin.

 Thanks
very much
for your
attention!