Planets and Solar System facts |Planet facts for kids | Solar system facts for Kids

Have you ever wondered how the space looks like and how the planets move around the giant Sun?
The family of planets and the world around the sun is called solar system.
1. The Sun is a giant ball of fire around which all the planets spins. The sun is so huge, you could fit the Earth inside it 1.3 million times. The Sun exerts a strong pull called Gravity that keeps the solar system spinning around it.
2. But planets are not the only world in the solar system . There are hundred of moons that circle around the planets. There are also millions of rocky asteroids and icy comets .
3. All the planets move around sun in their paths called orbits. This movement is called revolution. The spinning of planets on their axis is called rotation which causes day and night .
4. Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. It is almost the size of Earth’s moon. Mercury takes 59 Earth days to make one full rotation. It completes one revolution around the sun in just 88 Earth days.
5. Venus is the hottest planet even though it is not closest to the sun. It is just slightly bigger than Earth. Venus has mountains and volcanoes just like earth, but it spins the opposite direction of earth . It takes about 243 Earth days to spin around just once. Because it's so close to the sun, a year goes by fast. It takes 225 Earth days for Venus to go all the way around the sun.
6. Earth is another rocky planet with mountains, valleys and oceans. Water covers 70% of Earth's surface. A day on Earth is 24 hours long and it takes 365 days to make a full circle around the sun.
7. Mars is another rocky planet and is about half the size of Earth. Mars is sometimes called the Red Planet because of rusty iron in the ground. A day in Mars is about 24.6 hours long. Did you know an year in Mars is 687 Earth days which is almost double of a year on earth. Mars has two moons which are named as Phobos and Deimos.
8. Out beyond Mars is a band of Asteroids called the Asteroid belt. Further out are four giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn , Uranus and Neptune. Jupiter is the largest planet and is called the gas giant as it does not have a solid surface. It is made mostly of hydrogen and helium. It has big storms like the Great Red Spot, which has been going for hundreds of years. One day on Jupiter is just 10 hours and a year on Jupiter is 11.8 Earth years. It has 79 moons. Wow! That’s quiet a lot!
9. Like Jupiter , Saturn is also a ball of hydrogen and helium . It has a lovely set of seven main rings with spaces between them. Saturn has 53 moons! A day on Saturn is just 10.7 hours and a year is 29 Earth years.
10. Uranus is an icy giant planet. It has a thick atmosphere made of methane, hydrogen, and helium. All the planets spin around like tops, But Uranus spins on its side like a bowling ball.A day on Uranus is just over 17 hours and a year is 84 Earth years. Uranus has 27 moons.
11. Neptune is dark, cold, and very windy. It's the last of the planets in our solar system. Neptune like Uranus is an ice giant with its atmosphere covered with hydrogen, helium, and methane. It has six rings but it is hard to see. It has 13 moons.
Far beyond Neptune and far from the light and warmth of sun is the Kuiper belt which has countless icy chunks and dwarf planets.
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