Hey there! Welcome to our fun journey through the solar system. Today, we’re going to use a telescope to explore some amazing planets and learn cool facts about them. Let’s get started!
At the center of our solar system is the Sun. It’s a huge, super-hot ball of gas that gives us light and heat. Without the Sun, Earth would be a dark and frozen place with no life. The Sun is the star that keeps everything in our solar system in orbit around it.
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and also the smallest. It’s less than half the size of Earth. Mercury doesn’t have a lot of gases around it, so it experiences big temperature changes. It can be super cold at night and very hot during the day. It’s not a place where people or even robotic rats could live!
Next up is Venus, the brightest planet in our solar system. You can sometimes see it from Earth just after sunset or before sunrise. Venus is rocky and covered with thick clouds, but it’s extremely hot. In fact, it’s the hottest planet in our solar system, even hotter than Mercury!
Now, let’s visit Earth, our home planet. Earth is about 93 million miles from the Sun and takes 365 days to orbit it. Earth is special because it’s the only planet we know that has liquid water and life. No other planet in our solar system has plants, animals, or any living things like Earth does. Earth, you rock!
Our last stop for today is Mars, also known as the Red Planet. Mars has a reddish color because of the minerals on its surface. A day on Mars is almost the same length as a day on Earth, just about 40 minutes longer. Mars has ice at its north pole but no liquid water. It also has mountains and canyons, including the solar system’s biggest volcano, Olympus Mons, which is nearly three times taller than Mount Everest!
The solar system is an amazing place with different worlds and extreme environments. Today, we explored four rocky planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Next time, we’ll learn about the gas giants, planets with no solid surface at all. Thanks for exploring with us, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Create Your Own Solar System Model: Gather some craft supplies like colored paper, scissors, glue, and markers. Create a simple model of the solar system by cutting out circles for each planet and the Sun. Arrange them in order from the Sun and label each one. Think about the size differences and colors of the planets. Display your model at home and explain to your family what you learned about each planet.
Planet Temperature Experiment: With the help of an adult, use two thermometers and two small boxes. Place one box in a sunny spot and the other in the shade. Put a thermometer in each box and check the temperatures after an hour. Discuss how this experiment is similar to Mercury’s temperature changes from day to night. Why do you think Mercury gets so hot during the day and cold at night?
Stargazing Adventure: On a clear evening, go outside with an adult and try to spot Venus in the sky. It’s often visible just after sunset or before sunrise. Use a simple star chart or an app to help locate it. Talk about why Venus is so bright and what makes it different from the other planets. Can you imagine what it would be like to visit Venus?
