Facts about Solar System
- [Narrator] Our solar system is one of over 500 known solar systems in the entire Milky Way galaxy. The solar system came into being about 4.5 billion years ago, when a cloud of interstellar gas and dust collapsed, resulting in a solarnebula, a swirling disc of material that collidedto form the solar system. The solar system is located in the Milky Way's Orion star cluster. Only 15% of stars in thegalaxy host planetary systems, and one of those stars is our own sun. Revolving around thesun are eight planets. The planets are dividedinto two categories, based on their composition, Terrestrial and Jovian. Terrestrial planets includingMercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, are primarilymade of rocky material.
Their surfaces are solid,they don't have ring systems, they have very few or no moons, and they are relatively small. The smallest and closestto the sun is Mercury, which has the shortestorbit in the solar system at about three Earth months. Venus is the hottestplanet, with temperatures of up to 867 degreesFahrenheit, due to an atmosphere of carbon dioxide andextensive lava flows. Next to this world of fireis a world of water, Earth. The water systems onthis planet help create the only known environment in the universe capable of sustaining life. The last of the terrestrial planets, Mars, might have also supported lifeabout 3.7 billion years ago, when the planet had a waterysurface, and moist atmosphere. Beyond the four Terrestrial planets of the inner solar systemlie the Jovian planets of the outer solar system.
The Jovian planets includegas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune. The gas giants arepredominantly made of helium and hydrogen, and the icegiants also contain rock, ice, and a liquid mixture ofwater, methane, and ammonia. All four Jovian planetshave multiple moons, sport ring systems, have nosolid surface, and are immense. The largest Jovian isalso the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. Nearby is Saturn, the solarsystem's second largest planet. Its signature rings are wide enough to fit between Earth and the moon, but are barely a kilometer thick. Past Saturn are the icegiants, Uranus and Neptune. The slightly bigger ofthese ice giants, Uranus, is famous for rotating on its side. Next to Uranus is Neptune,the outermost planet in the solar system, andalso one of the coldest. Orbiting the Terrestrialplanets is the asteroid belt, a flat disc of rockyobjects, full of remnants from the solar system's formation.
From microscopic dust particles, to the largest known object,the dwarf planet, Ceres. Another disc of space debrislies much further out, and orbits the Jovianplanets, the icy Kuiper Belt. Apart from asteroids, theKuiper Belt is also home to dwarf planets, such as Pluto, and is the birthplace of many comets. Beyond the Kuiper Belt is the Oort Cloud, a vast, sphericalcollection of icy debris. It is considered theedge of the solar system since that is where the gravitational and physical influences of the sun end. Our solar system'sparticular configuration of planets and other celestial objects, all revolving around a life-giving star, make it a special place to call home.
Their surfaces are solid,they don't have ring systems, they have very few or no moons, and they are relatively small. The smallest and closestto the sun is Mercury, which has the shortestorbit in the solar system at about three Earth months. Venus is the hottestplanet, with temperatures of up to 867 degreesFahrenheit, due to an atmosphere of carbon dioxide andextensive lava flows. Next to this world of fireis a world of water, Earth. The water systems onthis planet help create the only known environment in the universe capable of sustaining life. The last of the terrestrial planets, Mars, might have also supported lifeabout 3.7 billion years ago, when the planet had a waterysurface, and moist atmosphere. Beyond the four Terrestrial planets of the inner solar systemlie the Jovian planets of the outer solar system.
The Jovian planets includegas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune. The gas giants arepredominantly made of helium and hydrogen, and the icegiants also contain rock, ice, and a liquid mixture ofwater, methane, and ammonia. All four Jovian planetshave multiple moons, sport ring systems, have nosolid surface, and are immense. The largest Jovian isalso the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. Nearby is Saturn, the solarsystem's second largest planet. Its signature rings are wide enough to fit between Earth and the moon, but are barely a kilometer thick. Past Saturn are the icegiants, Uranus and Neptune. The slightly bigger ofthese ice giants, Uranus, is famous for rotating on its side. Next to Uranus is Neptune,the outermost planet in the solar system, andalso one of the coldest. Orbiting the Terrestrialplanets is the asteroid belt, a flat disc of rockyobjects, full of remnants from the solar system's formation.
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