The Solar System

I will be talking about the Solar System in this post. The Solar System consists of the sun, and the celestial objects bound to it by gravity. Of the many objects that orbit the Sun, most of the mass is contained within eight relatively solitary planets whose orbits are almost circular. The four smaller inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, also called the terrestrial planets, are primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer planets, the gas giants, are substantially more massive than the terrestrials. The two largest, Jupiter and Saturn, are composed mainly of hydrogen and helium; the two outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune, are composed largely of ices, such as water, ammonia and methane, and are often referred to separately as "ice giants".



The Sun
The Sun is the Solar System's star and also the chief component. It's mass is around 332900 times of earth's mass. The Sun is classified as a type G2 Yellow Dwarf. However, do not be fooled by the name as the Sun is rather large and bright compared to many of the other stars in our galaxy. The light produced by the sun is used by plants to photosynthesize and make food.


Mercury
Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It it also the smallest planet in our Solar System. A year in Mercury is approximately 88 Earth days as Mercury is closer to the Sun and therefore travels a smaller distance around the Sun than the Earth.



Venus
Venus is the second planet closest to the sun. It is one of the hottest planets, its temperature being 470°C. It is mostly made out of carbon dioxide. Venus is classified as a terrestrial planet and it is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" due to the similar size, gravity, and bulk composition.



Earth

Earth is the third planet closest to the Sun and is also home to millions of species of animals. Earth also is home to us humans. It is the only planet known to contain lifeforms in the whole universe. Earth's biosphere enabled the ozone layer to be formed which, together with Earth's magnetic field, blocks harmful solar radiation from the Sun and permits life on the planet. Earth is also the largest terrestrial planet. It is expected to continue to support life for another 500 million years.


Mars

Mars it the fourth planet from the Sun. It is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth. Iron Oxide on its surface gives it a red appearance, this led to Mars being described as the "Red Planet".


Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun, and the biggest planet in the Solar System, and it is mainly made of hydrogen and helium. It is a gas giant with a mass slightly less than one-thousandth of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined.

Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun.Saturn has nine rings, consisting mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Sixty-two known moons orbit the planet, fifty-three are officially named. The biggest of the moons is called Titan.

Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and the third-largest and fourth most massive planet in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus. Though it is visible to the naked eye like the five classical planets, it was never recognized as a planet by ancient observers because of its dimness and slow orbit. Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope.


Neptune

Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in our Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third-largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 Earth masses and not as dense.


Reflection

I chose this topic as I recall learning in in Primary 5 and being intrigued by it. I like to explore about the planets as I find them being interesting. By doing my ePortfolio on this, I can understand more and still have fun while doing it. I feel that doing this has increased what I know about the Solar System and help me understand it clearer.