Planet watch
We can see some of the planets without the aid a telescope. They shine like stars, but they have no light of their own. They are lighted up by the sun.
The planets going round the sun, their satellites, the asteroids and comets, make up thee solar system. Expect for mercury and Venus, all the other planets.
All planets are round; all follow definite and fixed paths around the sun and for some reasons and all of them rotate about their own axis.
Mercury: nearest to the sun
Mercury is small planet and is made of rocks. It is nearest to the n. in the night light of the sun.
Venus: our closest neighbor
Venus is slightly than earth. It is composed of rocks. Venus has mountains and plans, but no water and atmosphere. It looks very bright in the shy and is sometimes called evening star.
The earth: our planet
The earth looks like a blue- and – white marble from outer space. It is the only planet with liquid water and atmosphere.
Mars: the red planet
Mars is reddish in color. It is almost half the size of the earth.
Jupiter: the largest planet
Jupiter is so large that about 1400 earths could fit into it. It is most famous marking is the `great red spot’.
Saturn: the ringed planet
Saturn, sixth from the sun has 7 rings around it. It has 31 satellites, one of which is Titan. Titan is as large as Mars and is the biggest moon in the solar system.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are very far the sun. Naturally, it is very clod on these planets. Uranus has at least 27 satellites. Neptune has 11 satellites and 5 rings. It appears as a pale blue disc. It is found to be a gaseous mass.
Pluto has one satellite. Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system.
Pluto is the farthest from the sun.
The inner and outer planets
a) Mercury, Venus, earth and mars are close to the sun and are called the inner planets.
b) Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are the outer planets.
Between the inner and outer planets there are countless tiny objects called asteroids moving around the sun. The largest of these asteroids is Ceres.