The Solar System

Our Solar System is made up of nine planets, their moons, and our sun.

The planets and their moons go around or orbit the sun.

The orbits are not round. They are elliptical or egg-shaped.

The first four planets are called the inner planets. They are closest to the sun. Their names are Mercury,

Venus, Earth and Mars. These planets are made mostly of rock.

The next five planets are called the outer planets. Their names are Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and

Pluto. They are called gas giants because they are made mostly of gases.

The sun

The sun is the centre of our Solar System. All the planets and other objects orbit around it.The sun makes life on our planet possible by giving us great amounts of light and heat. Most of our energy comes from the sun. Plants need sunlight to make their own food and give out oxygen. All living things need oxygen. The sun is a huge ball of white-hot gases. Permanent nuclear reactions produce the sun’s light and heat