Naming the Planets
Name the planets in our solar system in order from the Sun and use vocabulary for space: planet, star, sun, moon, satellite, orbit, solar system, galaxy, universe, asteroid, comet, applying these correctly when describing the structure of the solar system and objects we see in the sky
What a learner can do afterwards
- Name the eight planets in order from the Sun without prompting
- Use 'orbit' correctly to describe the movement of planets around the Sun and moons around planets
- Distinguish between a planet, a moon, a star, and an asteroid using the correct vocabulary
1 · Read
The Sun is a star at the center of our solar system. Eight planets orbit it. Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
A planet orbits a star. Earth's Moon orbits Earth. That circling path is called an orbit.
Zoe sees three bright dots in the night sky. One twinkles, so it is a star. Two do not twinkle, so they are planets.
Stars twinkle in the night sky. Planets do not twinkle as much. That is one way to tell them apart.
The Sun is a star. Eight planets orbit it in order, from Mercury to Neptune.
More to read
3.4 Orbits in the Solar System
Our solar system has eight planets orbiting the Sun. In order from the Sun, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. A handy way to remember them is: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles. The first four are rocky inner planets. The last four are gas and ice giants. Earth is the only planet we know with liquid water on its surface and life. A planet orbits a star, a moon orbits a planet, and a star makes its own light. Asteroids are rocky leftovers, and comets are icy visitors from the outer solar system.
How Was Our Solar System Formed?
The Sun and planets formed together about 4.6 billion years ago from a cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula. A shock wave from a nearby supernova probably started the collapse. The Sun formed in the center, and the planets formed in a disk around it. Moons formed around the gas giants. Comets condensed in the outer solar system. The four inner planets are rocky because the Sun's heat blew away their gas. The four outer planets are huge and gassy because they formed where it was cold enough to keep hydrogen and helium.
Key points: The solar system
Our solar system contains one star (the Sun), eight planets, their moons, an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and comets in the outer reaches. The inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) have solid surfaces and thin atmospheres. The outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are giant worlds of gas and ice with many moons and ring systems. Pluto is a dwarf planet, not a full planet. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 9.5 trillion kilometers. The nearest star beyond the Sun is over 4 light-years away.
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2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.