Explore the solar system for kids and adults.

This page will explore the solar system for kids and adults. That's what the tiny piece of space that the earth is a part of is called, the solar system. Our planetary system is made up of the Sun and everything that is in orbit around the Sun. This includes:

• Mercury
  
  
  
• Venus
  
  
  
• Earth
  
  
  
• Mars
  
  
  
• Jupiter
  
  
  
• Saturn
  
  
  
• Uranus
  
  
  
• Neptune
  
  
  
• Pluto
  
  
  
• The Sun
  
  
  
• Earth`s Moon
  
  
  
• Asteroid Belt
  
  
  
• Comets
  
  
  
• Meteors

Did you know that our planetary system is shaped like an egg?

The planets orbit the Sun due to its gravitational pull. Each of the planets have different orbits around the Sun. The further from the Sun a planet is, the longer it takes to orbit the Sun. The Sun is huge! In fact, the Sun makes up about 99% of the mass in our system of planets.It takes the Earth 365 days to go around the Sun. This is why there are 365 days in a year.

Can you guess how old our system of planets is? Well believe it or not, some scientists think that it`s over 4 billion years old!

Our planetary system is part of a galaxy called the Milky Way. No, I'm not talking about the candy bar!

Watch this video and take a tour of the Solar System