Jupiter Plough stars millions Venus light planet rock

Sun shapes

Some planets have moons going round them. The Earth has one moon. It is like a small planet. It is a ball of rock. It has mountains and craters, but there is no air or water on the Moon.

Sometimes the Moon goes between the Sun and the Earth in a straight line. The Sun’s light cannot get through to the Earth. It goes very dark for a few minutes. This is an eclipse of the Sun.

sometimes the Earth goes between the Sun and the Moon in a straight line. The Sun’s light cannot get through to the Moon. The Moon goes darker for a few hours. This is an eclipse of the Moon.

People, animals and plants live on the Earth. They do not live on the Moon or any other planets.

Mercury is nearest to the Sun, so it is very hot. It is the smallest

planet.

Venus is the brightest planet in the sky. It is also very hot, but it is nearest to the Earth.

Mars has two moons and it looks like a red star in the sky It is covered with orange-red dust and rocks. Mars has seasons like the Earth. There are stories about Martians - people living on Mars - but the are not true!

Jupiter and Saturn both have many moons. Jupiter has more than 16 moons and Saturn has more than 22 moons. Jupiter is the biggest and heaviest planet. There is a thick cloud round Jupiter. Saturn has rings round it.

They look different in different years because they are tilted.

It takes Saturn 29 years to go round the Sun.

We need a telescope to see Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. They are all very far from the Sun and very cold. Uranus is a very pale green colour. It takes 84 years to go round the Sun. Neptune is bluish-green. It takes 164 years to go round the Sun, and Pluto takes 248 years!

We cannot see all the planets all the time. Astronomers can find out when and where we can see each planet. Then we can look for the planets in the sky