THE SUN
The Sun is a medium sized star and is 93,000,000 miles from Earth. The next closest star is about 25,000,000,000,000 miles away. The Sun is the center of the Solar System. The Sun’s light & heat comes from fire deep within it. If the Sun were just a HUGE bonfire it would have burned out long ago. Instead, the Sun is like a big endless hydrogen bomb.
When the globe became hot enough it set off a chain of nuclear explosions and the Sun began to shine. Hydrogen is the Sun’s fuel and it uses about 4,000,000 tons of hydrogen every second. The sun still has enough fuel to shine for about 5,000,000,000 years.
At the very center of the Sun is a core. The Sun’s core is as big as Jupiter, and in the core temperature can reach as high as 27,000,000 *F. Around the core are two layers radiative , and the convective zone. Here x-rays from the core move out towards the surface. Normally these rays move at the speed of light. But inside the sun, x-rays are greatly slowed down by the tightly packed gasses. The sun has an outer and inner atmosphere. The inner atmosphere is chromosphere and only becomes visible on a total eclipse of the Sun. The Sun’s outer atmosphere is chorona. The Suns chorona is made up of thin gases that are very, very hot reaching 3,000,000*F. Once you have learned about the Sun it is really not just a star, it’s a new world
by E.B. and B.M
EARTH
Do you love the air we breathe on Earth? If you’re not careful our entire Earth could be destroyed. Earth is our home planet. Air surrounds earth thickly. No other planet has an atmosphere like Earth. Earth has dark seas, light lands, and thick clouds of non-toxic gas. Earth is the only life-form planet in our solar system. Around our equator, the air is hot and humid. Near the depths of Antarctica and the tops of Greenland, snow falls heavily.
When earth spins showing the northern side, summer is present. This happens because the Earth is tilted toward the sun. When it is opposite, winter is present. From the moon you can see the light side of Earth because of the way the sun reflects on the moon. It takes 24 hours for Earth to spin fully and 365 days for Earth to fully orbit around the sun with the other planets. Every four years Earth has a stage called a leap year. Then instead of 28 days in February, there are 30.
Many years ago people thought our Earth was flat. Scientists discovered our planet was round. Our oceans cover three quarters of the Earth. Long ago earth had a period called the ice age and everything turned to ice. Water levels fell and created more land. One helpful bridge was the Bering Strait. It connected Asia and Alaska. Many ancestors of America Indians came and started life on North America. Environmental problems occur all of the time. If our people work together, we can make a difference. We can keep our planet longer.
by T.K. and J.B.
JUPITER
Wow! Did you know that if you were to stand on Jupiter’s surface, you would weigh more than two and a half times more then you weigh now? For example, if you weigh 100 pounds on earth, then on Jupiter you would weigh around 264 pounds. If you think that’s cool then fasten your seat belts because we have a whole solar system full of facts about Jupiter.
Scientists believe that Jupiter’s surface is a giant ocean of liquid hydrogen, more than ten thousand or more miles deep – no one knows. Maybe there is no solid surface at all, but it does have a rocky center. The rocky center of Jupiter is more than 50,000 degrees (f) like a boiling pot of water. However, as you move further away from its rocky center the temperature drops down to 250 degrees (f) below freezing. Now that’s cold! Jupiter is 480,000,000 miles from the sun and it is the biggest planet in the solar system. Although it is the fastest spinning planet in the solar system it takes 12 whole years to orbit the sun, when Earth only takes 24 hours. It also has the same color sky as Earth, but the hydrogen gas clouds cover the sky and give it that orange look.
Jupiter has many storms that move around the planet and don’t stay in one spot, just like earth, but there is a storm on Jupiter that does not move around. It stays in one area of the planet. That storm it’s called The Great Red Spot! The storm is a super hurricane, twice the size of Earth and has kept its shape for centuries! Can you imagine that?
Now, one last thing before we land back on Earth. Scientist just figured out that Jupiter has rings, probably formed by one of its moons volcanoes! I hoped you enjoyed learning about Jupiter as much as we did!
by E.D. and G.F
Mercury
Did you know Mercury can be the hottest planet, but also the coldest? When it’s hot it can get up to 750 degrees. When it’s cold it can go down to –300 degrees!Mercury is also the closest planet to the sun.It is only 36,000,000 miles away from the sun. A lot of meteorites hit Mercury and they made a lot of craters. Its biggest crater is 100 miles wide.You can only see Mercury in the sunrise and sunset.
Mercury also has a very rocky surface, and it is the fastest planet to orbit the sun. It takes 88 days to orbit the sun. Mercury also has no atmosphere, and it is the second smallest planet. These are some of the facts about Mercury and there’s many more to find out!
by M.G. and D.F
NEPTUNE
Did you know that Neptune has raging winds, which go more than 1,400 mph! Neptune is a very violent place. Follow me to Neptune and it’s moons.
Neptune is about 2.8 billion miles from the sun. It’s the 8th planet in our solar system. Neptune is a giant gas planet. The planet has raging winds and also has a giant dark hurricane named The Giant Dark Spot. Neptune has four tiny rings around it, which is made out of tiny dust particles.
Neptune has eight moons. The biggest moon is named Triton. It has bigger and more active geysers than Earth. The smallest moon is named Nereid and the other moons, which were found by Voyager 2 and temporarily named 1989 N1-1989 N6. So, that is all of our true and interesting facts about Neptune.
by J.P. and M.M.
SATURN
Did you know Saturn was named after a Roman God of farming? If you think that’s cool, then you have to join us on the trip of a lifetime!
It takes three whole years just to travel to Saturn. Get this! It’s made up of fiercely poisonous gases such as ammonia and methane. The windstorms on Saturn fly 1,000 miles per hour blowing the clouds all over the place that surround this planet. These clouds push down gases into the atmosphere changes them into liquids.
Saturn has more than 20 moons orbiting it. As for Saturn, it takes 30 years to orbit the sun only once. The planets actual color includes broad belts of yellow, brown, and orange clouds. Saturn is a beautiful planet with its rings, but many questions still remain.
by K.B. and C.F.
PLUTO
Did you know a year on Pluto lasts for 248 YEARS on Earth?!!!!! Pluto is the ninth planet in the solar system. It is also the furthest away from the sun. Since the plant is so far away from the sun, it gets no light or heat. This planets surface is very dark and extremely cold.
Did you know Pluto’s orbit is tilted? If you could look at the solar system from an “edge” most of the planets would be on a line like a table top, with the sun in the middle, and Pluto would be tilted differently from the others.
Pluto is after Neptune in the solar system, and is the smallest planet in the galaxy. Because this planet is so small you probably would not be able to see it even if you had a telescope. All you would see is a pinpoint of light among the stars. Our very own moon is even larger than Pluto.
Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. Pluto is called the Roman god of darkness and the underworld. Pluto got its name as a result of a suggestion of a young British girl. Pluto’s Greek name is Hades from the underworld.
This planet has never been explored by a spacecraft. This planet is a dark frozen world. The current studies tell us that Pluto is made up of a mixture of rock and several kinds of “ices.” The ices are made up of frozen methane and ammonia.
by G.T. and A.N.
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