What is the universe?
The Earth, stars in the sky, the planets, everything that lives on them, and all that is beyond... that is the universe.
Did you know that....
* We are made of the same kind of stuff that stars are made of!
* That there are other huge groups of stars in space called galaxies.
* The Big Bang sent other young universes flying out in all directions...North, South, East, and West!
Will the universe ever end?
Some scientists, called astronomers, who study the sky think that the universe will keep getting bigger and bigger. Others think that the galaxies may crash into one another.
Did you know that....
* Astronomers are people who study planets and stars.
* No one really knows where the stuff that made up the universe came from.
What is the Milky Way?
No the Milky Way isn’t a candy bar. The Milky Way is the name of the galaxy that we live in. It is made up of all the stars and planets you can see at night.
Did you know that....
* The Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy. This is what it looks like.
* The Milky Way galaxy got its name because we can see some parts of it at night, and it looks like a big band of milky white light.
How many stars are there?
There are approximately 1000 billion stars in our galaxy.
Did you know that....
* There are 3 main shapes of galaxies:
| 1. Irregular (which means odd shape) |  |
| 2. Spiral (like our Milky Way) |  |
| 3. Elliptical (sort of oval shapped, like an egg) |  |
Why do stars twinkle?
Stars do not twinkle. They only seem to twinkle because of the atmosphere (air) surrounding the Earth. The air bends the light that the star produces.
Did you know that....
* Stars are not star shaped. They are round like a ball.
What is a black hole?
A black hole is something that happens when a big star dies. The star caves in on its self becoming smaller and smaller. Soon what is left pulls light in and other materials. Stars that become a black hole have a very strong gravity.
Did you know that....
* Gravity is the force that holds you to the Earth.
* A planet’s gravity is what keeps its Moons from floating off into space.
* A black hole sucks light into it, just like a sink drain sucks down water.
How hot is our Sun?
The Sun is a huge ball of gas that has a very hot temperature of around 27 million F. Nothing can live on the Sun.
Did you know that....
* Without the Sun, the Earth’s animals and plants could not live.
* One day our Sun will use all its energy and die.
* The Sun still has enough energy to shine for another 5 billion years.
How many planets are in our Solar System?
There are eight planets other than the Earth. So there is a total of NINE planets in our Solar
System.
| The First planet is Mercury. It is the closest to the Sun. |
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| The second planet is Venus. Venus is also known as the Earth’s sister planet. |
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| The third planet in our Solar System is our Earth. Earth is the only planet known to have life. |
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| The fourth planet from the Sun is Mars. Mars is also known as the Red Planet. |
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| The fifth planet is Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. |
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| The sixth planet is Saturn. Saturn is known for its beautiful system of rings. |
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| The seventh planet from the Sun is Uranus. |  |
| The eighth planet in our Solar System is Neptune. |  |
| And the last planet, number nine, is Pluto. Pluto is the smallest planet in our Solar System. |
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* The word planet is from a greek word planetes, which means "wanderer".
* An orbit is a path a Moon travels around a planet and a planet travels around the Sun!
* All planets spin as they go around the Sun.
Which planet is the hottest?
You might think that Mercury is the hottest planet because it's the closest to the Sun. That’s good thinking, but in this case Venus is the hottest planet. Even though it is the second planet away from the sun, Venus can reach up to 900 F. Now that’s hot!
Did you know that....
* Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. People once thought that life was on Mars, but no signs of life have been found.
* Venus is hotter that Mercury because of clouds that keep the heat in.
Which planet is the biggest?
Jupiter is the biggest planet. It is so big that all the other planets could park on it!
Did you know that....
* There are four planet in our Solar System that have rings.
* That Jupiter is one of the planets that has rings.
* Jupiter is also the name of the king of the Roman Gods.
Which planet is the coldest?
Pluto is the coldest planet. It has an icy temperature of -400 F. Compared to ice cream on Earth that tastes cold, ice cream on Pluto would seem very hot!
Did you know that....
* Pluto is so cold because it is the farthest away from the Sun.
* Pluto is about 40 times farther away from the Sun than Earth is!
* The gas that gives Uranus it’s blue color is called methane.
* Every 248 years Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune is!
Which planet is the smallest?
Pluto is the smallest planet.
Did you know that....
* Uranus spins differently than the other planets.
* If you weigh 85 pounds on Earth that you would weigh 32 pounds on Mars!
* Venus is the second planet to the Sun.
What are Saturn’s Rings made of?
The rings of Saturn are made of rock, dust, and ice. They all orbit around the planet.
Did you know that....
* Rockets can go up to 25,000 miles per hour.
* Space can stretch you. Astronauts can come back from space as much as 2 inches taller!!
