The solar system consists of the sun and everything that orbits it, including eight planets, their moons, asteroids and comets. The planets can be divided into terrestrial planets like Earth and Mars that are smaller and rocky, and gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn that are large. Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet. Beyond the planets is the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Stars are balls of hot gas that produce energy through nuclear reactions, with our closest star being the sun. Nebulae are large clouds of dust and gas within our galaxy. Earth and the sun are part of the Milky Way galaxy, and galaxies together make up the universe.

1. A to u r o f Th e
U n iv e r s e

2. Planets
 A planet is a
body which
orbits (travels
around) a star
 The planet
Earth orbits
the Sun (our
nearest star)

3. Moons
 A moon is a body
which orbits a
planet
 Our moon travels
around the Earth
 Most of the other
planets have
moons

4. Solar System
 The Solar System is the sun and all the
bodies orbiting it
 It is the eight planets, their moons, the
asteroids and their comets

7. Who is the furthest of them
all?

8. The terrestrial planets
Mercury Venus
Earth Mars

9. The gas giants
Jupiter Saturn
Uranus Neptune

10. Pluto
Pluto is now
classified as
a ‘dwarf
planet’
It is much
smaller than
the other Its orbit is not in the same plane as
planets. the other planets – go back and have
a look at the solar system image.

11. The Asteroid Belt
 Located between
Mars and Jupiter
 Belt of lumps of
rocks
 Largest rock, Ceres
is 1000km in
diameter

13. Stars
 Balls of hot gas
 Nuclear reactions
occur in stars
 Produce lots of
energy including
light
 Our nearest star is
the sun
 Second closest is
Proxima Centauri

15. Nebulae
 Nebulae are large
clouds of dust
and gas within our
own galaxy made
visible by their
interaction with
nearby stars or
star remnants.

17. Galaxy
 Huge group of stars held together by
gravity
 Earth is part of the Milky Way galaxy

18. Universe
 Contains one hundred thousand million
galaxies
 Contains everything that exists