The Solar System

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Charon

Moon of dwarf planet Pluto, discovered in 1978.

Oberon

Ninth largest moon in the solar system, Second largest moon of Uranus.

Solar System

Planets, moons, sun, dwarf planets, and asteroids in space.

Titan

Second largest moon in the solar system, is larger than the Moon.

Umbriel

Second most heavily cratered moon of Uranus

Enceladus

Sixth largest moon of Saturn, is cracked on surface.

Dwarf planets

The 5 dwarf planets that are smaller than the regular planets, These are Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.

Primary planets

The 8 planets that orbit our Sun, These are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

The Sun

The center of our solar system, once thought to be orbiting around the Earth, Solar flares hitting Earth cause the Northern Lights.

Inner planets

The first four planets that are closest to the sun and made of rock, also known as terrestrial planets. (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars).

Pluto

The former ninth planet, Now called a dwarf planet as of 2006, has 5 moons, the New Horizons spacecraft discovered a heart on Pluto in 2015, named after the Roman god of the underworld.

Earth

The one we live on, has 1 moon, Named after no one, Once thought to be in the center of our solar system, Takes 365.25 days to orbit around the sun. Takes 24 hours to spin around once.

Outer planets

The planets that are farther away from the sun and made of gas, also known as Jovian planets or gas giants. (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune).

Iapetus

Third largest moon of Saturn, is brown and white in color.

Callisto

Third largest moon of the solar system, Most heavily cratered body in the solar system.

Mars

Called the Red Planet, Named after the Greek god of war, has 2 moons, water was found in 2015.

Eris

Dwarf planet, Largest dwarf planet, has 1 moon, Named after the Greek god of strife and discord. Original nickname was "Xena".

Makemake

Dwarf planet, has 1 moon (discovered in 2015), Named after the god of fertillity in Rapanui (native people of Easter Island) mythology, Nicknamed "Easterbunny" because it was discovered after Easter.

Trans-Neptunian objects

Objects that orbit beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.

Asteroid belt

A belt of asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

Kuiper Belt

A belt of small bodies made of ice and rock beyond the orbit of Neptune, named after Gerard Kuiper.

Ceres

A dwarf planet and asteroid, first asteroid to be discovered (1801), has no moons, smallest dwarf planet and largest asteroid, Named after the goddess of growing plants, harvest, and motherly love.

Varuna

A trans-Neptunian object, might be a dwarf planet, Named after the Hindu deity Varuna.

Sedna

A trans-Neptunian object, might be a dwarf planet, Named after the Inuit goddess of the sea.

Quaoar

A trans-Neptunian object, might be a dwarf planet, has 1 moon, Named after the Native American Tongva tribe creator god, Quaoar

Orcus

A trans-Neptunian object, might be a dwarf planet, has 1 moon, Named after the punisher of broken oaths in Italic and Roman mythology.

Mimas

Has a giant crater made by an asteroid that nearly split the moon in half

Haumea

Dwarf planet, is in the shape of an oval, Nicknamed "Santa" because it was discovered after Christmas, has 2 moons, has a ring, named after the Hawaiian godness of childbirth.

Titania

Eighth largest moon in the solar system, made of canyons.

Io

Fourth largest moon in the Solar System, most volcanically active body in the solar system, One of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter.

Ariel

Fourth largest moon of Uranus.

The Moon

Goes through 8 different phases, Natural satellite of the Earth, In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon.

Uranus

Has 27 moons, tilted on its side, Named after the Greek god of the sky, The other pronounciation "your-anus" makes people laugh, first planet to be discovered with a telescope, Moons named after characters from William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

Saturn

Has rings around it, has 146 moons, Named after the Roman god of agriculture and time, has moonlets orbiting its rings.

Venus

Hottest planet in the solar system, has no moons, rotates clockwise, day longer than year, temperature is hot enough to melt lead, Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Ganymede

Largest moon in the solar system, Larger than Mercury and our Moon, Only moon to have a magnetosphere.

Triton

Largest moon of Neptune, Thought to been a dwarf planet captured by Neptune.

Jupiter

Largest planet, has 95 moons, has a hurricane called the "Great Red Spot", made of gas, first of the Gas Giants also known as Jovian Planets, has rings, Named after the Greek king of the gods.

Neptune

Last planet in the solar system, has 14 moons, has rings, has a "Great Dark Spot", Discovered in 1846 using mathematics, Named after the Roman god of the sea.

Phobos

Means "fear" in Greek, One of the "potato-shaped" moons of Mars, largest moon of Mars.

Deimos

Means "panic" in Greek, The second "potato-shaped" moon of Mars, smallest moon of Mars.

Europa

Smallest Galilean moon, sixth largest moon in the solar system, covered in cracks, Many believe the cracks are because of tidal forces on the ocean beneath the surface.

Mercury

Smallest planet in our solar system, hot in the day and cold in the night, has no moons, Named after the Roman messenger god.


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