The Solar System family
Meet the Sun and the eight planets that travel around it.
In the middle of our Solar System is the Sun. It is a star, a giant glowing ball of hot gas. It gives us light and warmth.
Eight planets travel around the Sun. Each one follows its own path, called an orbit.
Nearest the Sun is Mercury, the smallest planet. Next is Venus, which is covered in thick clouds. Third is Earth, our home. Fourth is Mars, the red planet.
Those four are rocky planets. Then comes the asteroid belt, full of space rocks.
Beyond it are four giant planets. Jupiter is the biggest of all. Saturn has beautiful rings. Uranus and Neptune are very cold and very far away.
One way to remember the order is to say: My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming. The first letters stand for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
There are smaller worlds too, such as the dwarf planet Pluto, and many moons, asteroids and comets.
More than 1,000 Earths could fit inside Jupiter.
Use the Solar System colouring sheet to colour the planets in order.