Question 1

What is the solar system?

Accepted Answer

The solar system is like a big family of planets and other objects that orbit, or go around, the Sun. The Sun is in the middle and everything moves around it.

Question 2

How many planets are in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

There are eight planets in our solar system. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Question 3

Why is the Sun important?

Accepted Answer

The Sun is important because it gives us light and heat. It's why we see and feel warm on Earth, and it also helps plants grow.

Question 4

What are asteroids?

Accepted Answer

Asteroids are rocky objects that are a lot smaller than planets. Most of them are found in the asteroid belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter.

Question 5

What is the biggest planet in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. It's so big that over 1,300 Earths could fit inside it!

Question 6

Why is Earth special in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

Earth is special because it is the only planet where we know there is life. It has water, air, and the right temperature for plants, animals, and people to live.

Question 7

What is a comet?

Accepted Answer

A comet is a small icy object that orbits the Sun. When it gets close to the Sun, it lights up and sometimes you can see a tail of gas and dust behind it.

Question 8

Why does the moon orbit Earth?

Accepted Answer

The moon orbits Earth because of gravity, which is a force that pulls things together. Earth’s gravity keeps the moon circling around it.

Question 9

What is a day on a planet?

Accepted Answer

A day on a planet is how long it takes for the planet to spin around once. On Earth, this takes 24 hours.

Question 10

What is a year on a planet?

Accepted Answer

A year on a planet is how long it takes for the planet to go all the way around the Sun. For Earth, this takes about 365 days.

Question 11

What is the smallest planet in the solar system?

Accepted Answer

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. It's just a little bigger than our moon!

Question 12

What are rings around a planet?

Accepted Answer

Rings are made of ice, dust, and rocks that orbit around some planets. Saturn is famous for its beautiful rings.

Question 13

What are meteors?

Accepted Answer

Meteors are tiny pieces of rock or metal from space that catch on fire as they fall through Earth's atmosphere. We usually call them shooting stars when we see them.

Question 14

How do the planets stay in orbit around the Sun?

Accepted Answer

The planets stay in orbit because of the Sun’s gravity, which acts like a giant magnet that keeps them moving around it in circles.

Question 15

Why does Mars look red?

Accepted Answer

Mars looks red because it has a lot of rusty iron on its surface. This makes it look like it’s covered in red dust.

Question 16

What is the Kuiper Belt?

Accepted Answer

The Kuiper Belt is a region past Neptune that has many icy objects. Pluto, which used to be considered a planet, is in this region.

Question 17

Why can’t we live on other planets?

Accepted Answer

Most other planets are too hot, too cold, or don’t have air to breathe. Earth is just right for us to live because it has air, water, and the proper temperature.

Question 18

What is a solar eclipse?

Accepted Answer

A solar eclipse happens when the moon comes between Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light for a short time. This makes it look like the day turns into night!

Question 19

What is the Milky Way?

Accepted Answer

The Milky Way is the galaxy where our solar system lives. It’s a huge collection of stars, dust, and other things all held together by gravity.

Question 20

How do we learn about the solar system?

Accepted Answer

We learn about the solar system by using telescopes to observe things from Earth and sending spacecraft to explore the planets and other objects. This helps scientists understand more about space.

The Solar System: Structure and Phenomena - 20 FAQs Explained Simply