The Solar System
The Solar System
The solar system consists of the sun, the eight planets and their satellites (or moons), and thousands of other smaller heavenly bodies such as asteroids, comets and meteors.
» The sun is at the Centre of the solar system and all these bodies are revolving around it.
» The gravitational pull of the sun keeps all the planets and other objects revolving round it. Thus, the motion of all the members of the solar system is governed mainly by the gravitational force of the sun.
» Planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbit.
» In the solar system the plants nearest to the sun is Mercury and the planet farthest from the sun is Neptune ( not Pluto ).
» The size of solar system has been estimated to at about 105 A.U.
» The solar system is dominated by the sun which accounts for almost 99.9% of the matter in the whole solar system.
» The sun is also the source of all the energy in the solar system.
» Pluto is a dwarf planet.
» Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars are called terrestrial planets and Jupiter Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are called gaseous planets.