The Planets and Dwarf Planets
A planet is a large space object which
revolves
around a star. It also
reflects
that star's light. Eight planets have been discovered in our solar
system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the planets closest to the Sun.
They are called the inner planets. The inner planets are made up mostly of rock.
The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are large balls of
gases
with rings around them. All eight planets travel around the Sun in a different
orbit. In its orbit, there are not many other objects like the planet.
Dwarf planets are objects that are similar to planets except that they orbit the Sun in areas where there are many similar objects.
The Inner Planets | The Outer Planets | Dwarf Planets |
---|---|---|
Mercury | Jupiter | Pluto |
Venus | Saturn | Ceres |
Earth | Uranus | Eris |
Mars | Neptune | Haumea |
Makemake |
Show me the Level 2 version of this page. |
The StarChild site is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Dr. Alan Smale (Director), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/ GSFC.
StarChild Authors: The StarChild Team
StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments
StarChild Project Leader: Dr. Laura A.
Whitlock
Curator:
Responsible NASA Official:
If you have comments or questions about the StarChild site, please
send them to us.