Outer Space!
As a child, I loved learning about outer space! The study of outer space is called “astronomy.”
There are so many cool things to lean about in outer space. There are planets, moons, stars, comets, galaxies, and even supermassive black holes!
As you probably know, we live on the planet Earth. We have one moon, called Luna. We have one sun, called Sol. But what else is out there?
ROTATING V. REVOLVING
In astronomy, it’s important to know the difference between “rotating” and “revolving.” When you stand in 
Rotation |
the middle of the room and spin around until you get dizzy, that’s called rotating. On the other hand, when you put a chair in the middle of the room and walk around it, you are orbiting or revolving around the chair.
Can you rotate and revolve around the chair at the same time? In fact, you can, and this is precisely what our planets do! 
Revolution |
The planet Earth makes a complete rotation in approximately twenty-four (24) hours. That’s why the sun rises once a day every day. The earth rotates around what is called it’s “axis.” Imagine a pole going through the Earth, with one side sticking out at the north pole and the other at the south pole. If such a pole existed, it would be in the same location as the Earth’s axis.
In addition to rotating around it’s axis, the Earth also orbits or revolves around the sun. It does this once every 365¼ days, which is why there are 365 days in a year (and a leap-year every four years).
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
In our star system, there are eight planets. A “star system” is the set of objects that orbit a given star. The Latin name of our star is Sol (but most people just call it the sun), and the name of our star system is the Solar System. In addition to the eight planets, there are also a vast number of comets, meteoroids, asteroids, and what are called “dwarf planets” that also orbit the sun.
THE FOUR INNER PLANETS
The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Because they are all small, rocky planets close Sol, they are often referred to as the “Terrestrial planets.” To learn more about them, click here!
ASTEROID BELT
There are many asteroids in our Solar System. There are so many asteroids in between Mars and Jupiter that this region is usually referred to as the “asteroid belt.” The four largest objects in the asteroid belt are Ceres, 4 Vesta, 2 Pallas, and 10 Hygiea. The asteroid belt is seen here in white:
THE FOUR OUTER PLANETS
The four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Because they are all large planets made either mostly or entirely out of gas, they are often referred to as the “gas giants.” To learn more about them, click here!
THE FOUR DWARF PLANETS
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