We all have heard about the solar system. We know that the solar system forms a vital part of the universe.
Solar System
The solar system in simple words can be described as the sun and all the objects around it. The solar system is very huge and consists of many objects held together by the gravitational force. The sun is the centre and the biggest object in the solar system.
What does the solar system consists of?
It also consists of eight planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets. Let us know more about it in depth.
Planets
Planets are the spherical objects that revolve around the sun in an elliptical orbit. The well-known planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Satellites
The objects that revolve around planets are called satellites. For example, the moon revolves around the earth and is called a natural satellite of the earth.
Artificial satellite
Some satellites are made by man and sent to space to get the information about the planets and these are called artificial satellites. Aryabhatta is the first artificial satellite sent by India.
Asteroids
The big chunks of rock or metal that are mostly found orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids in simpler words are heavy bodies of rocks.
Comets
The small irregularly shaped objects made up of ice are referred to as comets. Haley’s comet is an example of a comet which occurs once in 76 years.
Dwarf planets
The spherical objects smaller than planets and larger than asteroids are called dwarf planets. Example: Pluto