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List of Solar System objects facts for kids

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Euler-Diagram bodies in the Solar System
An image showing different types of objects in our Solar System.

This is a list of objects in our Solar System, ordered by how far away they are from the Sun. Most of the objects mentioned here are quite large, usually more than 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) across.

Our Solar System is a busy place! It includes our Sun, eight main planets, and many other smaller objects like dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. Everything in the Solar System orbits the Sun, which is a star.

The Sun

The Sun is the center of our Solar System. It's a yellow dwarf star, which means it's a medium-sized star that gives off light and heat. Without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth!

Inner Solar System

The inner Solar System is the part closest to the Sun. It contains four rocky planets, often called terrestrial planets.

Mercury

Mercury is the smallest planet and the closest to the Sun. It's a very hot world with no moons.

  • Some small asteroids, called Mercury-crossing minor planets, have orbits that cross Mercury's path.

Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It's known for its thick, toxic atmosphere and extreme heat.

  • Venus-crossing minor planets are small objects that cross Venus's orbit.
    • One interesting object is 524522 Zoozve, which is a quasi-satellite of Venus. This means it orbits the Sun but stays close to Venus for a long time.

Earth

Earth is our home planet, the third from the Sun. It's the only known planet with liquid water and life.

  • Moon is Earth's only natural satellite.
  • Near-Earth asteroids are asteroids that come close to Earth's orbit. One famous example is 99942 Apophis.
  • An Earth trojan is an asteroid that shares Earth's orbit, staying in a stable spot. One example is 2010 TK7.
  • Earth also has its own quasi-satellites, which are objects that orbit the Sun but stay near Earth.

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, often called the "Red Planet." Scientists are very interested in Mars because it might have once had conditions suitable for life.

  • Deimos and Phobos are Mars's two small moons.
  • Mars trojans are asteroids that share Mars's orbit.
  • Mars-crossing minor planets are small objects that cross Mars's orbit.

Asteroid Belt

Between Mars and Jupiter is the asteroid belt. This is a region filled with millions of rocky objects called asteroids.

Outer Solar System

The outer Solar System is home to the giant planets, which are much larger than the terrestrial planets and are mostly made of gas or ice.

Jupiter

Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. It's a gas giant, famous for its Great Red Spot, a giant storm.

  • Rings of Jupiter are faint rings around the planet.
  • Jupiter has many moons! The four largest are called the Galilean moons:
  • Jupiter trojans are a large group of asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit.

Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun, known for its magnificent system of rings. It's also a gas giant.

  • Rings of Saturn are made of countless ice particles and rocks.
  • Saturn has many moons, including:
    • Mimas
    • Enceladus (which has geysers erupting from its south pole)
    • Tethys (with its own small trojan moons, Telesto and Calypso)
    • Dione (with its own trojan moons, Helene and Polydeuces)
    • Rhea (which might have its own faint rings)
    • Titan (Saturn's largest moon, with a thick atmosphere and lakes of liquid methane)
    • Hyperion
    • Iapetus
    • Phoebe
  • Shepherd moons are small moons that help keep Saturn's rings in shape.

Uranus

Uranus is the seventh planet, an ice giant that rotates on its side.

Neptune

Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It's another ice giant, known for its strong winds.

Other Minor Planets

Beyond the main planets, there are other small objects:

  • Centaurs are icy bodies that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune.
  • Damocloids are objects that have very long, comet-like orbits but don't show comet activity.

Trans-Neptunian Objects

Trans-Neptunian objects are objects that orbit the Sun beyond Neptune.

Kuiper Belt

The Kuiper Belt is a region beyond Neptune, similar to the asteroid belt but much larger and filled with icy bodies.

Scattered Disc

Scattered-disc objects are icy bodies that were "scattered" by Neptune's gravity into very wide, elliptical orbits.

  • Eris is a dwarf planet in the scattered disc, with a moon named Dysnomia.
  • Other large scattered-disc objects include 225088 Gonggong (with its moon Xiangliu) and (84522) 2002 TC302.

Detached Objects

Detached objects are very distant objects with orbits that are not strongly influenced by Neptune.

  • Examples include 2004 XR190 and 90377 Sedna. Sedna might even be part of the inner Oort cloud.

Oort Cloud

The Oort cloud is a hypothetical (meaning we think it's there but haven't seen it directly) spherical cloud of icy objects far beyond the Kuiper Belt. It's thought to be the source of many comets.

  • It's divided into the inner Oort cloud (or Hills cloud) and the outer Oort cloud.

Other Solar System Objects

The Solar System also contains:

  • Comets are icy bodies that release gas and dust, forming a "tail" when they get close to the Sun.
  • Small objects like:
  • Human-made objects orbiting the Sun and planets, including active satellites and old space junk.
  • The Heliosphere is a giant bubble of charged particles, called the solar wind, that the Sun creates around itself.
    • The Heliosheath is the outer part of this bubble.
    • The Heliopause is the very edge of the heliosphere, where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium (the space between stars).

See also

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List of Solar System objects Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.