500+ Words Essay on Solar System
The Sun and all other planets and celestial bodies that revolve around it are together called a solar system. Our solar system consists of eight planets and an asteroid belt. These planets are termed inner and outer planets. Earth, Venus, Mercury and Mars are considered inner planets closer to the Sun and smaller, also known as terrestrial planets. The remaining four planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, are outer planets that are massive and termed giant planets.
This essay will discuss our solar system and give a detailed summary of the eight planets.
Planets are large celestial bodies that revolve around the Sun in fixed orbits. They don’t have their own lights and use the Sun’s light to reflect light. As stars, planets don’t twinkle because they are closer to us. The planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, remain in the inner solar system, and the outer solar system planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Among all the planets, Earth is the only planet where life exists.
Satellites are objects that revolve around the Sun. Satellites can be categorised into two types – natural and man-made. For example, the Moon is a natural satellite that revolves around the Earth.
Man-made satellites are artificial satellites sent to space to gather information about other planets. The first artificial satellite sent by India into space is Aryabhatta.
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that revolve around the Sun. Most asteroids are made of different rocks, but some have clays or metals, such as nickel and iron. Asteroids have irregular shapes and are not round-like planets.
Comets are irregularly shaped bodies composed of non-volatile grains and frozen gases. For example, Haley’s comet is a comet that occurs once every 76 years.
Dwarf planets are heavenly bodies that are too small to be considered a planet but too large to fall under smaller categories. Example: Pluto
Our Solar System
The nearest and the smallest planet in our solar system is Mercury. The planet is hidden under the Sunlight, which can only be seen before sunrise or sunset.
Venus is the closest and brightest planet in our solar system other than the Sun and the Moon. It is known as the morning and evening star because it appears in the eastern sky before Sunrise and in the western sky after sunset.
In our solar system, the Earth is the only planet that favours life. On this planet, life is possible because of conditions like water and atmosphere and the favourable distance from the Sun. The Earth’s rotation of axis is tilted, due to which we witness seasonal changes, and the Moon is the only natural satellite of planet Earth. From outer space, the colour of the Earth appears bluish-green as light from the landmass and water bodies gets reflected.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is often called the “Red Planet” because the reddish iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars has two natural satellites.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. So big that it can accommodate 1300 piles of Earth. However, it is only 318 times heavier than Earth. Jupiter has at least 67 Moons. Jupiter has a big red spot, a gigantic one twice as wide as the Earth, that has been swirling for many years.
Saturn is the second-largest planet in our solar system. It is unique as it has thousands of beautiful rings. Saturn has numerous Moons.
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus rotates from west to east. Its axis has a huge tilt, making it look like it’s spinning on its side. Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet in our solar system. It has powerful winds, which are more potent than any other planet in the solar system.
Scientists and astronomers have been studying our solar system for centuries, and the findings are pretty interesting. Various planets that form a part of our solar system have their unique geological features, and all are different from each other in several ways. But, unfortunately, after years of exploration, the Universe has still more mysteries that are left unknown.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Solar system Essay
Are there any other systems present in the universe?
Research has shown that there are several other systems existing in the universe other than our Solar system.
Does the solar system only consist of planets?
No, the solar system also consists of dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, etc.
Has the Solar system fully been discovered?
Although there are several types of research going on, there are still many undiscovered and unreachable regions of the Solar system.