We live in the Milky Way Galaxy in a space web that is called the solar system. The solar system is interesting to study because our Earth is part of this great system. What makes up the solar system? How do the planets stay in orbit? And how long does it take for planets to orbit the Sun?
First, we will look at what makes up the solar system. The solar system is made up of 8 planets, 90 moons, an asteroid belt, the Kuiper Belt, comets, dust and gas, and it all revolves around one gigantic star which is called the sun. This is all held in place within outer space by gravity forces.
The planets stay in orbit around the sun by gravity pull and push between the Sun and the planets. The Sun pulls us towards itself and outer space is pulling the planets away from the sun which creates balance of gravity. Gravity is the force that keeps the planets circling around the Sun. The planets take different amounts of time to orbit the sun depending on distance from the Sun.
Our Earth, which is the third planet from the Sun, takes one year to orbit around the sun. Mercury is the closest and only takes 88 Earth days to orbit the Sun. Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system and is 2.79 billion miles away from the Sun. One trip around the sun takes 264.8 Earth years. That is a very long time!
Using telescopes, spaceship explorations, and robots, we can learn more about our solar system. Astronauts have been able to explore space but it is difficult because space is so huge. Someday we may be able to explore all of the planets with new technologies.
