The Sun and the Planets

Our solar system has one star, called the Sun, and eight planets that travel around it. This movement around the Sun is called an orbit.

The four planets closest to the Sun — Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars — are made mostly of rock. Earth is the only planet we know of that has liquid water and living things.

Vocabulary

Tap to fliporbit
the path a planet follows around the Sun
Tap to flipsolar system
the Sun and everything that travels around it
Tap to flipplanet
a large body that orbits a star

Quick check

What is an orbit?

Which planet do we live on?