Lesson 4 Introduction
Completion requirements
How Do Other Planets Compare to Earth?
Earth is located in the solar system with 7 other planets (plus 5 dwarf planets). In total, there are more than 70 other planets and moons. The planets and Moon revolve around our Sun, the only star near us. This star is located at the centre of our solar system. The planets in the solar system are held together by the Sun’s enormous pull, called gravity.
Our Sun, like other stars is a mass of gas that gives off light because of its high temperatures. It is the biggest object in our solar system – about 740 times bigger than all the planets put together!
The Sun is not unique. It is like other stars, so we can learn about the other stars in the universe by studying our Sun. Astronomers are able to study the Sun more easily during a solar eclipse because its atmosphere becomes visible. For example, studying the Sun during an eclipse allowed astronomers to discover helium, the element with which we fill balloons.
The Sun is 400 times bigger than the Moon but the Sun is 400 times further away from the Earth. This detail that allows us to view the best eclipses in our solar system, is also helpful in other ways. For example, the Sun’s distance from the Earth allows water to be in three states (solid, liquid, and gas) and allows Earth to have an oxygen rich atmosphere. Because the Moon is just the right distance from Earth, its gravitational pull stabilizes the Earth’s tilt and helps circulate the warm and cold waters of the oceans.
Our Sun, like other stars is a mass of gas that gives off light because of its high temperatures. It is the biggest object in our solar system – about 740 times bigger than all the planets put together!
The Sun is not unique. It is like other stars, so we can learn about the other stars in the universe by studying our Sun. Astronomers are able to study the Sun more easily during a solar eclipse because its atmosphere becomes visible. For example, studying the Sun during an eclipse allowed astronomers to discover helium, the element with which we fill balloons.
The Sun is 400 times bigger than the Moon but the Sun is 400 times further away from the Earth. This detail that allows us to view the best eclipses in our solar system, is also helpful in other ways. For example, the Sun’s distance from the Earth allows water to be in three states (solid, liquid, and gas) and allows Earth to have an oxygen rich atmosphere. Because the Moon is just the right distance from Earth, its gravitational pull stabilizes the Earth’s tilt and helps circulate the warm and cold waters of the oceans.
