Science Common Sense
1274 - What is the solar system composed of and how do the planets move?
The solar system is composed of:
- 1 sun (star at the center)
- 8 planets (Earth is one of them)
- Dwarf planets (like Pluto)
- Moons (each planet has some)
- Asteroids (small rocks)
- Comets (snowballs that melt near sun)
Now, how do the planets move? The planets move in a big oval-shaped path around the sun called an orbit. Imagine you're holding a ball on a string and spinning around. The ball (planet) will keep moving around you (sun) in a circle. This is because of a force called gravity, which is like an invisible string that keeps everything connected.
The planets also spin around themselves as they move around the sun. It's like when you spin around while you're walking – you're moving in two ways at the same time!
So, to sum it up, the planets move in orbits around the sun and also spin around themselves, all held together by gravity.