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 Form 1 Geography lessons on the earth and the solar system

The Planets

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Answer Text:
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Planets are large spherical celestial/heavenly bodies in space.
There are 9 planets in our solar system. Characteristics
• Spherical in shape
• Don’t have their own light but reflect it from the sun.
• Revolve around the sun in anticlockwise direction.
• Have their own force of gravity
• Only one is known to support life.
The following are the planets arranged in order from the one nearest to the sun.
Mercury
• Nearest from the sun
• Its 58m km from the sun
Has no satellites
• Takes approximately 88 earth days to revolve around the sun
Venus
• 2nd planet from the sun
• It’s 108m km from the sun
• One of the brightest planets
• Can be seen clearly with naked eyes
• Takes approximately 225 earth days to revolve around the sun
• Slightly smaller than the earth
• Has no satellites
• Together with the earth they are called twin planets due to having many similarities
Earth
• The 3rd planet from the sun
• The earth and the heavenly bodies make the universe
• The only planet that supports life
• The home of man
• Approximately 149m km from the sun
• Takes 365 ¼ days to revolve around the sun
• Has one satellite, the moon
Mars
• Also called The Red Planet because when it’s observed through a telescope it appears reddish.
• The 4th from the sun
• Slightly smaller than the earth
•Approximately 228m km from the sun
• Takes 687 earth days to revolve around the sun
• Between Mass and Jupiter there are small celestial bodies called planetoids.
Has no satellite.
Jupiter
• 5th planet from the sun
• Approximately 778m km from the sun
• Largest in the universe
• Rotates on its own axis at very fast speed
• Has flattened poles due to its fast speed of rotation
• Has very thick layers of ice on its surface
• takes 12 earth years to revolve around the sun
• Has 16 satellites
Saturn
• 6th planet from the sun
• Second largest planet
• Approximately 1427m km from the sun
• Takes 29 ½ earth years to revolve around the sun
• Has a ring around it
•Has 18 satellites
Uranus
• 7th planet from the sun
• About 4 times bigger than the earth
• Approximately 2870m km from the sun
• Also rotates very fast
• Also has flattened poles due to fast speed of rotation
• It appears greenish foe being surrounded by methane gas • Has 8 satellites • Takes 84 earth years to revolve around the sun
Neptune
• One of the farthest from the sun
• 8th planet from the sun
• Approximately 4497m km from the sun
• Has 8 satellites
• Takes 165 earth years to revolve around the sun
• Very similar in size, colour and character with Uranus
Pluto
• 9th planet from the earth
• Farthest from the sun
• The smallest
• 1/6 the size of the earth
• Approximately 5900m km from the sun
• Takes 248 earth years to revolve around the sun
• Has one satellite
• Very little is known about it Other Celestial Bodies


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