Grade 5 · Science · Lesson 29

Solar System Overview

Our solar system is a giant family of objects held together by the gravity of the Sun. At the center is the Sun — a huge, glowing star. Eight planets travel around the Sun in nearly circular paths called orbits, along with moons, asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets like Pluto. Even though the planets look small in the sky, some of them are bigger than thousands of Earths put together.

What this lesson teaches

1Name the eight planets in order from the Sun
2Describe a key feature of each planet
3Compare the inner rocky planets and the outer gas giants
4Locate each planet on a solar-system diagram

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