"Hi, Earth children! My name is the Sun. You see me almost every day! I am part of a big family called the solar system. Planets, asteroids, and comets are also part of the solar system! You can see some of my planet friends in the solar system at night—and if you have a telescope you can see almost all of them. But how well do you really know us? Let’s find out! I’ll ask you some questions. Tell a partner what you think the answer is:
"Great guessing! Now we (my solar system friends and I) would like to introduce ourselves. After we tell you a little bit about us, we are going to play the Solar System Question Game again, and you can see if you have gotten to know us better!
SUN / Matahari
"I’ll go first since I am the center of the solar system," said the
Sun. "Another name for me is star. Not to brag, but I am magnificent. If it weren’t for me, there would be no heat or light in the solar system," said the Sun.
Mercury / Merkurius
"Hey Sun, I think it’s my turn now," said mercury. "The Sun (also known as star) is my best friend—even though sometimes he thinks he is too cool for everyone else, or in his case, maybe too hot," said Mercury. Anyway, we became such good friends because I am the closest planet to him. I am the first planet from the Sun. I am fast—real fast compared to the other planets. You see, all the planets go in a circle around the Sun, like cars going around a racetrack. It is called an orbit. And you should see me orbit! I cruise through my orbit at a speed of 31 miles per second. Say ‘elephant.’ In the time it takes you to say the word ‘elephant,’ I have traveled 31 miles!" said Mercury.
Venus
"Excuse me, not to be rude, but may I please introduce myself now?" said Venus. "My name is Venus. I am the second planet from the Sun. I am the hottest planet, with temperatures as high as 900 degrees. In addition to being hot, I am quite bright! If you are looking at the night sky from Earth, I am the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon," said Venus.
Earth / Bumi
"I’m next! Hi, I am Earth. I think you know me pretty well. I am the third planet from the Sun. You are sitting on me right now! You surely know that I have one moon. Lots of amazing plants, animals, and wonderful children live on me, and hopefully take care of me! Have a nice day!" said Earth
Mars
"My turn! How do you do? I’m Mars. I am the fourth planet from the Sun. I feel close to Earth because it is my neighbor planet. I am special because Earth people always wonder if there is life on Mars. Hey children, do you want to know whether or not there is life on Mars? Lean forward, and I’ll tell you. Closer. Closer. Nope, I am just kidding. I want to keep it a mystery, so you will keep visiting me with your rovers and I can get to know you better!" said Mars.
Jupiter
"Wow, I thought my turn would never come," said Jupiter. "Now I forget what I was going to say. Oh yeah, my orbit is the fifth from the Sun, and I am super special. I am the largest planet. I also have the most moons—more than 60! In fact, one of my moons is larger than Mercury and Pluto, no offense. A lot of Earth people think that only the planet Saturn has rings, but I have rings also— three of them. They are hard to see, but they are there," said Jupiter.
Saturn / Saturnus
"Salutations," said Saturn. "My orbit is the sixth from the Sun. I have gorgeous, spectacular, lovely, incredible rings, if I do say so myself. Want to know a secret? If you were right up close to my rings, you would see that they are really made of billions of chunks of ice and rock. Some chunks are as small as a grain of sugar and others are as large as a house," said Saturn.
Uranus
"Howdy doody, I am Uranus, and I am the seventh planet from the Sun. My name is pronounced ‘YOUR a nus’ in case you were wondering. I guess what makes me special is that I am tipped on my side compared with the other planets. I have a pretty blue color, and I also have a thin set of rings," said Uranus.
Neptune / Neptunus
"Now it is time for me to introduce myself. Hi, I am Neptune. I am the eighth planet from the Sun. In about 230 years, Pluto will be the eighth planet from the Sun for a while. Isn’t that weird? The shapes of our orbits (our paths around the Sun) will make Pluto closer to the Sun for 20 years," said Neptune. "I have something in common with Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. I have rings just like they do. They are thin, but I do have them!"
