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THE SUN
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1,390,000 km). 9932 F (5500 C). The sun is the star at the center of our solar system, holding everything together with its intense gravity. It keeps objects more than 7 billion miles away within its orbit! Like other stars, the sun revolves around our galaxy, the Milky Way. Key to life on Earth, the sun drives our seasons, ocean currents, weather and climate. The word sun is derived from the Old English. In ancient times, the Romans named our sun. And the Greeks name it. FOLLOW JOSH FOR UPDATES.
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VENUS
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AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. 67,230,000 miles (108,200,000 km). 7,520 miles (12,100 km). 872 F (467 C). Slightly smaller than Earth, Venus is the second planet from our sun. Covered by a thick, harsh atmosphere, its surface is a cratered and volcanic landscape. Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty because it shines brighter than any other planet in Earth's sky. Venus rotates in a direction opposite that of the rest of the planets. FOLLOW JOSH FOR UPDATES.
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SATURN
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AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. 886,526,000 miles. 1,426,725,000 km). 72,370 miles (116,460 km). 218 F (-170 C). The sixth major planet from the sun, Saturn has the most spectacular rings in our solar system. Super-fast winds combined with an extremely hot core cause the yellow and gold bands in the atmosphere. Saturn was named after the Roman god of agriculture. Saturn's seven beautiful rings are primarily made of ice so the rings reflect back 70 percent of sunlight. FOLLOW JOSH FOR UPDATES.
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HAUMEA
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AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. 3,996,000,000 miles. 6,432,000,000 km). 1,218 x 943 miles. 1,960 x 1,518 km). Below -369.7 F (-223.2 C). Found inside the Kuiper Belt, Haumea is an oddly shaped dwarf planet. Since Haumea was recently discovered, little is known about this icy world. Haumea was first discovered in 2003 and classified as a dwarf planet in 2008. Haumea is named after the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility. Exploring the planets, moons and other bodies orbiting our sun.
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SATURN'S MOONS
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With 62 known moons, Saturn contains many unique worlds. The seven largest moons are spherical under the force of their own gravity: Titan, Iapetus, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, Mimas and Enceladus. Seventeen of Saturn’s moons are named after Saturn’s mythological brothers and sisters, the Titans and the Titanesses. The other moons are named after Inuit, Gailic and Norse gods and goddesses. Exploring the planets, moons and other bodies orbiting our sun. FOLLOW JOSH FOR UPDATES.
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JUPITER
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AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. 483,682,000 miles. 778,412,000 km). 86,880 miles (139,800 km). 235 F (-150 C). The fifth planet from the sun, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It has a faint ring system with 68 moons. The Romans named the planet after the king of gods and the god of the sky and thunder. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a giant hurricane the size of two to three Earths. It was first discovered in the 17th century via telescope. That's a long-lasting storm!
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URANUS
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AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. 1,784,000,000 miles. 2,870,970,000 km). 31,500 miles (50,724 km). 323 F (-200 C). The blue world of Uranus is the eighth planet from the sun. With 13 rings and many moons, it looks incredible tilted on its side. Discovered in 1781, astronomer William Herschel, named the planet. After British King George III. The name was not popular outside of Britain. Later, the planet was named. After the Greek god of the sky. Exploring the planets, moons and other bodies orbiting our sun.
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PLUTO
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AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN. 3,670,000,000 miles. 5,906,300,000 km). 1,485 miles (2,400 km). 369 F (-220 C). Located in the Kuiper Belt, Pluto is an icy, rocky world two-thirds the diameter of Earth’s moon. Once considered a planet, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. Will be the first spacecraft to visit Pluto when it arrives on July 14, 2015. Discovered in 1930, Pluto was named after the Roman god of the underworld. Exploring the planets, moons and other bodies orbiting our sun.
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URANUS' MOONS
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Uranus has 27 known moons. The five major moons are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon. The 13 inner moons are found within Uranus’ rings. Most moons of Uranus are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare. Oberon and Titania are named after the fairy king and queen. Titania is the largest moon of Uranus and the eighth-largest moon in our solar system. The icy surface is heavily cratered. Exploring the planets, moons and other bodies orbiting our sun. FOLLOW JOSH FOR UPDATES.
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THE KUIPER BELT
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Located just outside of Neptune, the Kuiper Belt is a region of space filled with icy objects. This area extends from 2.8 to 4.5 billion miles (4.6 7.4 billion km) away from the sun. It is filled with more than 100,000 icy bodies larger than 62 miles (100 km) and an estimated 1 trillion comets. Four of our dwarf planets are located here: Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris. More than 1,300 Kuiper Belt objects have been discovered since 1992. Exploring the planets, moons and other bodies orbiting our sun.
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