Blasting Off with UPPER CORE!!!

Just two weeks ago we learned all about outer space! We blasted off in our 'make believe' rocket ship and visited each planet in our solar system.  (Not to worry...we made it back in record time!)

 Inner Planets (made of rock)
1st - Mercury (closest to the sun, and very fast, orbiting the sun in 88 days)
2nd - Venus (can be seen from Earth)
3rd - Earth (1,000 Earths could fit inside Jupiter)
4th - Mars (red planet)

Outer Planets (made of gases)
5th  - Jupiter (the largest, has a big red spot which is a continuous giant storm)
6th - Saturn (has the biggest rings)
7th - Uranus (is tipped on its side)
8th - Neptune (the farthest planet)

Planet Roll Call

Nine planets around the sun,
Listen as I call each one:
Mercury? Here! Number one,
Closest planet to the sun.
Venus? Here! Number two,
Shining bright, just like new!
Earth? Here! Number three,
Earth is home to you and me.
Mars? Here! Number four,
Red and ready to explore!
Jupiter? Here! Number five,
Largest planet, that's no jive!
Saturn? Here! Number six,
With rings of dust and ice that mix.
Uranus? Here! Number seven,
A planet tilted high in heaven.
Neptune? Here! Number eight,
With one dark spot whose size is great.
Pluto? Here! Number nine,
The smallest and the last in line!

Meish Goldish

What Is a Planet Today?

According to the new definition, a full-fledged planet is an object that orbits the sun and is large enough to have become round due to the force of its own gravity. In addition, a planet has to dominate the neighborhood around its orbit.  

Pluto has been demoted because it does not dominate its neighborhood. Charon, its large "moon," is only about half the size of Pluto, while all the true planets are far larger than their moons.  In addition, bodies that dominate their neighborhoods, "sweep up" asteroids, comets, and other debris, clearing a path along their orbits. 

By contrast, Pluto's orbit is somewhat untidy.  Instead of being the only planet in its region, like the rest of the Solar System, Pluto and its moons are now known to be just a large example of a collection of objects called the Kuiper Belt (pronounced Kiper).