The solar system is a system made up of the sun, planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids, the planets’ satellites, and the interplanetary medium. It is everything that orbits around the sun and is bound to it by its force of gravity.
We know a lot of information about the solar system as taught in class. Even so, here are some fun facts about the solar system.
There are two sets of planets: major planets and dwarf planets
Up until 2008, we knew Pluto as a major planet. However, it was demoted in that year into a dwarf planet. Dwarf planets are tiny, and we have five of them. They are Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, and Ceres.
Pluto’s diameter is smaller than that of the U.S
In 2015, Pluto’s diameter was established as 2,371km. The distance from North California to Maine is around 4,700km. It is the approximate diameter of the United States. Now you see why it deserves to be a dwarf planet.
Jupiter’s ocean is the biggest
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun, and it is primarily made up of hydrogen and helium. Because of the pressure deep down below the cloud tops, the hydrogen turns to liquid. Thanks to computer models present, the ocean is estimated to be as deep as 40,000km. Should the circumference of the earth be converted a length in kilometers, it would be as long as the depth of Jupiter’s ocean.
The end of the solar system is not where Pluto’s orbit is
A lot of people assume that the end of the solar system is where the realm of the dwarf planet Pluto is. Studies show that there are so many objects far beyond Pluto. Research shows that the solar system extends further around 125,000 earth’s distance from the sun. These are almost two light years.
The ‘Earth is the center of the universe’ false belief
There were thousands of years when human beings lived under the assumption that the planet Earth was at the universe’s center. People were also unaware that the solar system existed.
These are a few fun facts that you should know.
By Lorah
EdgeArticles 