Scienceville
The Solar System
Our solar system is full of surprises. There are blue sunsets, giant volcanoes and even a planet that could float! Let's blast off.
Did you know?
Saturn is huge, but very light for its size. If there were a bathtub big enough, Saturn would float in it!
On Mars, sunsets look blue! Fine dust in the air lets blue light shine through.
Mars has a giant volcano called Olympus Mons. It is about two and a half times as tall as Mount Everest!
Try this: Race the Sunlight
Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. Set a timer for 8 minutes. Before it rings, tidy your desk and drink some water. Then do 10 jumps and draw a planet. Did you beat the sunlight? Remember, never look straight at the Sun.
Go further: The Planet Found with Maths
Long ago, sky scientists watched the planet Uranus closely. It did not move quite the way they expected. Something unseen seemed to be tugging at it! Two scientists used maths to work out where a hidden planet might be. On 23 September 1846, an astronomer pointed his telescope there. He found Neptune! It was found with maths first, and seen later.