Important facts about the Solar system

The study of the solar system is not a young discipline but rather one of the oldest, dating back to the days of the kings. The solar system was formed more than four billion years ago, indicating that it is more than two thousand times as old as the start of human life, I mean according to science. While human beings are making great strides in understanding the solar system, many remain largely unknown, kicking off the numerous debates about the solar system. However, there are several facts about the solar system that we do know today.

1. The sun is responsible for the positions of the planets. This is the largest star we have and it holds all the other components of the solar system in place. The sun accounts for the largest mass of the whole universe, while the rest of the planets make up for the remaining mass.

2. While there are about a dozen planets, the solar system comprises billions of objects, which scientists estimate to exceed the sand available on earth! Only planet earth supports life. While there is speculation that life could be existing on Planet Mars, there is no substantial proof yet to believe that this truly happens.

3. Jupiter is the largest of all planets we know to this day. Its size is about four to five times the size of the Earth. This planet is so massive that it sucks dirt circulating freely in the solar system. This planet adds up to its own trend pouring several watts of its Magnetic field into our planet earth every day.

4. One of such funny solar system facts is the hottest planet. Definitely, the sun is the source of all-natural heat in the universe and so as you would expect, the closest planet to the sun should be the hottest, but it is not. Mercury lies close to the sun, but surprisingly, not as hot as Venus, which falls more than thirty million miles after mercury. This is because Mercury lacks an atmosphere to preserve any heat, allowing the easy escape of any heat, while Venus maintains a thick atmosphere that allows it to trap maximum heat and retain it from within.

5. The Solar system is located in the Orion Arm, far away from the center of the galaxy called the Milky Way.

6. The sun (a yellow dwarf star) which has helium and hydrogen is greater in diameter than the Earth, and it is at the center of the solar system. More so, it produces a massive amount of heat.

7. The diameter of Pluto is roughly one thousand five hundred miles, which is significantly lower, perhaps less than half the longest width of the United States. This implies that such a planet would simply be part of a bigger country like Russia. However, Pluto is not the only unfortunate planet falling in this category. There are four other planets, which in total make up the family of “dwarf planets”.

8. There is an ocean on Jupiter! Yes, this could be funny and fascinating at the same time, but science has it that there must be some great ocean on this planet, big enough that it could swallow up our planet if we try to immerse it in. This planet, which comprises majorly of hydrogen and helium, also experiences freezing temperatures and high pressure. The laws of physics simply dictate that under such conditions we would expect nothing but water.

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