The sixth planet from the sun is Saturn. It is the second largest planet---nearly ten times bigger than the earth. Saturn is named after the Roman god of farming. It has a rocky center, probably...
The giant planet
The giant of the sun's family is the planet Jupiter. It's the biggest planet of the solar system---more than eleven times bigger than the earth. Jupiter is named after the king of the Roman gods. ...
The red planet
At night, you can sometimes see a bright "star" that shines with a reddish gleam. It is Mars, the "red planet," named after the Roman god of war. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun ---about 142...
Earth’s “twin”
The second closest planet to the sun is Venus. Seen from the earth, it is the brightest of all the stars and planets in our sky. Sometimes it can even be seen in daylight. Because of its beauty, it...
Closest to the sun
The planet closest to the sun is Mercury. It is one of the smallest of the nine planets---only a little more than one-third the size of the earth. Seen from the earth, Mercury appears, disappears,...
The sun’s family
The planet earth is part of a family. It is one of nine planets that belong to the sun. We can see some of these planets at night, shining like bright stars. Like the earth and the moon, the other...
On the moon
People have visited the moon and walked on it, so we know what the surface of the moon is like. This big ball of gray rock has broad, flat plains covered with powdery rock dust. There are rugged...
The far side of the moon
For hundreds of years, ever since people have known that the moon was like a planet, they have wondered about something. They have wondered what the far side of the moon was like. You see, even...
Shadow on the moon
The night is clear and starry. There's a bright, full moon in the sky. But, then, a tiny, curved shadow appears on the edge of the moon. Slowly, the shadow creeps over the moon. More and more of the...
Why the moon “changes”shape
Oh! look at the moon, She is shining up there; Oh! mother, she looks Like a lamp in the air. Last week she was smaller And shaped like a bow; But now she's grown bigger, And round as an 0. ...
