BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy The Sun's Family - for kids and everybody

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You can see planets without a telescope. People have been seeing Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn for thousands of years. Even though Uranus was the first planet discovered by telescope, sometimes it can be seen without one.

Discovering Uranus - for Kids

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Far beyond Uranus is another blue planet, one named for the Roman sea god. It could well have been named for a god of winds as it's the windiest place in the Solar System. And it has a captured moon that was a Kuiper Belt object like Pluto.

Neptune - Facts for Kids

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Neptune is the last planet out from the Sun. It has fourteen known moons and they're a mixed bag. One of them – Triton – has over 99% of the total mass of Neptune's moons. Thirteen little moons share what's left. Only two of the moons were discovered before 1981.

Neptune's Moons - Facts for Kids
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Neptune, named for the Roman sea god, was discovered in 1846. And 17 days later, William Lassell found a moon. Its moon is probably a captured Kuiper Belt object, similar to Pluto, but colder than Pluto. It's a strange object. Nasa is considering a mission to Neptune and Triton to have a look.

Neptune's Triton - Facts for Kids

Between the Sun and the Oort Cloud, there's a whole lotta cool stuff going on. You've got the eight planets (yep, Pluto still counts!), a bunch of dwarf planets, and tons of other space rocks like asteroids and comets. It's like a cosmic playground out there!
But don't worry, you don't have to be an astrophysicist to understand it all. There are plenty of [url=http://teacherwebshelf.com/boekhout/links/edutopics/space/space.htm]Learning Resources[/url] that can help you get a handle on things. From fun videos to interactive simulations, there's something for everyone. And if you're feeling stuck, don't hesitate to reach out for help. We're all in this together, exploring the vastness of space and learning about the amazing things that make up our Solar System.

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Pluto is smaller than our Moon, but it's the biggest known dwarf planet. On the inner edge of the Kuiper Belt, the Sun is so far away it would look like a bright star from there. And Pluto can get so cold that its atmosphere freezes and falls to the ground.

Pluto - Facts for Kids
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