The Solar System: As Told By A 5th Grader

For thousands of years, humans believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe, find out what discoveries were made in order to change the mind of humanity.

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The Solar System was formed about 4.6 billion years ago and (from closest to the sun to furthest) includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Other elements include comets, asteroids and dwarf planets. The 4 inner planets are known as terrestrial planets, while the 4 outer ones are known as gas giants.

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Pluto was discovered in 1930 and lies just past Neptune in the Solar System. However, in 2006, after a meeting in Prague with 2,500 scientists, it's status as a planet has been revoked due to its strange orbit that does not go around the sun. Scientists then revised their rules in order for a celestial body to qualify as a planet. These included that it must orbit the sun, be large enough that it can take on a round shape, and that it has cleared its orbit of other objects. It is now just referred to as a "dwarf planet" along with many others in its category.

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The Earth is the only planet with an atmosphere able to sustain terrestrial life. Although, recent explorations have examined the probability that there may be life on some of the other billions of planets in our galaxy. Advances in technology will eventually allow us to explore the planets similar to Earth. Chances are we are not alone in the universe.

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The "Dark Side" of the moon is not visible from Earth due to the fact that the Earth and the Moon are tidally locked. This means that their orbital period is the same as its rotational period. However, scientific advances in 1959 allowed the Soviet Luna 3 to photograph the far side of the moon.

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Everyone has been to the beach and has seen waves crash along the shore. These waves are caused by gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon on the Earth. The waves go up and down in a circular or orbital motion. Smaller waves are generally wind driven, while larger ones are caused by the Earth's tides.

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Tidal waves are the best for surfing! They get their name from the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon causing Tides to form on each side of the moon. This causes a bulge on both sides of the Earth. Earth's orbital pattern causes the tides to change every 6.5 hours. Due to this, surfing is ideal during high tide. The larger the coastline, the taller waves can grow as you ride them into the shore!