The evolution of the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, planets, and other bodies in the universe - Essay Example

The sun, earth, and our solar system The planets of our solar system The solar system comprises of the sun and objects that orbit directly or indirectly around it. Among the objects that orbit the sun are the planets which are the largest. There are eight planets that orbit around the sun forming a planetary system. There are nine planets. The nearest four are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, which make up the inner planets (Jones, 2007). These inner planets are rocky and terrestrial. The following four planets are gas giants in the form of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which make up the outer planets (Merali & Skinner, 2008).

The last and furthest planet is Pluto, which is a dwarf planet.Formation of Moons After the sun, the second brightest object in the sky is the moon. It orbits around the earth once monthly. The impact theory suggests that the moon got formed out of collision between the earth and a very large object, the size of Mars or more. The moon got borne out of the ejected materials from the collision.The Sun At the center of the solar system is the sun. The sun is the largest object in the solar system.

The sun makes up close to 99.8% of the solar systems mass (Merali & Skinner, 2008). The heat and light shed by the sun makes life possible on planet earth. The planets orbit the sun in paths called ellipses, which are oval shaped.Life in our solar system A solar system references a star and all the objects that orbit around it. In our solar system, the sun is the star. The sun as the center of our solar system illuminates the light and heat that make it possible for life within any of the planets (Merali & Skinner, 2008).

The planet earth is the only one proven to support life among the system. The planets Mercury and Venus are too close to the sun making them too hot and dry with little atmosphere. The outer planets are also unable to support life because they lack atmosphere, solid ground, oxygen and contain too much gravity.ReferencesJones, B. W. (2007). Discovering the Solar System. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Zeeya Merali, B. J. (2008). Visualizing Earth Science, 1st Edition. New York: Wiley.