Space is one of the most fascinating topics for kids. Here are some fun facts that will help expand your child’s knowledge of the vast and mysterious universe beyond Earth.
1. There are eight planets in our solar system, and Pluto is no longer considered a planet.
2. The temperature on Mercury can reach as high as 800 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and can drop to minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
3. Uranus is the only planet that spins on its side. Scientists believe that this happened because it was hit by a large object early in its life.
4. Saturn’s rings are made up of millions of pieces of ice and rock that range in size from small pebbles to large buildings.
5. The largest volcano in the solar system is on Mars. It is called Olympus Mons and measures three times the size of Mount Everest.
6. The sun is so large that 1.3 million Earths could fit inside it. It is also the nearest star to Earth.
7. Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun in our solar system. It has the strongest winds of any planet, with gusts reaching up to 1,200 miles per hour.
8. There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on the Earth.
9. A comet is a small ball of ice, rock, and dust that orbits the sun. When a comet approaches the sun, the heat causes the ice to vaporize and create a glowing tail.
10. Astronauts wear spacesuits to protect themselves from the vacuum of space, which has no air, no pressure, and no oxygen.
