P1 - The Earth in the Universe (21st Century)

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Planets, Comets and Asteroids

Asteroids are rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system.

The Asteroid Belt is a large group of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.

Comets are made of ice and rock; when they approach the sun, the ice on them melts, which creates the burning tail that can sometimes be seen from Earth. They orbit the sun in enlongated ellipses, with the sun at one end. 

Ellipses are oblong-shaped orbits. 

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The Structure of the Solar System

The solar system is made up of planets and stars.

Sometimes, a group of planets are sucked into a star's orbit, which creates a planetary system. Ours is called the 'solar system' because it revolves around the sun, which in Science is always referred to as 'sol'. 

A group of thousands of solar systems is known as a galaxy. Our galaxy is called the milky way, but there are countless others in the solar system, such as the andromeda galaxy. 

A group of galaxies clustered together is called just that- a galaxy cluster.

And all of these things together make up the universe, which we use to describe literally everything in existence. 

In terms of size:

  • The Earth's diameter is the smallest.
  • Then comes the sun's diameter.
  • Then the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the sun.
  • Then the size of the solar system.
  • Then the distance from the Sun to the nearest star.
  • Then the size of the milky way galaxy.
  • Then the distance from our galaxy to the nearest other galaxy. 

In terms of ages:

Earth = 5000 million years old.

Sun = 5000 million years old.

Universe = 14,000 million years old. 

light year is the distance (not time taken) that light travels through a vaccum in one Earth year (365 days). If a star is 4.5

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