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A Curious Trip In The Solar System

Running Time:5:54Release Date:
In a frantic 5 minutes we visit each of the Sun's planets and pass over their moons. Our journey starts from the Sun and ends on the outskirts of the Solar System. We see some spectacular sights and we learn astonishing facts about our fellow planets. Join us on this amazing trip!

About The Video

The Start Of Our Journey

Our Scientists Planning The Mission
Our Scientists Planning The Mission

The video starts with a group of scientists planning our fictional journey. In an amazing 5 minutes we will travel through the solar system, breaking all the laws of physics.

The Solar System
The Solar System

We will visit the 8 major planets and Pluto. Join us in a journey of a lifetime, as our mission begins!

We Board Our Space Craft
We Board Our Space Craft

The Sun

We begin our journey at the center of the Solar System, as we fly past the Sun.

75% of the Sun's mass consists of hydrogen, the rest is made up mainly of helium with less than 2% comprised of other elements. There is still much of the Sun's behaviour that is unexplained.

The Sun
The Sun

The Sun has 332,900 times more mass than the Earth. The Sun resides in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy and is 26,000 light-years from the center of the galaxy.

Sun Showing A Solar Flare
Sun Showing A Solar Flare

Mercury

Distance From The Sun
36,000,000Miles
57,900,000Kilometers

We pass by our first planet Mercury, which is the smallest planet in the Solar System, Jupiter's moon Ganymede and Saturn's moon Titan are larger.

Mercury looks very similar to our moon, having many craters.

Mercury
Mercury

Mercury is named after the swift messenger for the Roman Gods. This is because of the speed that it moves through our sky.

Mercury The Messenger For The Roman Gods
Mercury The Messenger For The Roman Gods

Venus

Distance From The Sun
67,200,000Miles
108,200,000Kilometers

The next planet we encounter is Venus. Venus is often called Earth's twin, as both planets are a very similar size and mass.

Venus
Venus

Venus is named after the Roman Goddess of love and beauty.

Venus The Roman Goddess Of Love And Beauty
Venus The Roman Goddess Of Love And Beauty

In the past Venus is believed to have an atmosphere and oceans similar to those found on Earth today. However, now Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System.

The Surface Of Venus
The Surface Of Venus

Earth

Distance From The Sun
93,000,000Miles
149,600,000Kilometers

After passing by Venus, we now visit Earth. It is the largest of the four innermost planets and our home planet.

Earth
Earth

Gaia is the Greek Goddess of Earth.

Gaia
Gaia The Greek Goddess Of Earth

Earth is known as the "Blue Planet", as 71% of the planet's surface is covered with oceans.

Earth Inhabitants Watch Our Spaceship
Earth Inhabitants Watch Our Spaceship

Orbiting Earth is the Moon. It is the fifth largest moon in the Solar System. It is believed to be the result of a massive object striking Earth. The impact was so great that material was blasted into space and formed the moon.

The Moon
The Moon

Mars

Distance From The Sun
141,600,000Miles
227,900,000Kilometers

Next, we pass by Mars. It is often called the "Red Planet", this is due to iron oxide on the surface giving it a reddish-orange color.

Mars
Mars

Mars is named after the Roman God Of War.

Mars The Roman God Of War
Mars The Roman God Of War

Mars is home to the tallest volcano on the Solar System, Olympus Mons. It also has the largest canyon, Valles Marineris.

The Surface Of Mars
The Surface Of Mars

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. They are both small and irregularly shaped and could be asteroids captured by Mars's gravity.

Phobos One Of Mars's Moons
Phobos One Of Mars's Moons

The Asteroid Belt

We Plan For Our Perilous Journey Through The Asteroid Belt
We Plan For Our Perilous Journey Through The Asteroid Belt

We are now about to pass through the Asteroid Belt. The Asteroid Belt is composed of ancient material from the Solar System's birth. Even though we have already identified hundreds of thousands of asteroids, with probably millions yet to be discovered, this is not as dangerous as commonly thought. The asteroids are spread over such a vast area, that we would be very unlucky to collide with one.

An Ancient Asteroid
An Ancient Asteroid

Jupiter

Distance From The Sun
483,800,000Miles
778,600,000Kilometers

After safely navigating the Asteroid belt, we encounter Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System. It is 2.5 times as big as all the other planets combined, but it has only 1000th the mass of the Sun.

Jupiter
Jupiter

Jupiter is named after the Roman King of the Gods.

Jupiter The Roman King Of The Gods
Jupiter The Roman King Of The Gods

The best known feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. It is an enormous storm, that is believed to have been in existence for at least 400 years.

The Surface Of Jupiter
The Surface Of Jupiter

In 1610, Galileo Galilei experimenting with one of the first telescopes, discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter. They are called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. We now know that Jupiter has at least 63 moons.

Io One Of Jupiter's Moons
Io One Of Jupiter's Moons

We leave the giant planet behind and continue our journey, as we head for our next stunning destination.

Our Spaceship Continues Its Journey
Our Spaceship Continues Its Journey

Saturn

Distance From The Sun
890,800,000Miles
1,433,500,000Kilometers

We have now arrived at Saturn, the second largest planet.

The most famous feature of Saturn is its system of rings. The rings are composed mainly of ice particles, along with small rocks and dust.

Saturn
Saturn

Saturn is named after the Roman God of Agriculture.

Saturn The Roman God Of Agriculture
Saturn The Roman God Of Agriculture

Orbiting Saturn are 61 moons, one of which is Enceladus. This was discovered by William Herschel in 1789.

Enceladus One Of Saturn's Moons
Enceladus One Of Saturn's Moons

After viewing the spectacular Saturn, we must move swiftly on, as we set course for Uranus.

Our Pilot Sets Course For Our Next Encounter
Our Pilot Sets Course For Our Next Encounter

Uranus

Distance From The Sun
1,784,800,000Miles
2,872,500,000Kilometers

Our next destination is reached, Uranus.

Uranus
Uranus

On the 13th March 1781, Sir William Herschel recorded his sighting of the planet. Although Uranus had been observed before, it was assumed to be a star. Initially Herschel thought he had discovered a comet, but soon it became clear that Uranus was a planet. It is the first planet discovered in modern times.

Uranus is named after the Greek God of the Sky.

Uranus The Greek God Of The Sky
Uranus The Greek God Of The Sky

We pass close by Titania, which is one of Uranus's 27 moons. All of Uranus's moons are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

Titania A Moon Of Uranus
Titania A Moon Of Uranus

Neptune

Distance From The Sun
2,793,100,000Miles
4,495,100,000Kilometers

Our journey is nearly complete as we pass by Neptune. Neptune was discovered on the 23rd September 1846.

Neptune
Neptune

Neptune is named after the Roman God of water and the sea.

Neptune The Roman God Of Water And The Sea
Neptune The Roman God Of Water And The Sea

Neptune has 13 known moons. Of these Triton is easily the largest, comprising of 99.5% of all the mass in orbit around Neptune.

It is believed that Triton was originally a dwarf planet, that became captured by Neptune's gravity.

Triton One Of Neptune's 13 Moons
Triton One Of Neptune's 13 Moons

Our spaceship now powers us on to the depths of the Solar System.

We Leave Neptune Behind
We Leave Neptune Behind

The Kuiper Belt

We now enter the Kuiper Belt, far on the outskirts of the Solar System.

The Kuiper Belt is similar, but much bigger than the asteroid belt. It is made up of small frozen bodies, that are ancient remnants from the Solar System's formation.

The Kuiper belt has 3 known dwarf planets Pluto, Haumea and Makemake.

The Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper Belt

Pluto

Distance From The Sun
3,647,200,000Miles
5,870,000,000Kilometers

We reach Pluto, that is now classified as a dwarf planet. Pluto is mainly composed of rock and ice. Although it is small, about the third of our moon's volume, it is the largest known object in the Kuiper belt.

Pluto
Pluto

Slight changes in Neptune's orbit, meant some astronomers believed that there was a planet on the outskirts of the Solar System that was responsible. They called this Planet X.

In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh discovered the new planet. The method used was extremely laborious and took almost a year. Tombaugh compared time lapsed photographs, looking for any changes, that would be evidence of planetary movement. Eventually, he spotted a body that had indeed shifted its position. This was Pluto.

Pluto is named after the Roman God of the Underworld.

Pluto The Roman God Of The Underworld
Pluto The Roman God Of The Underworld

Due to the discovery of other bodies, similar or even bigger than Pluto, astronomers faced a dilemma. Do they increase the known number of planets, or remove Pluto from the list. In 2006 the solution was to create a new category of "dwarf planet". So this is the classification where Pluto now resides and we have 8 Major Planets.

Despite being so small Pluto, has 3 moons one of which is Charon. The other two moons called Nix and Hydra are smaller.

Charon One Of Pluto's Moons
Charon One Of Pluto's Moons

After seeing such amazing sites our tour is now sadly at an end. We hope you had an enjoyable journey and will join us on further adventures.

Curious Facts

★ The Sun's real color is white, it appears yellow on Earth because of our atmosphere.
★ The Sun accounts for 99.86% of the Solar System's mass.
★ A solar day on Mercury lasts 176 Earth days, a year on Mercury is 88 Earth Days. So, a Mercury day lasts approximately two Mercury years.
★ Saturday is named after the Roman god Saturn.
★ Uranus was the first planet to be discovered using a telescope.
★ The atmospheric pressure on Venus's surface is 92 times that of on Earth.
★ The four largest objects of the asteroid belt: Ceres, 4 Vesta, 2 Pallas, and 10 Hygiea account for more than half its mass.
★ Jupiter is so large that its volume is equal to 1,321 Earths.
Venetia-BurneyAn 11 year schoolgirl from England called Venetia Burney first suggested the name Pluto, for the newly discovered planet.
★ Makemake, a dwarf planet was discovered in 2005, shortly after Easter. Its name comes from the mythology of the people of Easter Island, where Makemake is the creator of humanity and the God of Fertility.

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Interesting Links

General

Wikipedia - The Solar System
Wikipedia - Asteroid Belt
Wikipedia - Kuiper
NASA - Solar System Exploration

Mercury

Wikipedia - Mercury

Venus

Wikipedia - Venus

Earth

Wikipedia - Earth

Mars

Wikipedia - Mars

Jupiter

Wikipedia - Jupiter

Saturn

Wikipedia - Saturn

Uranus

Wikipedia - Uranus

Neptune

Wikipedia - Neptune

Pluto

Wikipedia - Pluto