Planetary Orbits

Whee. Around and around we go. I am a big, invisible circle in space. I help the big, round Earth dance around the bright, warm Sun. We spin and spin together. It is like we are all playing a giant game of follow the leader, and the Sun is always the leader. You can’t see me, but I am always there. I hold the Earth in a gentle hug so it doesn’t float away into the big, dark sky. I am a Planetary Orbit. I am the Earth’s special dancing path.

Long, long ago, people would look up at the sparkly night sky. They saw the Moon and the stars and the planets wandering around. They thought everything, even the big Sun, danced around our Earth. But a very curious man named Nicolaus Copernicus looked up at the stars every night. He watched and watched and had a big, new idea. He thought, ‘What if we are all dancing around the Sun instead?’. He was right. Then, another smart friend named Johannes Kepler looked even closer. He discovered my secret shape. He found out I'm not a perfect circle, but a little bit stretched. I am shaped like an oval, or a yummy egg. That is my special dance move.

My job is super important. Because of me, Earth stays in the perfect cozy spot. It's not too hot and not too cold. It is just right for all the tall trees, the fuzzy animals, and for you. I help give you sunny summers to play outside in the grass. I help give you chilly winters for making snow angels. Today, people who build big rockets use me to go whoosh into space. They follow my path to visit other planets. I am the secret roadmap of the stars, always showing the way. So keep looking up and dreaming of the amazing cosmic dance we are all a part of.