The Solar System

I am a very big, dark, and quiet place. But I am not empty. I am filled with sparkly lights that twinkle like tiny diamonds in the night. In my middle, I have a giant, glowing ball of light. It is so warm and bright, and it keeps everyone cozy. Around this light, many colorful worlds spin and dance. They go around and around in a slow, sleepy circle, like a happy little parade. One world is rocky and red, and another is swirly blue and white. One of my worlds even wears sparkly rings that look just like a hula hoop. It is a beautiful, twirly dance that never, ever stops. I am your home in the stars. I am the Solar System.

My family is big and bright. The glowing ball of light in my middle is my very own star, the Sun. He is like the happy host of a big, wonderful party, and he shines on everyone. The spinning worlds are my planets, and they are all my children. There is rocky little Mercury, who is closest to the Sun. Then there is cloudy Venus and your home, the beautiful blue and green Earth. After you comes dusty red Mars. Then there is giant Jupiter with his big red spot that looks like a sleepy eye, and Saturn with his amazing, glittery rings. Far, far away are the chilly, blue worlds of Uranus and Neptune. A long, long time ago, we were all just a big cloud of sleepy dust and gas. The cloud swirled and twirled until it made the Sun and all my planets.

Guess what. People on Earth, like you, are part of my big family, too. You live on the beautiful blue and green planet. At night, you look up at me and see my twinkling stars and the bright, smiling moon. You wonder about my other planets that are so far away. For a long time, since the year 1969, curious people have sent little robot explorers to visit my planets. The robots zoom through space to take pictures and say hello for you. When you look at the moon or see a bright star shining in the sky, you are looking right at me. So wave hello, keep dreaming big dreams, and maybe one day you will come and dance with my planets, too.