GK

Our Solar System

Class 2

🎯 Learning Objectives

📖 Let Us Begin!

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and seen the stars and the Moon? Our Earth is just one small part of a huge family called the Solar System.

The Solar System has the Sun at the centre, and eight planets going around it. Our Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the only planet where life exists!

India has its own space agency called ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) that sends rockets and satellites into space.

The Sun

The Sun is a huge ball of hot, glowing gas at the centre of our Solar System. It gives us light and heat. Without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth.

Fun Facts about the Sun

The Sun is so big that about 1 million Earths could fit inside it. It takes 8 minutes for sunlight to reach Earth. The Sun is about 150 million kilometres away from Earth.

The Eight Planets

The eight planets go around the Sun in a path called an orbit. Here they are in order from the Sun:

OrderPlanetSimple Fact
1stMercurySmallest planet, closest to the Sun, very hot in the day and very cold at night
2ndVenusBrightest planet in our sky, called the "Morning Star" or "Evening Star"
3rdEarthOur home! The only planet with water, air, and life
4thMarsCalled the "Red Planet" because its soil is red. India's Mangalyaan spacecraft visited Mars!
5thJupiterThe largest planet. Has a giant storm called the Great Red Spot
6thSaturnHas beautiful rings made of ice and rock around it
7thUranusSpins on its side! Appears blue-green in colour
8thNeptuneFarthest planet from the Sun. Has very strong winds
Memory trick to remember the planets in order: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

The Moon

The Moon is Earth's natural satellite. It goes around the Earth. The Moon does not have its own light — it reflects light from the Sun.

Moon Facts

The Moon is about 384,000 km from Earth. In 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon. India's Chandrayaan missions have explored the Moon!

📝 Key Words

WordMeaning
Solar SystemThe Sun and all the planets, moons, and other objects that go around it
PlanetA large round object that goes around the Sun
OrbitThe path a planet takes as it goes around the Sun
SatelliteAn object that goes around a planet (the Moon is Earth's natural satellite)
ISROIndian Space Research Organisation — India's space agency
⭐ Key Points to Remember

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks
1. The Sun is at the of the Solar System.
2. Earth is the planet from the Sun.
3. Mars is called the Planet.
4. has beautiful rings around it.
5. India's space agency is called .
B. Multiple Choice Questions
1. How many planets are in our Solar System?
(a) 7(b) 8(c) 9
2. Which is the largest planet?
(a) Saturn(b) Earth(c) Jupiter
3. Which planet is closest to the Sun?
(a) Venus(b) Mercury(c) Earth
C. Short Answer
1. Name all 8 planets in order from the Sun.
2. Why is Earth special compared to other planets?
3. What is the Moon? Write two facts about it.
My Solar System Drawing

Draw the Solar System! Draw the Sun in the middle. Then draw 8 circles around it for the planets. Label each planet. Colour Earth blue and green (water and land). Colour Mars red.

Which planet would you most like to visit? Why?

Want to use this as a worksheet? Switch to the A4 printable view.

GK -- Class 2

Topic: Our Solar System
Name: ____________________________Class: 2Date: ________________
Learning Objectives
Let Us Begin!

The Solar System has the Sun at the centre, and eight planets going around it. Our Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the only planet where life exists! India's ISRO sends rockets and satellites into space.

The Eight Planets (in order from the Sun)
OrderPlanetSimple Fact
1stMercurySmallest, closest to the Sun
2ndVenusBrightest planet, "Morning Star"
3rdEarthOur home! Only planet with life
4thMarsThe Red Planet. India's Mangalyaan visited it!
5thJupiterLargest planet
6thSaturnHas beautiful rings
7thUranusSpins on its side
8thNeptuneFarthest from the Sun

Memory trick: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

Key Points to Remember

GK -- Class 2 (continued)

Topic: Our Solar System -- Practice
A. Fill in the Blanks
  1. The Sun is at the of the Solar System.
  2. Earth is the planet from the Sun.
  3. Mars is called the Planet.
  4. has beautiful rings around it.
  5. India's space agency is called .
B. Multiple Choice Questions
  1. How many planets are in our Solar System?
    (a) 7(b) 8(c) 9
  2. Which is the largest planet?
    (a) Saturn(b) Earth(c) Jupiter
  3. Which planet is closest to the Sun?
    (a) Venus(b) Mercury(c) Earth
C. Short Answer
  1. Name all 8 planets in order from the Sun.
  2. Why is Earth special compared to other planets?
  3. Write two facts about the Moon.
My Solar System

Draw the Sun in the centre and label all 8 planets around it in the correct order. Colour Earth blue and green. Colour Mars red.

Which planet would you most like to visit? Why?