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The Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and other bodies revolving around it. The other bodies include the planets and their satellites, comets, asteroids and meteoroids. There are eight known planets and they can be grouped into two - four rocky planets near the Sun and four gas giants away from the Sun. The small inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The outer gas giants are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Since 1930, Pluto was considered as the ninth planet. But, on August 24, 2006 the Central Assembly of the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto from the status of a planet by calling it a 'dwarf planet.'
All the planets and their satellites revolve round the Sun in elliptical orbits in anti-clockwise direction. The Sun's gravity pulls the planets inwards while the energy of the planet flings it into space. The equal balance of these two forces enable the planets to revolve round the Sun in a definite path.
Planet
The word planet is derived from the Greek word.planetes which means wanderer. The planets move around the Sun in elliptical orbits. They cannot produce heat or light by themselves. They receive heat and light from the Sun.
Terrestrial planets
Planets like the Earth are called terrestrial planets. They are Mercury, Venus and Mars. Like the Earth they consist of rock and metals. They also have solid surface like the Earth.
Jovian planets
Planets which resemble Jupiter are called Jovian planets. They are Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They contain hydrogen and helium as that of Jupiter. These four planets are together called gas giants.
Sedna
Scientists of The Institute of Technology at California discovered a new spherical body in the Solar System. It is 1700 kilometres in diameter. It revolves round the Sun at a distance of 1300 billion kilometres through a definite path. This celestial sphere has been named '2003V.B.12' and called Sedna.