Grade 3, Science Olympiad (CBSE) - Planets 

Try free sample papers for Olympiads

Grade 3  |   Science  |   Planets, Earth and Universe, Olympiad, CBSE, ICSE, Maths Olympiad, Science Olympiad, English Olympiad

 In our solar system, we have eight planets- 

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Out of these eight planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner rocky planets. The remaining planets like Jupiter and Saturn are called the gas giants while Uranus and Neptune are called Icy giants. 

• Mercury is considered the first planet as it is the closest planet to the sun. You may be thinking that is closest to the sun also makes Mercury the hottest planet but this is not the case, Venus is considered the hottest planet in our solar system as it has a dense atmosphere which traps the heat of the sunlight much more than the mercury. Life is not possible on mercury because it is either too hot or too cold. Mercury has no moon. 
• Venus is the second planet from the sun. It is almost as big as the earth. Venus rotates in the opposite direction as almost all the other the planets which mean the sun rises from the west and sets in the east here. Venus also has no moon. 
• Earth is at the right distance from the sun and the has the right mixture of air, eat, and water which makes life possible on earth. About 70% of the earth is covered with water and 30% with the land. Earth has one moon. Moon is the natural satellite of Earth.
• Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is a rocky planet and has two moons. Its surface is covered with red dust and hence called the red planet.
• Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system and it is the fifth planet from the sun. It is made mostly of gases. It is referred to as a stormy planet as there is a huge storm that has been raging for thousands of years in it. Jupiter has 60 moons revolving around it.
• Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system.It is  made mostly of gases. It is the sixth planet from the sun. It has millions of pieces of rock and ice moving around it. These look like solid rings. Saturn has 62 moons revolving around it. 
• Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun. Uranus is a gas giant. It spins on its side. It is an extremely cold planet and hence been called the “ice giant”.  It has 27 moons.
• Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun. Just like Uranus, it is also a very cold planet as it is far away from the sun. There is a dark blue swirl of the storm raging on the planet which makes it look blue in color. It has 14 moons.

Sun is very important for our existence on earth. In the absence of the sun, our earth would be just a ball of ice coated rock.

 Recommended watch

 Useful free youtube videos 

Get me the extra edge for Olympiads Exams