Video narration
What do the Sun, Earth, and other planets have in common with children in a schoolyard game? They move around a central point. The Sun is a star, and eight planets travel around it in order. Closest to farthest, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. They are not just a list to memorize. They are members of one system, each following its own path, or orbit, a path around the Sun. The Sun's gravity helps keep them there. Moons travel around planets, while asteroids and comets also move through space. Remember, a classroom picture may place everything close together, but real planets are separated by huge distances. So what is the solar system? It is the Sun and everything that travels around it: eight planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, all traveling together as one space family.