Loading…
The Planet Parade at the Observatory
by My Book Hub Team
Cosmo opens the observatory dome and names the planets in order from the Sun, one telescope view at a time.
What your child will learn
Names the planets in order from the Sun.
Genre: educational
For ages 9-12
A peek inside
Cosmo wrapped his starry scarf tighter as the dome of the observatory opened to the night sky. Tonight he would name every planet in order from the Sun, starting with the closest one. Through the great telescope he found Mercury, a small rocky world racing around our star. Mercury is the first planet from the Sun. It has no thick atmosphere, so days burn hot and nights freeze cold. Craters cover its surface like ancient scars from space rocks. Cosmo sketched the tiny planet and whispered its name with care. First comes Mercury, he reminded himself, nearest of all.
Cosmo turned the telescope slightly and locked onto the next planet in the parade. Venus glowed like a bright jewel, second from the Sun and wrapped in thick yellow clouds. Those clouds trap heat so fiercely that Venus is the hottest planet, even hotter than Mercury. The air there is mostly carbon dioxide, and the pressure would crush a visitor in moments. Long ago, people called Venus the morning star or evening star because it shines so boldly. Cosmo wrote the name carefully in his notebook. After Mercury comes Venus, second in line from our star. He felt proud that the order was already clear in his mind.
Next Cosmo aimed at the third planet, the only one he already knew by heart because it was home. Earth hangs in the perfect place, not too hot and not too cold, with blue oceans and swirling white clouds. It is the third planet from the Sun. Green forests, tall mountains, and busy cities cover its land. Living things breathe oxygen here, and the Moon keeps company nearby. Cosmo smiled, thinking of friends asleep under that same sky. He traced Earth third on his list after Mercury and Venus. Our world belongs in this parade too, he thought, special yet still part of the same family of planets circling the Sun.
The fourth planet glowed a rusty red through the eyepiece, and Cosmo felt a thrill of discovery. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. People call it the Red Planet because iron-rich dust coats its surface. It has polar ice caps, towering volcanoes, and deep canyons carved long ago. Thin air and cold deserts make it harsh, yet robots have rolled across its soil for years. Cosmo remembered that explorers once dreamed of canals there, though now we know the truth is even more wonderful. After Earth comes Mars in the order from the Sun. He added the name with a steady hand and kept watching.
Cosmo swung the telescope outward to the realm of gas giants and found a striped giant waiting. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It is the largest of all, so huge that more than a thousand Earths could fit inside it. Swirling storms race across its face, including a famous Great Red Spot that has spun for centuries. Dozens of moons circle Jupiter like a miniature solar system of their own. Cosmo gasped at the bands of cloud and the sheer scale. After Mars comes Jupiter, fifth from our star. Naming it aloud, he felt the parade growing grander with every step farther from the Sun.
More books for ages 9-12
- Mini-Magellan and the Body Seas
- Pluck, Blow, Bang: How Sound Travels
- The Great Student Council Vote
- Science Fair Secrets: Heart and Lungs on the Same Team
- The Map Room Journals
- Voyages Unveiled: Exploring with History's Greatest Adventurers
Find more like this
Space stories · Educational books · Science books · More books for ages 9-12