This MCQ module is based on: Solar System — The Sun and the Planets
TOPIC 43 OF 46
Solar System — The Sun and the Planets
🎓 Class 6
Science
CBSE
Theory
Ch 12 — Beyond Earth
⏱ ~14 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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[myaischool_lt_science_assessment grade_level="class_6" science_domain="earth_science" difficulty="basic"]
A Starry Night at the Terrace
One clear winter night, Meera climbed up to the terrace with her grandfather, Dadaji. The city lights had dimmed, and the sky looked like a huge black blanket sprinkled with silver dust.
"Dadaji," Meera whispered, "where is the Earth in all this? And that very bright dot — is that a star too?"
Dadaji smiled and said, "That bright dot is the planet Jupiter, not a star. Our Earth is one of eight planets moving around the Sun. Together they make our Solar System. Let us meet its family members."
"Surya devta, aap ke prakash se hi jeevan hai."
(O Sun, life itself flows from your light.) — An Indian morning prayer.
(O Sun, life itself flows from your light.) — An Indian morning prayer.
12.1 The Sun — Our Nearest Star
The Sun looks like a small yellow disc when we see it in the morning sky, but it is actually a giant ball of burning gases — mostly hydrogen and helium. It is our nearest star.
Key idea: A star is a huge, hot ball of gases that makes its own light and heat. The Sun is the only star close enough to the Earth to warm us every day.
The Sun is about 15 crore kilometres away from the Earth. Even sunlight, which is the fastest thing in the universe, takes about 8 minutes to reach us.
Why is the Sun so important?
Source of Light
The Sun lights up our days. Without it, Earth would be completely dark.
Source of Heat
The Sun warms the land, oceans and air — making life possible.
Energy for Plants
Green plants use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis.
Drives the Water Cycle
Sun's heat evaporates water to form clouds and rain.
Never look at the Sun directly, even through sunglasses or a telescope. Its light is so strong it can damage your eyes. Use only special solar-viewing filters provided by teachers.
12.2 The Family of Eight Planets
A planet is a large body that moves around the Sun in a fixed path called an orbit. Unlike stars, planets do not make their own light — they only shine because they reflect sunlight.
A fun way to remember the order of planets from the Sun is the sentence:
"My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Noodles"
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
The Inner (Rocky) Planets
The four planets closest to the Sun — Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars — are small and made mostly of rock and metal. They are also called terrestrial planets (meaning "Earth-like").
| Planet | Fun Fact | Moons |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Smallest; closest to Sun; no atmosphere; very hot by day, freezing at night. | 0 |
| Venus | Hottest planet because of thick cloudy atmosphere; the "Evening Star". | 0 |
| Earth | Our home — the only planet known to have life, water and oxygen. | 1 (Moon) |
| Mars | The "Red Planet" because of iron-rich red soil; has the tallest volcano in the Solar System. | 2 |
The Outer (Gas & Ice Giant) Planets
The next four — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune — are huge and made mainly of gases and ices. They all have rings, though Saturn's rings are the most beautiful.
| Planet | Fun Fact | Moons |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | The largest planet; has a huge storm called the Great Red Spot that has lasted 300+ years. | 95+ |
| Saturn | Famous for its bright, wide rings made of ice and dust. | 140+ |
| Uranus | A cold, pale-blue ice giant that rolls on its side like a ball. | 27+ |
| Neptune | The farthest planet; a deep-blue, windy world with the fastest winds in the Solar System. | 14+ |
12.3 Other Members of the Solar Family
Moons (Natural Satellites)
A satellite is any body that moves around a planet. Natural satellites are called moons. Our Earth has one Moon, but Jupiter has more than 95 moons!
Dwarf Planets
A dwarf planet is round like a planet and moves around the Sun, but it has not cleared its orbit of other objects. The most famous dwarf planet is Pluto. Until 2006, Pluto was counted as the ninth planet, but scientists then decided it was too small and renamed it a dwarf planet. Other dwarf planets include Eris, Ceres, Haumea, and Makemake.
Asteroids
Asteroids are small rocky bodies, mostly found in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. They are like leftover building blocks from when the Solar System was forming.
Comets
A comet is a ball of ice, dust and frozen gases. When a comet comes close to the Sun, the ice melts and forms a glowing tail that can stretch for millions of kilometres. Halley's Comet visits Earth's sky about once every 76 years.
Activity 12.1 — Build Your Own Mini Solar System
You need: 9 small balls of different sizes (a big orange for the Sun; peas, marbles, grapes and a cricket ball for planets), a long string, and chalk.
- Place the orange (Sun) in the centre of the playground.
- Using chalk, draw 8 circles (orbits) around it at different distances.
- Place each "planet" on its orbit in the correct order: Mercury (smallest pea) closest, then Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter (cricket ball — biggest), Saturn (second biggest), Uranus, Neptune.
- Walk each planet around its orbit once. Which planet's walk is longest?
Predict: Which planet will take the most time to complete one trip around the Sun — Mercury or Neptune?
Neptune. It is the farthest planet, so its orbit is the longest. While the Earth takes 1 year to go around the Sun, Neptune takes nearly 165 Earth-years for one trip!
Competency-Based Questions
Meera's class is making a wall chart of the Solar System. They have labelled the Sun in the centre, but mixed up some planet cards.
Q1. Which of the following is not a planet of our Solar System? L1
(c) Pluto. Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006 because it has not cleared its orbit of other objects.
Q2. Why do planets shine in the night sky even though they do not make their own light? L2
Planets shine because they reflect sunlight, just like a mirror. Stars, on the other hand, make their own light because they are hot glowing balls of gas.
Q3. Arrange these planets in order from the Sun: Neptune, Earth, Jupiter, Mercury. L3
From the Sun outwards: Mercury → Earth → Jupiter → Neptune.
Q4. Fill in the blank: Asteroids are mostly found in a belt between the planets ______ and ______. L1
Mars and Jupiter. This is called the Asteroid Belt.
Q5. True or False — Venus is closer to the Sun than Mercury. Correct it if false. L4
False. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. Venus is the second planet. Though Venus is hotter than Mercury because of its thick atmosphere.
Assertion – Reason
Assertion (A): The Sun is called a star.
Reason (R): The Sun makes its own light and heat like other stars.
Answer: A. The Sun is a star, and the reason is exactly that — it produces its own light and heat, which is the defining property of a star.
Assertion (A): Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System.
Reason (R): Jupiter has rings like Saturn.
Answer: B. Both statements are true — Jupiter is the biggest, and it does have faint rings — but having rings is not the reason it is the largest.
Assertion (A): Pluto is no longer counted among the eight planets.
Reason (R): Pluto is too small and has not cleared its orbital path of other objects.
Answer: A. Scientists reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006 for exactly this reason.
Frequently Asked Questions — Solar System — The Sun and the Planets
What does the topic 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' cover in Class 6 Science?
The topic 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' is part of NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth. It covers the key ideas of solar system, Sun, planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Class 6 students learn simple definitions, see why each idea matters in daily life, and try short experiments and observations. The lesson uses easy language, colourful pictures and small questions so that young learners build a strong base for higher classes and for competency-based questions in CBSE school tests.
Why is 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' important for Class 6 NCERT Science?
'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' is important because it builds the first ideas of science that Class 6 students will use again in Class 7, 8 and beyond. NCERT Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth — introduces solar system and connects it to things children already see at home, at school and in nature. Learning this topic helps students ask better questions, understand simple news about science, and score well in CBSE tests that use competency-based questions. The chapter also supports NEP 2020 by encouraging curiosity, observation and learning by doing rather than only reading and memorising.
What are the key ideas students should remember from Solar System — The Sun and the Planets?
The key ideas in 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' for Class 6 Science are: solar system, Sun, planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Students should be able to say each term in their own words, give one or two easy examples from daily life, and draw a small labelled diagram where needed. A good way to revise is to make flashcards, write a short note in the science notebook, and solve the NCERT in-text and exercise questions of Chapter 12. Linking every idea to something seen at home or school — in the kitchen, garden, playground or sky — makes these ideas easy to remember for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.
How is Solar System — The Sun and the Planets taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 6?
NCERT Curiosity Class 6 Science teaches 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' through an inquiry-based approach using Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students first make a guess, then try a small experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what happened and why. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth — the textbook has hands-on tasks, labelled pictures and thinking questions built for Bloom's Taxonomy Levels 1 to 6. Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding instead of only rote learning.
What real-life examples of solar system can Class 6 students see at home?
Class 6 students can see solar system at home in many simple ways linked to 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets'. Kitchens, school bags, playgrounds, the garden and the night sky are full of examples that match NCERT Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth. For example, students can look at food labels, watch changes while cooking, try safe activities with water, magnets or shadows, and observe the Sun, Moon and weather each day. Keeping a small science diary — with the date, what was observed and a quick drawing — turns daily life into a mini science lab. These real-life links make concepts easy to remember and help in answering competency-based questions in CBSE Class 6 Science.
How does 'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' connect to other chapters of Class 6 Science?
'Solar System — The Sun and the Planets' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 6 Science Curiosity. The ideas of solar system come back when students study related topics like diversity in the living world, food, magnets, measurement, materials, temperature, water, separation, habitats, natural resources and the solar system. For example, what students learn here helps them build mental pictures for later chapters and for Class 7 and Class 8 Science. Teachers often ask cross-chapter questions in CBSE exams to check if students can use what they learned in Chapter 12 — Beyond Earth — in new situations. This linked approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.
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