OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaHave you ever wondered why the planets keep going around the Sun instead of flying off into space? It is all because of an invisible force called gravity! The Sun is so big that its gravity pulls on all the planets and keeps them close.
The Sun’s gravity pulls on the planets, but the planets are also moving very fast. They do not fall into the Sun because they are zooming sideways at the same time. These two things working together, gravity pulling in and speed pushing forward, keep the planets moving in big circles called orbits.
- The closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it goes.
- Mercury zooms around the Sun in just 88 days, but Neptune takes 165 years!
- If the Sun suddenly disappeared, the planets would fly off in straight lines into space.
