What are planets?

Planets are big balls that orbit around stars, just like how you might orbit around your favorite toy in a game of tag.

Imagine the Sun is like a giant flashlight at the center of our neighborhood. Earth, where we live, is one of the planets that dance around it, like kids running in a circle during recess. There are other planets too, some are bigger than Earth, and some are smaller. They all have their own paths or orbits.

A planet has to do three main things:

1. It must be big enough that its gravity pulls it into a round shape.
2. It needs to orbit around a star, not just float around aimlessly.
3. It should clear out the area near its orbit, like making sure no other toy is blocking your path during game time.

Some things are almost planets but aren’t quite, they’re called dwarf planets, like Pluto, who used to be considered a planet too!

So next time you look up at the sky and see the Moon or feel the Sun’s warmth, remember, you're part of a big, fun space party with all the planets!