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[upbeat music]

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- "OUR WORLD."

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- WHAT DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM?

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WELL, I KNOW THREE THINGS
OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.

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LET'S START AT THE CENTER.

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NUMBER ONE:
THE SUN IS THE CENTER OF

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AND BIGGEST THING
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

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NUMBER TWO: EARTH

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AND ALL OF THE OTHER PLANETS
YOU'VE HEARD OF

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ARE ALSO PART
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

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NUMBER THREE:

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AND BECAUSE THE SUN
IS SO HUGE,

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ALL OF THE PLANETS,
INCLUDING EARTH,

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ARE PULLED TOWARDS THE SUN
BY GRAVITY.

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TURNS OUT, THOUGH,
THOSE THREE THINGS

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JUST BARELY SCRATCH
THE SURFACE

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OF WHAT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
IS ALL ABOUT.

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BUT JUST WHAT IS
A SOLAR SYSTEM ANYWAY?

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- A STAR AND ALL THE OBJECTS
THAT ORBIT AROUND IT

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MAKE UP A SOLAR SYSTEM.

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OUR SUN IS A YELLOW STAR.

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EIGHT PLANETS ORBIT THE SUN
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

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THE INNER PLANETS--

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MERCURY, VENUS,
EARTH, AND MARS--

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ARE CLOSER TO THE SUN
AND HAVE SURFACES MADE OF ROCK.

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THE OUTER PLANETS--

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JUPITER, SATURN,
URANUS, AND NEPTUNE--

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HAVE SURFACES MADE OF GASES

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AND ARE FOUND
BEYOND THE ASTEROID BELT.

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- BUT IS THAT ALL THERE IS?

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LET'S CHECK WITH ALAN TAYLOR,
AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER,

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AND SEE WHAT HE'S GOT TO SAY.

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- WE HAVE ALL THESE THINGS
OUT THERE THAT WE TALK ABOUT,

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BUT THEY'RE
IN THESE LEVELS OF,

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WELL, THERE'S THE SUN,
AND THEN THERE'S PLANETS.

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AND YOU CAN KIND OF DIVIDE
THE PLANETS

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INTO GAS GIANTS
AND TERRESTRIAL PLANETS.

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AND THEN THERE ARE
FURTHER SUBDIVISIONS

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OF DWARF PLANETS
AND ASTEROIDS.

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WELL, THAT'S AN INTERESTING WAY
TO TALK ABOUT IT,

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BUT THEY'RE THINGS OUT THERE,
AND THEY HAVE SIZE,

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AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
INTERESTING TO SEE,

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LINED UP SIDE BY SIDE,
ALL OF THESE THINGS,

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STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST
AND GOING DOWN TO THE SMALLEST.

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AND SO I HAD ALWAYS WANTED
TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

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JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY.

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- SO ALAN TAYLOR DECIDED
TO CREATE THIS AWESOME GRAPHIC.

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IT COMPARES THE SIZES OF 88
OF THE LARGEST KNOWN OBJECTS

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IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

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88?

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- IN FACT, THERE ARE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

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OF OBJECTS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

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INCLUDING MOONS, ASTEROIDS,
METEORS, AND COMETS.

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AS ASTRONOMERS
CONTINUE TO OBSERVE SPACE

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WITH NEW SPACECRAFT
AND BETTER TELESCOPES,

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THEY FIND MORE OBJECTS.

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- EVEN IF WE JUST LOOK
AT THE 88 OBJECTS

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ALAN PUT IN HIS GRAPHIC,
WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO STUDY.

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SO HOW DO WE SORT
ALL THESE OBJECTS OUT?

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- SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR PATTERNS
TO CLASSIFY OBJECTS.

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THAT MEANS THEY COMPARE
THE OBJECTS

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AND GROUP THEM TOGETHER
BASED ON SIMILARITIES,

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OR THINGS THEY HAVE IN COMMON,

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LIKE SIZE OR SHAPE
OR HOW THEY MOVE.

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TO BE CONSIDERED A PLANET,

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AN OBJECT MUST HAVE
THESE THREE THINGS IN COMMON:

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ONE, IT MUST BE BIG ENOUGH
TO FORM A NEARLY ROUND SHAPE.

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TWO, IT MUST ORBIT A STAR,
LIKE OUR SUN.

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THREE, IT CAN ONLY ORBIT
THE STAR--

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CANNOT CROSS THE PATH
OF ANY OTHER OBJECT AROUND IT.

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TO BE CONSIDERED A MOON,

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AN OBJECT NEEDS TO ORBIT
A PLANET.

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EARTH'S MOON IS CALLED LUNA.

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GANYMEDE, WHICH IS ONE
OF THE MANY MOONS

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THAT ORBIT JUPITER,

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IS THE LARGEST MOON
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

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GANYMEDE IS LARGER
THAN MERCURY AND PLUTO.

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- PLUTO?
DIDN'T THAT USED TO BE A PLANET?

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SO HOW DO WE CLASSIFY IT NOW?

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- PLUTO IS NO LONGER A PLANET.

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IT'S A DWARF PLANET.

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THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY CHANGE
THE OBJECT AT ALL.

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THE OBJECT IS STILL
THIS INTERESTING THING OUT THERE

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THAT HAS A HISTORY,

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THAT PEOPLE DISCOVERED IT

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AND ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT'S LIKE.

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AND WE ACTUALLY
HAVE A SPACECRAFT

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ON THE WAY OUT THERE.

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IT'S GONNA BE THERE
IN A FEW YEARS.

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AND WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE
TO SEE MORE ABOUT IT.

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IT'S GOT SEVERAL MOONS
GOING AROUND.

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IT'S THIS INTERESTING THING
OUT THERE.

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WHAT YOU CALL IT,
WHETHER IT'S A ROCK

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OR A TRANS-NEPTUNIAN OBJECT
OR A PLANET OR A DWARF PLANET,

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REALLY DOESN'T HAVE
A LOT OF BEARING

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ON HOW INTERESTING IT IS.

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I MEAN, IT'S STILL A MEMBER
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

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- SO THAT'S WHY ALAN
MADE HIS GRAPHIC.

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JUST BECAUSE WE CHANGE
THE WAY WE CLASSIFY AN OBJECT

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DOESN'T CHANGE ALL THE NEAT
STUFF ABOUT THAT OBJECT.

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AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE PICTURE,
THE PLANET MERCURY IS SMALLER

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THAN ONE OF SATURN'S MOONS,
TITAN.

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DOES THAT MAKE TITAN
MORE IMPORTANT THAN MERCURY

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OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND?

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OF COURSE NOT.

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ALL OF THE THINGS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

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ARE INTERESTING
IN THEIR OWN WAY,

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AND WE SHOULD LEARN AS MUCH
AS WE CAN ABOUT EACH ONE.

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- I WOULD THINK THAT FOR ME,

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THE THING THAT I LEARNED
FROM THIS

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AND THAT I'VE LEARNED
TIME AND TIME AGAIN IS,

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IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA THAT SEEMS
REALLY INTERESTING TO YOU,

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GO THROUGH WITH IT.

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DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH IT,
AND MOVE FORWARD.

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AND IF IT'S NEW,
IF IT'S AN ORIGINAL IDEA,

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THEN IT'S AMAZING.

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YOU KNOW, YOU GET A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK.

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YOU KNOW,
THROUGH THIS PHOTOGRAPH

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AND THROUGH WORK THAT I'VE DONE
ON THE BIG PICTURE,

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I'M LEARNING,

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AND I FEEL LIKE THERE'S LEARNING
BACK AND FORTH.

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- AND ALAN'S BEEN INTERESTED
IN NASA

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AND ALL THE COOL THINGS THEY DO
EVER SINCE HE WAS ABOUT OUR AGE.

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- MY BACKGROUND WITH NASA

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IS EVER SINCE I WAS
REALLY, REALLY SMALL.

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I'VE JUST HAD
A TOTAL FASCINATION FOR IT.

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I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING
THAT REALLY INSPIRED ME A LOT.

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I REMEMBER, AS A SMALL CHILD,
SENDING MAIL,

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IN THE ACTUAL POST,
OFF TO NASA,

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ASKING THEM TO SEND ME
ANY SORT OF THING THAT THEY HAD,

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LIKE AN IMAGE
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

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AND I GOT BACK
THIS HUGE PACKAGE OF--

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YOU KNOW, IT'S, LIKE,
THAT THICK.

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IT HAD IMAGES AND DIAGRAMS
AND PICTURES AND PAINTINGS,

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AND IT WAS JUST--I REMEMBER JUST
TEARING THROUGH THAT FOR MONTHS.

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IT WAS THIS TREASURED THING
I HAD.

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- THESE DAYS, YOU DON'T EVEN
HAVE TO WRITE TO NASA

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LIKE ALAN DID.

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- GO TO NASA'S
SOLAR SYSTEM WEBSITE

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AND CHECK OUT
EVERYTHING IT HAS TO OFFER.

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THERE'S GAMES,
INTERACTIVES, VIDEOS,

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PICTURES OF THE PLANETS,
AND MUCH MORE.

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- COOL!

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AND JUST THINK: EVERY TIME
WE DISCOVER A NEW OBJECT

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IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

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OUR WORLD JUST GOT
A LITTLE BIT BIGGER.

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- "OUR WORLD."