THE SOLAR FAMILY
M.C.
The solar family comprises of the SUN and EIGHT PLANETS and ONE DWARF PLANET which revolve around the SUN. The eight planets are MERCURY, VENUS, EARTH, MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, NEPTURE and dwarf planet PLUTO. They are collectively abbreviated MVEM .J. SUNP.
(A TEACHER WITH A GROUP OF NINE PUPILS; DRESSED IN PLANETARY COSTUMES, SING AND ENTERS THE STAGE)
TEACHER
(to Mercury)
Who are you my dear Planet?
MERCURY
I am Mercury with seven letters. I am the closest and nearest Planet to the Sun. I have no satellite of my own and I rotate only once every two Mercurian years.
TEACHER
How long does it take you to move round the Sun?
MERCURY
It takes me 88 earth-days to go round the Sun with a distance of 57 million, Six hundred thousand kilometres. I am the smallest and innermost planet in the Solar System.
TEACHER
That means you’re not alone.
MERCURY
Yes, I am from a large family. One of my brothers is called Venus.
TEACHER
Hmm Venus, never heard of that before!
(to Venus)
Honourable Venus!!!
VENUS
Yes, Sir.
TEACHER
What are you and how related are you to Mercury?
VENUS
I am the closest planet to Mercury. My name is VENUS.
TEACHER
You mean “Venus Soap”?
VENUS
Oh! No. Have you not been to School? I am a Planet Similar to the size, weight and density of the earth where you live. I am always termed “EARTH TWIN”. I have a distance of 107 million, 200 thousand kilometres. It takes me 225 earth-days to go round the Sun with a rotation period of 243 earth-days. It takes me longer to rotate about my axis than any planet in the Solar System and rotates in opposite direction to all but Uranus – which means the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east. I do not have any natural Satellite and I have a sister who lives near me.
TEACHER
Mercury called you a brother, now you call Earth a sister, can you tell me why?
VENUS
Yes because Earth has given birth to living things.
TEACHER
Hmmm… that’s right. Let me invite her.
(to Earth)
Hello! Sister to Venues! How are you and what are you?
EARTH
Oh! You mean you do not know me?
TEACHER
Your name is Earth, that’s all I know.
EARTH
I am your host, the third planet from the Sun. You live on me. Spacemen called me “BEAUTIFUL JEWEL.” I am the only Planet that supports the existence of plants and animals. Unlike Mercury and Venus, I have one natural Satellite called the Moon, which revolves eastward, round me in 28 days. It takes me 24 hours to spin in a day.
TEACHER
Then how long does it take you to move round the Sun?
EARTH
365 and a quarter days.
TEACHER
What about your distance from the Sun?
EARTH
148 MILLION, 800 THOUSAND KILOMETRES FROM The Sun.
(points at Mars)
Move on to him, he’s called Mars.
TEACHER
Thanks!
(to Mars)
Oh Mars! Where are you?
MARS
Here I am, Sir. Who told you my name?
TEACHER
Earth did but I don’t know you well.
MARS
Don’t worry, I will tell you about me. Most astronomers think that there may be the possibility of some tiny organisms living on me. I am the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the solar system, which uses 687 days to move round the Sun. However, I have a distance of 227 millions, 200 thousand kilometres from the Sun. I have two natural satellites called Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped. A day on me is slightly longer than a day on earth: it is 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35.244 seconds. My dear, I have a very big brother called Jupiter.
TEACHER
Wow!
MARS
Let me invite him.
TEACHER
Thanks to you, Mars. Don’t worry, I will go and see him myself.
(to Jupiter)
Jupiter!
JUPITER
(with a deep voice)
Yes my dear.
TEACHER
Whoa! You’re a really big genius.
JUPITER
Thank you.
TEACHER
Can you introduce yourself?
JUPITER
More than an introduction. l will rather explain myself. I am the largest planet in the Solar system you can also call me a Gas Giant. The atmospheres around me are characterized by violent thunderstorms stronger than those experienced on earth. My Surface is primarily composed of hydrogen with a quarter of its mass being helium. I orbit round the Sun in 11.9 earth years. Since I am a gas planet, I do not rotate as a solid sphere. My equator rotates a bit faster than my polar regions at a speed of 28 thousand, 2 hundred and 73 miles per hour that’s about 43 thousand kilometres. A day on me varies from 9 hours 56 minutes around the poles to 9 hours and 50 minutes close to the equator.
TEACHER
Okay, what about your distance from the Sun?
JUPITER
My distance is 772 millions, 800 thousand kilometres from the Sun. l have 13 Satellites.
TEACHER
Thank you, big guy.
(to Saturn)
Hello, you peeping there! Can I help you?
SATURN
You know members of my family but do not know me.
TEACHER
Is that true? Who are you then?
SATURN
I am the Saturn you may have read about in Geography. l am the second largest Planet in the Solar system after Jupiter. While the earth uses 1 year to make a trip round the Sun, I use 13 earth years! A day on me is determined to be 10 hours, 33 minutes, and 38 seconds.
TEACHER
How distant are you from the Sun’?
SATURN
1 billion, 417 million, 600 thousand kilometres.
TEACHER
Okay, thank you, my dear. Do you know URANUS?
SATURN
Yes I do. Let me inform Uranus that you need his attention.
URANUS
Good day, Sir. I was informed that you needed me most.
TEACHER
Need you most?
URANUS
Very good! How may I help you?
TEACHER
Okay, I want you to tell me about yourself.
URANUS
All right, I am the seventh Planet from the Sun in the solar system. I am 50 times the size of the earth. I orbit in a clockwise direction round the Sun.
TEACHER
Is that all about you?
URANUS
No. I am surrounded by a ring system that is mostly composed of ice particles, with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. I have at least 82 natural satellites, of which 53 are officially named; this does not include the hundreds of moonlets in the rings. I am 1.434 billion kilometres away from the Sun with an average orbital speed of 9.68 kilometres per second. It takes me 10 thousand, 759 earth-days to finish one revolution around the Sun.
TEACHER
Thank you Uranus. Let me look for Neptune.
TEACHER
Neptune! Neptune!! Neptune!!!
NEPTUNE
Here I am, Sir. Any problem?
TEACHER
I was about introducing you to a friend but had some lapses please can you help?
NEPTUNE
Yes. Simply, I am a very cold Planet. It takes me 165 earth-years to make a complete orbit round the Sun. Only 13 of my natural satellites are known.
TEACHER
Hmm… what is your distance from the Sun?
NEPTUNE
I have a distance of 4 billions, 495 million, 800 thousand kilometres from the Sun. Just that simple introduction will suffice.
TEACHER
PULTO! Where is Pluto?
PLUTO
I am here. Far here. It’s a pity that you couldn’t even see me with your eyes.
TEACHER
(wears an eye glass)
Oh! Sorry, I can see you now.
PLUTO
I don’t blame you anyway, you’re only human.
TEACHER
Please I…
PLUTO
(interrupts)
Hey, it’s all right. I will tell you about myself. I am the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system. I was discovered or let me say born to the knowledge of the human world in 1930 and classified as a planet, but was known to be a dwarf planet later in 2006. Because of my remote distance from the Sun, people like you know very little of me. I am the coldest and farthest from the Sun. I make a complete orbit round the sun in 248 earth-years.
TEACHER
Can you tell your distance from the Sun?
PLUTO
Yes. It is 5 billions, 850 million kilometres from the sun. I have no satellite of my own.
TEACHER
Thanks to you all! That is all I needed to know from you all.
(ALL SING AND EXIT THE STAGE)
