Celebrating World Space Week (4-10 October):
Dr Sam Illingworth is a senior lecturer in Science Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University and regularly writes poetry (including rhyming verse) about the latest science news! Mars rover Curiosity has been drilling holes in Mars rocks and its findings suggest that an ancient Martian lake evaporated, leaving deposits that eventually became like veins in the rocks below.
The Veins of Mars by Sam Illingworth
Your crater stands abandoned in the dirt,
As thirsty dreams evaporate for good;
Beneath your dusty surface pressures spurt,
Leaving behind deposits in the mud.
They burn you with their sulphate-silic blood
And your horizons change beyond repair;
Then groundwater appears like a lost flood,
leaving behind pure sulphur in your lair.
We cut you with a knife and steal without a care.
Space extremes by Marcus
Trinity Anglican SchoolThe planets are spinning without a sound
as gravity swings those comets around.
While meteors smash and bash our planet
made from iron and rocky granite.The core of the Sun’s fifteen million degrees
while Uranus has the coldest freeze.
It’s a race of extremes out there in space.
And the race in space is at a pace.
Poor little Pluto by Isaac
Trinity Anglican SchoolPoor little Pluto
blue and sad.
But while he is sulking
he’s secretly mad.“I’m not a planet!”
Pluto cried.
He just didn’t make it
although he had tried.He circled the Sun.
Round and round.
A tick in that box.
He nearly was crowned.Next test was simple.
He was small
but had enough gravity
to stay in a ball.Here comes the problem.
Five large moons:
Charon, Styx, Kerberos
and secretly Troons.Poor little Pluto
blue and sad.
These are the reasons.
I guess it’s too bad.
Celia adds:
Moons cause a problem.
There’s five in the mix:
Charon, Styx, Kerberos
Hydra and Nix!
Sparkling Sun by Myuri
Trinity Anglican SchoolSparkling Sun:
shining and fiery it bubbles and swirls
with dark cold patches while others around it
continue to twirl.Mini Mercury:
smallest in the family, fastest runner
with extreme mood swings from a wintery cold
to a sizzling summer.Violent Venus:
boastfully beautiful, this sparkly sister of Earth.
Cloaked by clouds, two planets comparable
were Venus and Earth.Excellent Earth:
our Goldilocks planet, not too cold and not too hot.
Thankfully our happy home
in which we trot.Mysterious Mars:
with a little help from some Techy-smart gnomes
in a few hundred yearsthis could be our new home!
Jumping Jupiter:
dancing with gases, it whips and whirls.
While its many moons spin
this giant ball swirls.Stunning Saturn:
seven super rings made from dusty ices.
Spinning like a sparkling halo
her beauty entices.Unique Uranus:
tilted on its side, the coldest light blue.
Discovered with a telescope.
Could we live there too?Native Neptune:
dark navy blue, it’s running round lazily
far from the Sun
the second coldest in our family.Peaceful Pluto:
the most famous dwarf planet, floating through space
this tiny ball of ice yearns to be a planet …
but had no case.
The Moon’s a Sickle by Tom
Trinity Anglican SchoolThe Moon’s a sickle
curved above the evening Sun
in a drowsy day.When it rises
its beauty fills the land with joy
and owls come out to play.If you look up at the Moon
you’ll see a kangaroo
engraved upon its face.Some say it’s made of cheese
but I’d say not!
It’s a ghostly pretty place.
Meteor by Robin
Trinity Anglican SchoolA meteor shower came storming
when planet Earth was forming.
One was nudged by larger rocks
and pushed off-course with bumps and knocks.
Eons later, back to Earth, that meteor would be coming.When roaming dinosaurs were about
they ruled the Earth. There was no doubt.
That meteor was not their friend.
With no warning of their nearing end
there was a most humungous crash, which wiped them all out.Now when I look up to the sky
I wonder if that’s how our race will die.
Or will we work out a clever way
to deflect that meteor far away.
Before it comes whooshing by, anything is worth a try!
Four Gassy Planets by Kira
Trinity Anglican SchoolThe biggest planet of them all
looks like a big stripy ball
with sixty-seven circling moons
Jupiter is … a gassy balloon.Saturn has such startling rings.
I wonder if those rings can sing?
Made from many icy rocks
broken into tiny chunks.Uranus is the coldest planet.
It says so on the internet!
This planet’s rolling on its side
and fifty thousand kilometres wide.Is pure blue Neptune a ball of ice?
They say it’s gas, which would be nice.
The farthest away for us to view …
perhaps it’s blue all the way through.
Terrestrial Planets by Tammy
Trinity Anglican SchoolToday I’d like to share with you
a little of my wisdom.
Some, you’ll know, some may be new
about the Solar System.The planet closest to the Sun
is Mercury. An iron ball.
It has no moon to look upon.
It’s rocky and terrestrial.Venus is a steamy planet.
Its moons, the Sun has pushed away.
Clouds are made from sulphuric acid.
A third-of-a-year is a Venus Day.Is Earth the only liveable planet?
It certainly is the next in line.
Liquid water will permit
our life-forms, which is fine.Finally, a small red planet.
You guessed it. It’s called Mars.
The last of the planets terrestrial.
Surrounded by the stars.
Exploring the Solar System by Jordi
Trinity Anglican SchoolOut in the depths of lonely space
some planets are humongous.
Compare their size to asteroids
and they’ll look like spores to fungus!Mercury is the closest in
and also the hottest planet.
It has a heavy iron core
then lots and lots of granite!Jupiter is the largest
with a hurricane red blister.
It also has no surface
(so that’s where I’d send my sister!)Uranus is the coldest
and its name has made it famous.
It’s easy to make fun of it …
so poor, poor Uranus.Pluto is the tiniest.
And to Pluto I would say
“You’re not a dwarf planet to me …
Honestly, you’re okay!”
My Planet Haikus by Tayla
Trinity Anglican SchoolIt orbits quickly
around our majestic Sun …
Mercury of course!Then there’s our sister.
The bade Goldilocks planet …
that’s steamy Venus.Here is quite nice
if you need a little spice …
Earth is our planet.I love the next one.
It’s flying among the stars.
It’s just planet Mars.Here comes Jupiter.
The gargantuan planet.
It is enormous.Sparkling Saturn
with circling icy rings.
The second largest.It’s a pale light blue.
Do you think you can guess who?
Floating Uranus.Blue Neptune is dark.
That’s not because it is sick …
And it’s NOT a Smurf!
The Solar System is Cool by Louis
Trinity Anglican SchoolThe Solar System is cool.
It spins round the Sun like a spool.
Sun gives light to the planets
their moons and the comets.
Our Soar System is cool.The Asteroid Belt is sweet.
This ring of rocks won’t stay neat.
Some visit the Earth
(we’re not sure where they birth).
The Asteroid Belt is sweet.Saturn’s rings are very pretty.
They look a bit like confetti.
They’re made of ice-dust
and ground rocky crust.
Saturn’s rings are very pretty.