Space word search

Countdown to launch. The space theme covers the eight planets of our solar system and the dwarf planet Pluto, the things we see in the night sky (comet, meteor, nebula, constellation, the Milky Way) and the gear of space travel: rocket, capsule, rover, spacesuit and the space station.

Pluto was called the ninth planet from its discovery in 1930 until 2006, when astronomers reclassified it as a dwarf planet. Venus is the hottest planet, even though Mercury is closer to the sun, because its thick atmosphere traps heat. Jupiter is the largest planet, Mars looks red because of iron oxide, or rust, in its soil, and sunlight takes about eight minutes to reach the Earth.

Space is a favorite unit in elementary science. A classic way to remember the planets in order from the sun is the sentence "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos": Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Play tip: the planet names are capitalized in the list, but in the grid they look like any other word. Start with the letters that random filler rarely uses: the J of JUPITER, the V of VENUS and SUPERNOVA, and the X of GALAXY. Each one you see is a strong hint.