Solar mass

Okay kiddo, you know how when we talk about how heavy or light things are, we usually use units like kilograms or pounds? In space, things can get pretty big and heavy, so instead of using those units, we use something called "solar mass" to measure how much stuff there is.

Solar mass is like a really, really big measuring cup for measuring how much stuff is in things like stars and planets. It's based on how much stuff there is in our own sun, which is why it's called "solar" mass.

So, if something has a solar mass of one, that means it has the same amount of stuff in it as our sun. If it has a solar mass of two, that means it has twice as much stuff in it as our sun, and so on.

It might seem a bit confusing, but basically, solar mass helps astronomers talk about really huge things in space that we can't easily measure in kilograms or pounds. And it all starts with our sun!