The Sun
The central star of our planetary system and the dominant source of energy that drives many processes throughout the system.
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FUTUREVERSE SPACE CENTER
Our Solar System
A journey through the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets and the vast structures that make up our cosmic home.
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01 · THE BIG PICTURE
What is the Solar System?
Our Solar System is the planetary system centered on the Sun. It contains the Sun, planets, dwarf planets, moons and many smaller bodies that are held in orbit by gravity.
Eight Planets
Four rocky terrestrial planets occupy the inner Solar System, while four giant planets orbit farther from the Sun.
Smaller Worlds
Dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets and other small bodies preserve important clues about Solar System history.
SCIENCE FACT
The Solar System is located in the Milky Way galaxy. Our Sun orbits the center of the galaxy and takes roughly 230 million years to complete one galactic orbit.
02 · THE STAR AT OUR CENTER
The Sun
The Sun is a star and the gravitational center of our Solar System. Its enormous mass governs the motion of planets and other objects around it.
A Star Made of Plasma
Deep inside the Sun, extremely high temperature and pressure allow nuclear fusion to occur. Hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium and release energy.
That energy eventually travels outward and reaches space as electromagnetic radiation, including the sunlight that warms Earth.
~4.6 billion
Years old
99%+
Of Solar System mass
1 AU
Earth–Sun distance
Solar Structure
Explore the core, radiative zone, convection zone, photosphere, chromosphere and corona.
Solar Activity
Learn about sunspots, solar flares, prominences and coronal mass ejections.
Solar Wind
Discover the continuous flow of charged particles moving outward from the Sun.
03 · THE PLANETARY WORLDS
The Eight Planets
From the small rocky world Mercury to the distant ice giant Neptune, each planet represents a different chapter in the evolution of our planetary system.
Mercury
The smallest planet and the closest planet to the Sun.
1st from Sun
Rocky world
Venus
A rocky world with a thick atmosphere and an extreme greenhouse effect.
2nd from Sun
Thick atmosphere
Earth
Our home world, with abundant liquid water and the only confirmed life known to science.
3rd from Sun
1 known Moon
Mars
The red planet, with a cold desert surface and evidence of a watery past.
4th from Sun
2 small moons
Jupiter
The largest planet in the Solar System, famous for its enormous storms and powerful magnetic environment.
5th from Sun
Largest planet
Saturn
A giant planet surrounded by a spectacular system of icy and rocky rings.
6th from Sun
Ring system
Uranus
An ice giant with a dramatic axial tilt, giving it one of the strangest seasonal cycles in the Solar System.
7th from Sun
Ice giant
Neptune
The most distant recognized planet, with a dynamic atmosphere and powerful winds.
8th from Sun
Ice giant
04 · SMALL WORLDS, BIG QUESTIONS
Dwarf Planets
These worlds are large enough for gravity to shape them into approximately round bodies, but they have not cleared their orbital neighborhoods.
Ceres
The only officially recognized dwarf planet in the inner Solar System and the largest object in the main asteroid belt.
Pluto
A distant dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt with a complex system of moons.
Haumea
A rapidly rotating dwarf planet with an unusual elongated shape.
Makemake
A distant icy world and one of the major known dwarf planets of the Kuiper Belt.
Eris
A distant dwarf planet whose discovery played an important role in the debate over the definition of a planet.
05 · WORLDS THAT ORBIT WORLDS
Moons of the Solar System
Moons are natural satellites that orbit planets, dwarf planets and, in some cases, smaller bodies. They range from tiny irregular objects to worlds with complex geology and atmospheres.
Earth's Moon
Our Moon is Earth's natural satellite and has played an important role in understanding planetary formation, tides and the history of space exploration.
Ocean Worlds
Some moons are believed to contain oceans beneath their icy surfaces, making them important targets for planetary science.
Giant Planet Moons
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune possess diverse moon systems that act like miniature planetary laboratories.
06 · THE LEFTOVERS OF PLANET FORMATION
Asteroids, Comets & Meteoroids
Not every piece of material in the young Solar System became a planet. Many remnants remain today and provide clues about the conditions that existed billions of years ago.
Asteroids
Rocky or metallic bodies that orbit the Sun. Many are found in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Comets
Icy bodies that can develop bright comae and tails when solar heating causes material to escape from their surfaces.
Meteoroids
Small fragments of rock or metal traveling through space. When they enter an atmosphere and produce a visible streak, the phenomenon is called a meteor.
Meteorites
Pieces of extraterrestrial material that survive passage through an atmosphere and reach the ground.
07 · BEYOND THE PLANETS
The Outer Solar System
Beyond Neptune lies a vast region of icy objects and distant structures. The Solar System extends much farther than the orbit of the most distant planet.
Kuiper Belt
A broad, disk-like region beginning around Neptune's orbit and containing many icy bodies and dwarf planets.
~30–50 AUScattered Disk
A more extended population of trans-Neptunian objects whose orbits can carry them much farther from the Sun.
Beyond Kuiper BeltOort Cloud
A theorized, enormous spherical shell of distant icy bodies surrounding the Solar System. It has not been directly observed.
Thousands–100,000 AU
SOLAR WIND
The Heliosphere
The Sun continuously releases a stream of charged particles called solar wind. The region dominated by this solar wind is known as the heliosphere.
08 · 4.6 BILLION YEARS OF HISTORY
How Did the Solar System Form?
The Solar System was not created instantly. It developed through a long sequence of gravitational collapse, accretion, collisions and planetary evolution.
01
ORIGIN
Molecular Cloud
A dense region of interstellar gas and dust began collapsing under gravity.
02
COLLAPSE
Solar Nebula
The collapsing material flattened into a rotating disk surrounding the forming Sun.
03
ACCRETION
Building Worlds
Dust and rocky particles collided and accumulated into larger bodies called planetesimals.
04
PLANET FORMATION
Worlds Take Shape
Growing bodies eventually became planets, dwarf planets and moons while leftover material remained as smaller bodies.
05
TODAY
A Dynamic System
The Solar System continues to evolve. Scientists study its present structure to understand its ancient history.
KEY NUMBER
~4.6 billion years
Approximate age of the Solar System.
HUMANITY'S JOURNEY
Exploring Our Cosmic Neighborhood
Spacecraft have transformed our understanding of the Solar System by flying past planets, entering orbit, landing on worlds and studying distant objects.
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