Solar system | Definition, Planets, Diagram, Videos, & Facts | Britannica

Solar system, assemblage consisting of the Sun and those bodies orbiting it: 8 planets with more than 400 known planetary satellites; many asteroids, some with their own satellites;

Solar System Scale Model Calculator

Calculate the scaled planet diameters and planet-sun distances for a solar system model. Enter scale or diameter or distance, select to show table and/or map below, select options, then press Calculate.

Did the Solar System Pass Through a Giant Molecular Cloud Ten

It is possible that the cloud through which the Sun plowed 10 million years ago is not around anymore. In that case, the remaining testimony for the passage is imprinted through the

Solar System

OverviewCelestial neighborhoodDefinitionFormation and evolutionGeneral characteristicsSunInner Solar SystemOuter Solar SystemWithin 10 light-years of the Sun there are relatively few stars, the closest being the triple star system Alpha Centauri, which is about 4.4 light-years away and may be in the Local Bubble''s G-Cloud. Alpha Centauri A and B are a closely tied pair of Sun-like stars, whereas the closest star to the Sun, the small red dwarf Proxima Centauri, orbits the pair at a distance of 0.2 light-years. In 2016, a potentially habitable exoplanet was

10 Fascinating Facts About Our Solar System

The Sun is the heart of our solar system, and its sheer size is mind-boggling. It accounts for 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system, with the remaining 0.14% shared among planets,

Solar System Facts

Our solar system includes the Sun, eight planets, five officially named dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of asteroids and comets. Our solar system is located in the Milky

Solar System

The Solar System currently moves through a cloud of interstellar medium called the Local Cloud. The closest star to the Solar System, Proxima Centauri, is 269,000 AU (4.25 ly) away. Both are within the

List of Solar System objects by size

These lists contain the Sun, the planets, dwarf planets, many of the larger small Solar System bodies (which includes the asteroids), all named natural satellites, and a number of smaller objects of

Eyes on the Solar System

Explore the 3D world of the Solar System. Learn about past and future missions.

The mass of 10 million suns is moving dangerously close to Earth in

Astrophysicists have recently made a groundbreaking discovery that is sending shockwaves through the scientific community: an immense cluster of dark matter, equivalent to the

List of Solar System objects by size

These lists contain the Sun, the planets, dwarf planets, many of the

Science 101: The Solar System

The solar system came into being about 4.5 billion years ago when a cloud of interstellar gas and dust collapsed, resulting in a solar nebula, a swirling disc of material that collided to form the