solar system
The solar system is the Sun and all objects gravitationally bound to it, including eight planets, their moons, dwarf planets, and countless asteroids, comets, and icy bodies. Formed around 4.6 billion years ago, it includes the inner rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and the outer gas and ice giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). Everything in the solar system orbits the Sun, which contains 99.8% of the system's total mass.
The Sun: The star at the center of the solar system, a yellow dwarf star that provides light and heat to everything orbiting it.
The Eight Planets:
Inner, rocky planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Outer, gas and ice giants: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Other Objects:
Dwarf Planets: Including Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake.
Moons: Natural satellites that orbit planets. Mercury and Venus have none, while Jupiter currently has the most named moons.
Asteroids: Rocky, irregularly shaped bodies, mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Comets: Icy bodies that can develop a visible tail as they approach the Sun.
Formation: The solar system formed when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, creating the Sun and a rotating protoplanetary disk from which the planets and other bodies assembled.
Location: The entire solar system is located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy and orbits the galactic center.