Solar System Exploration - NASA Science
The solar system has eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There are five officially recognized dwarf planets in our solar system: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
Solar System - Wikipedia
The Sun is the Solar System's star and by far its most massive component. Its large mass (332,900 Earth masses ), [ 75 ] which comprises 99.86% of all the mass in the Solar System, [ 76 ] produces temperatures and densities in its core high enough to sustain nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium. [ 77 ]
Multiple Star Systems - NASA Science
These multiple star systems come in a stunning variety of flavors: large, hot stars orbited by smaller, cooler ones; double stars orbited by planets; pairs pulsing with X-rays as one sheds material that is devoured by the other; systems with as many as seven stars in a complex gravitational dance.
Solar system | Definition, Planets, Diagram, Videos, & Facts ...
2 days ago · solar system, assemblage consisting of the Sun —an average star in the Milky Way Galaxy —and those bodies orbiting around it: 8 (formerly 9) planets with more than 210 known planetary satellites (moons); many asteroids, some with their own satellites; comets and other icy bodies; and vast reaches of highly tenuous gas and dust known as the inter...
Stars - NASA Science
Stars are giant balls of hot gas – mostly hydrogen, with some helium and small amounts of other elements. Every star has its own life cycle, ranging from a few million to trillions of years, and its properties change as it ages. Stars form in large clouds of gas and dust called molecular clouds.
Astronomy - Solar System, Planets, Stars | Britannica
Nov 17, 2024 · Astronomy - Solar System, Planets, Stars: The solar system took shape 4.57 billion years ago, when it condensed within a large cloud of gas and dust. Gravitational attraction holds the planets in their elliptical orbits around the Sun.
NASA Knows: How Does the Sun Behave? (Grades 5-8) - NASA
Dec 18, 2024 · The Sun is the star of our solar system. Its gravity holds Earth and our planetary neighbors in its orbit. At 865,000 miles (1.4 million km) in diameter, it’s the largest object in our solar system. On Earth, its influence is felt in our weather, seasons, climate, and more. Let’s learn about our dynamic star and its connections to life on ...
The solar system—facts and information - National Geographic
Mar 27, 2019 · Our solar system is made up of the sun and all the amazing objects that travel around it. The universe is filled with billions of star systems. Located inside galaxies, these cosmic...
Solar System - National Air and Space Museum
Our Solar System consists of 8 planets, several dwarf planets, dozens of moons, and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. They are all bound by gravity to the Sun, which is the star at the center of the Solar System.