Results for “what is solar system” · retrieved September 22, 2026

Quick answer

The solar system is the Sun and all the celestial objects bound to it by gravity, including eight planets, dwarf planets, moons, and countless asteroids and comets.

Answer details

1

Central Star

The Sun is the central star of the system, containing more than 99 percent of its total mass and exerting the gravitational force that keeps all other bodies in orbit.

2

Planetary Structure

There are eight recognized planets: the inner terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) and the outer giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune).

3

Other Celestial Bodies

The system includes five officially named dwarf planets, such as Pluto, along with hundreds of moons and millions of smaller bodies like asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.

4

Galactic Location

The solar system is located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy and orbits the galactic center approximately every 230 million years.

britannica.com

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

What is the solar system?...The solar system comprises 8 planets, more than 400 natural planetary satellites(moons), and countless asteroids, meteorites, and comets....There are eight planets in the solar system. The four inner terrestrial planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, all of which consist mainly of rock. The four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, giant planets that consist mainly of either gases or ice. P

July 26, 1999

science.nasa.gov

Solar System Exploration

Our solar system has eight planets, and five dwarf planets....About 1.4 million asteroids, and about 4,000 comets are in our solar system....Our solar system has hundreds of moons....Our solar system is in one of the Milky Way galaxy’s spiral arms called the Orion Spur....Our solar system takes about 230 million years to orbit the galactic center....The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy....Our solar system has many worlds with many types of atm

Publication date not supplied

science.nasa.gov

Solar System: Facts

1. Our planetary system is called “the solar system” because we use the word “solar” to describe things related to our star, after the Latin word for Sun, "solis."...one orbit around...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 Way, a barred spiral galaxy with two major arms, and two minor arms. Our Sun is

November 14, 2017

en.wikipedia.org

Solar System

The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the masses that orbit it, most prominently its eight planets, of which Earth is one. The Solar System is an isolated single-star planetary system (not part of a larger star system) within the Milky Way Galaxy. The system formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, creating the Sun and a protoplanetary disc from which the orbiting bodies

Publication date not supplied

solarsystem.nasa.gov

In Depth | Our Solar System – NASA Solar System Exploration

The planetary system we call home is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy....Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids....There are many planetary systems like ours in the universe, with planets orbiting a host

Publication date not supplied

nationalgeographic.com

The solar system—facts and information | National Geographic

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 arrangements are made up of at least one star and all the objects that travel around it, including planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. The star system we’re most familiar with, of course, is our own....If you were to look at a giant pic

March 27, 2019

airandspace.si.edu

Solar System

The Solar System, located in the Milky Way Galaxy, is our celestial neighborhood. 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.

Publication date not supplied

airandspace.si.edu

Our Solar System | National Air and Space Museum

The planets circling our Sun are as amazing as they are diverse. Come discover our planetary neighborhood—as if from interstellar space, moving in toward our Sun. This “outside-in” perspective is how we may someday explore other solar systems....What is a planet?...We now know that these planets are not stars at all. They are fairly nearby objects that orbit our Sun. Many objects orbit our Sun but not all of them are planets! Defining which on

May 24, 2022

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