Solar System

The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either directly or indirectly. Of the objects that orbit the Sun directly, the largest are the eight planets, with the remainder being smaller objects, the dwarf planets and small Solar System bodies. Of the objects that orbit the Sun indirectly—the natural satellites—two are larger than the smallest planet, Mercury. The Solar System formed 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar molecular cloud. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun, with the majority of the remaining mass contained in Jupiter. The four smaller inner system planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are terrestrial planets, being primarily composed of rock and metal. The four outer system planets are giant planets, being substantially more massive than the terrestrials.

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Surprise Discovery Hints a Hidden Ocean Is Lurking in The Solar System

Galactic Voyagers: Rubin Observatory to Reveal Interstellar Objects Whizzing Through Our Solar System

How astronomers work out the size of our solar system

Asteroid Sample Surprise: Bennu Holds the Solar System’s “Original Ingredients”

This Nearby Exoplanet Is Hot, Dangerous—and Smells Like Rotten Eggs | Located about 64 light-years away from Earth, the world is the first place astronomers have detected hydrogen sulfide outside our solar system

Scientists find a molecule never before found outside our solar system on a planet with glass rain

Giant 'Eyeball' a Perfect Place to Look For Life Outside The Solar System

Mars Odyssey celebrates 100,000 orbits, captures epic view of solar system's largest volcano

The Shape of The Solar System Has Changed Dramatically, Scientists Say

Asteroid rocks begin to reveal our solar system's origins

Seismic signals have suggested Mars gets hit by around 300 meteorites every year, providing a new tool for dating planetary surfaces | “You could think of it as a sort of ‘cosmic clock’ to help us date Martian surfaces, and maybe, further down the line, other planets in the Solar System.”

What would happen if Earth was the centre of the solar system?

Iron meteorites hint that our infant solar system was more doughnut than dartboard

Is an old NASA probe about to redraw the frontier of the solar system?

The Biggest Storm in The Solar System Might Not Be as Old as We Thought

Solar System Passed Through Cold Interstellar Cloud About 2 Million Years Ago, Study Suggests

The solar system may have passed through dense interstellar clouds 2 million years ago, altering Earth's climate

In a significant first, researchers detect water frost on solar system's tallest volcanoes

First detection of frost on the solar system's tallest volcanoes on Mars