Browsing: Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and all the objects that orbit it, including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. It formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a region within a large molecular cloud most commonly known for its composition of gas and dust. The Sun, a G-type main-sequence star, is at the center and contains almost all the system’s mass, with its gravitational pull holding everything from the giant planets to tiny debris in orbit around it. The eight planets, in order of their distance from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The Solar System is located in the Milky Way galaxy and is part of the Local Interstellar Cloud. Its extensive array of celestial bodies and phenomena provides critical clues about the formation and evolution of planets and systems beyond our own, making it a fundamental focus of study in astronomy and planetary science.