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.
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One of Billions. Our solar system is made up of a star, eight planets and countless smaller bodies …
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Meet Me in the Orion Arm. Our solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy at about …
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A Long Way Round. It takes our solar system about 230 million years to complete one orbit around …
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Spiraling Through Space. There are three general kinds of galaxies: elliptical, spiral and irregular.
