Solar System

The solar system includes the Sun, and all of the celestial objects that happen to be gravitationally bound to it. Our solar system consists of 8 planets, their 162 moons, 3 dwarf planets, their 4 known moons, and thousands of other small bodies.

Our Solar System

Our solar system is a complex system of loosely defined inner planets, the asteroid belt, four giant outer planets, and the Kuiper Belt. The definition of planet is rather complicated at the moment, and it will be discussed elsewhere on this site.

Creating a Solar System Mobile

Creating a solar system mobile is a great way for students, adults, and children to visually understand and recognize our planets. A problem arises with scale, however, because if the earth is the size of a standard globe, then Jupiter is 15 feet in diameter and 15 miles away.

Pictures of Our Solar System

We're very lucky to have such a beautiful collection of celestial bodies in our solar system to take pictures of. Much of which can be seen with the naked eye or with binoculars. Venus is the brightest object in the sky when you take the moon and the sun away.

Planets in Our Solar System

Trying to figure out what the planets are in our solar system is really a matter of how you define "planet". If you think of it from the IAU's standpoint, there are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus Neptune. If you understand semantics, then Ceres, Pluto, and Eris are planets as well.