In Depth | Our Solar System – NASA Solar System Exploration
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.
In Depth | Sun – NASA Solar System Exploration
The Sun is the largest object in our solar system. Its diameter is about 865,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers). Its gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything from the biggest planets to the smallest bits of debris in orbit around it.
In Depth | Pluto – NASA Solar System Exploration
Dwarf planet Pluto is a member of a group of objects that orbit in a disc-like zone beyond the orbit of Neptune called the Kuiper Belt. This distant realm is populated with thousands of miniature icy worlds, which formed early in the history of our solar system about 4.5 billion years ago.
What is a Planet? | Planets – NASA Solar System Exploration
Some astronomers argued that location (context) is important, especially in understanding the formation and evolution of the solar system. One idea is to simply define a planet as a natural object in space that is massive enough for gravity to make it approximately spherical.
theory about the beginnings of the sun and planets. This theory explains that our solar system began as a spinning cloud of gas and dust about 4.5 billion years ago. This cloud was mostly made of atoms of hydrogen and helium with very small amounts of heavier elements. Gravity made the cloud contract, causing the atoms to get closer together and
About Us - NASA Solar System Exploration
2024年11月20日 · We provide the public with reliable, accurate, up-to-date information about the planets, moons, asteroids, comets and everything else in our solar system. We also provide a complete historical record of deep space exploration.
In Depth | Hypothetical Planet X - NASA Solar System Exploration
2015年1月20日 · Caltech researchers have found mathematical evidence suggesting there may be a "Planet X" deep in the solar system. This hypothetical Neptune-sized planet orbits our Sun in a highly elongated orbit far beyond Pluto.
In Depth | Titan – NASA Solar System Exploration
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is an icy world whose surface is completely obscured by a golden hazy atmosphere. Titan is the second largest moon in our solar system. Only Jupiter's moon Ganymede is larger, by just 2 percent. Titan is bigger than Earth's moon, and larger than even the planet Mercury.
In Depth | Earth's Moon – NASA Solar System Exploration
The craters themselves, which have been preserved for billions of years, provide an impact history for the Moon and other bodies in the inner solar system. If you looked in the right places on the Moon, you would find pieces of equipment, American flags, and even a …
Overview | Mars – NASA Solar System Exploration
Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our solar system, and it's the only planet where we've sent rovers to roam the alien landscape. NASA currently has two rovers ( Curiosity and Perseverance ), one lander ( InSight ), and one helicopter ( Ingenuity ) exploring the surface of …