Overview of the Solar System

The Sun and the objects that orbit it, bound by gravity.

Formed approximately 4.6 Billion years ago, from a collapsing molecular cloud.

Over 99.86% of total mass is in the Sun, and nearly 90% of the remaining mass is in Jupiter and Saturn.

The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) with solid surfaces.

The outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn) which are large and mainly composed of gas and liquids.

Celestial bodies that orbit the Sun but are not large enough to clear their neighborhood.

Charged particles released by the Sun.

Boundary where the solar wind stops and interstellar space begins.

A flat, rotating disc of gas and dust surrounding a young star, where planets form through accretion.

The process by which small particles in a protoplanetary disc gradually stick together due to gravity, forming larger bodies like planets.

The distance from the Sun where volatile ices can remain solid, marking the boundary between the inner and outer Solar System.

The four outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) composed primarily of gas and liquids, formed beyond the frost line.

The balance between the outward pressure from fusion in the Sun's core and the inward force of gravity, maintaining its stable size.

A bubble of solar wind that extends far beyond Pluto, marking the boundary of the Sun's influence on the interstellar medium.

A model of the Solar System's early evolution, explaining the migration of giant planets and the scattering of planetesimals.

A theory outlining Jupiter's inward migration towards the Sun, influencing the formation of the asteroid belt and the Late Heavy Bombardment.

A period of intense asteroid impacts on the inner planets, occurring roughly 4 billion years ago.

A star, like our Sun, fusing hydrogen into helium in its core, stable for a long period of its life.

A star's stage after the main sequence, where it expands significantly, cools, and becomes brighter.

The dense, hot remnant of a star after its outer layers have been ejected, consisting mostly of carbon and oxygen.

The glowing shell of gas ejected from a star during its red giant phase, releasing enriched material back into space.

A region beyond Neptune containing icy objects, including dwarf planets like Pluto.

The plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. Most planets and larger objects in the Solar System lie near this plane.

The state of a moon where one face is perpetually turned towards its parent planet, resulting from a rotation period equal to the orbital period.

Thin discs of tiny particles orbiting a planet in unison, found around the four giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune).

The rotation of a planet or moon in the same direction as its orbit around the Sun or its parent planet.

The rotation of a planet or moon in the opposite direction to its orbit around the Sun or its parent planet.

Three laws that describe the motion of planets around the Sun, explaining their elliptical orbits and how their speed changes with distance.

The point in a celestial body's orbit around the Sun where it is closest to the Sun.

The point in a celestial body's orbit around the Sun where it is farthest from the Sun.

A measure of the total amount of orbital and rotational momentum possessed by all the moving components of the Solar System.

Magnetic fields generated by the rotation and internal processes of planets, providing some protection from cosmic rays.

High-energy particles from space, traveling at nearly the speed of light, that pose a threat to life.

A failed hypothesis attempting to predict the distances of planets from the Sun based on a mathematical sequence.

A large-scale model of the Solar System, with the Sun represented by the Avicii Arena in Stockholm and planets spread across Sweden.

A torus-shaped region between Mars and Jupiter, filled with remnants from the Solar System's formation.

Asteroids in a 3:2 resonance with Jupiter, meaning they orbit the Sun three times for every two Jovian orbits.

Asteroids located at Jupiter's Lagrange points, 60 degrees ahead or behind it in its orbit.

The region beyond the asteroid belt, home to the giant planets, their moons, and many comets.

Icy, comet-like bodies orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune.

A region overlapping the Kuiper belt, containing objects scattered by Neptune's gravitational influence.

The area beyond Neptune, encompassing the Kuiper belt and the scattered disc.

The asteroid belt predominantly consists of remnants from the early Solar System's formation that failed to coalesce into a planet due to Jupiter's gravitational influence.

The three largest bodies in the asteroid belt are Ceres, Vesta, and Pallas. They're considered relatively intact protoplanets, a precursor stage before becoming a fully formed planet.

Kuiper Belt objects, primarily found beyond Neptune, are composed mostly of ice, while asteroids are predominantly rocky.

The depth to which cosmic rays, high-energy particles from space, can reach within the Solar System. This depth varies over long timescales due to changes in the Sun's magnetic field and density of interstellar cosmic rays.

The region around a star where temperatures are suitable for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface or in subsurface oceans, potentially supporting life.

Planets with masses between one and ten times that of Earth. They are more commonly found in other solar systems than in our own, though a hypothetical Planet Nine might be one.

The Sun is the central star of the Solar System, providing energy, light, and gravity that governs the movement of all other objects. Its enormous size and mass, comprising over 99.86% of the Solar System's total mass, contribute significantly to its gravitational influence.

The Sun is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Nuclear fusion, the process of hydrogen atoms fusing into helium, occurs in its core, releasing immense amounts of energy, primarily radiated as light and heat.

A star, like our Sun, spends most of its lifespan in the main sequence, where its core fuses hydrogen into helium, maintaining a stable size and temperature.

A star, like our Sun, belonging to a younger generation of stars found in the spiral arms of galaxies. These stars are richer in heavier elements, known as 'metals', compared to older Population II stars.

Small icy bodies with highly eccentric orbits that extend far beyond the Kuiper Belt. They were likely scattered by Neptune's gravity.

Objects with very large orbits, less affected by the giant planets than other minor planets, often found far beyond the Kuiper Belt.

ETNOs with perihelia (closest point to the sun) around 38–45 AU, highly eccentric orbits, and still interact with Neptune.

ETNOs with perihelia between 40–45 and 50–60 AU, less affected by Neptune than scattered ETNOs.

ETNOs with perihelia beyond 50–60 AU, too far from Neptune to be strongly influenced.

The boundary where the solar wind collides with the interstellar medium, slowing down and becoming turbulent.

A region within the heliosphere, just beyond the termination shock, where the solar wind is compressed and turbulent.

A plasma 'wake' left by the Sun as it travels through the Milky Way, found beyond the heliopause.

Icy bodies with highly eccentric orbits, that release gas and dust when they approach the Sun.

Comets with orbits lasting less than 200 years, originating from the Kuiper Belt.

Comets with orbits lasting thousands of years, originating from the Oort Cloud.

Solid objects smaller than one meter, often remnants of comets and asteroids.

A phenomenon where a large number of meteors are visible in the sky, caused by the Earth passing through a trail of meteoroids.

A cloud of dust particles in the outer Solar System, extending from about 10 to 40 AU, likely formed from collisions in the Kuiper Belt.

A theorized spherical shell of icy objects surrounding the Solar System at roughly 50,000 AU, considered the source of long-period comets.

The tidal force exerted by the Milky Way, influencing the movement of objects in the Oort cloud.

A hypothetical planet beyond Neptune, potentially influencing the orbits of distant trans-Neptunian objects.

Celestial bodies orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, including dwarf planets and icy objects.

The closest star system to our Sun, about 4.4 light-years away, composed of a pair of Sun-like stars and a red dwarf.

A cavity in the interstellar medium, roughly 300 light-years across, filled with high-temperature plasma.

A cloud of gas and dust surrounding the Solar System, unclear if it's embedded or just outside the cloud's edge.

A group of stars moving together, visible to the naked eye, located about 80 light-years away within the Local Bubble.

Groups of stars formed together, before dissolving into co-moving associations.

One of the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy, where our Sun is located.

The time it takes for the Solar System to complete one revolution around the center of the Milky Way, about 240 million years.

The flat disk-like region that contains the Sun and most of the Milky Way Galaxy's stars.

The angle between the Earth's orbital plane around the Sun (ecliptic plane) and the plane of the Milky Way galaxy (galactic plane).

The Sun orbits within the Milky Way galaxy, at a particular distance from its center, within the Local Spur, a branch of a spiral arm.

The Sun resides within a spiral arm, but thankfully, its path doesn't frequently intersect with the densely populated spiral arms, giving Earth periods of stability.

A controversial theory suggesting that the Sun's movement in the galaxy could explain periodic extinction events on Earth due to its proximity to different galactic regions.

The model which places the Sun at the center of the Solar System, with planets revolving around it.

The outdated model that places the Earth at the center of the universe, with celestial objects revolving around it.

Nicolaus Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model, challenging the prevailing geocentric view, marking a major shift in astronomical thinking.

Three laws that describe how planets move around the Sun, explaining their elliptical orbits and their changing speeds.

The law that describes the force of attraction between any two objects with mass, explaining how planets are kept in orbit around the Sun.

When Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth, a rare event used to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the Sun.

The apparent change in the position of a star due to Earth's motion around the Sun, providing evidence for heliocentrism.

Unmanned robotic spacecraft sent to explore planets, moons, and other celestial bodies, sending data back to Earth.

Using the gravity of planets to change the speed and direction of spacecraft, saving fuel and extending mission capabilities.