Solar system
The solar system is a gravitationally bound system of the sun and the orbiting objects around it. The Solar System formed 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar molecular cloud.
It is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. There are eight planets with about 210 known planetary satellites, countless asteroids, comets, meteoroids, and other icy bodies.
The four inner system planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars – are called terrestrial planets because of their rocky surfaces. The four giant planets of the outer system – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are substantially more massive than the terrestrials.
A three-dimensional view of the Milky Way
The Apex telescope makes it possible to observe molecular clouds and star births in the galactic plane.
New work reveals the likely original locations of Saturn and Jupiter
Where were Jupiter and Saturn born?
Scientists identified 24 superhabitable planets outside our solar system
Some of these orbit stars that may be better than even our sun.
Venus might be habitable today, if not for Jupiter
Study shows destabilizing effect of the giant gas planet.
Our solar system has a second alignment plane
This has important implications for models of how comets originally formed in the solar system.
Earth is traveling through a massive dust cloud since 33,000 years
Ancient star explosions revealed in the deep sea.
Hubble Snaps Close-Up of Comet NEOWISE
The sharpest view yet of the breakup of Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS).
Other stars could have as many as seven Earth-like planets
New insight to inform future NASA missions.
A lost planet rediscovered
The planet, the size, and mass of Saturn with an orbit of thirty-five days is among hundreds of ‘lost’ worlds.
First-ever image of a young, Sun-like star accompanied by two giant exoplanets
The observations can help astronomers understand how planets formed and evolved around our own Sun.