The Solar System
Our cosmic neighborhood
Essential QuestionWhat makes Earth special compared to every other world in our solar system?
Discover the Sun, eight planets, and the fascinating worlds that make up our solar system — from scorching Mercury to frozen Neptune.
Explore the solar system
A local 3D study scene with your Solar System and Sun models. Switch between them to study scale, form, and structure.
Drag, zoom, and inspect the supplied model from every direction.
Compare the wider system form with the Sun model.
Follow the concept guides as you examine the object.
Concepts
Select a concept to explore in depth with multi-level explanations.
Our Solar System
The Sun and everything gravitationally bound to it — 8 planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.
The Sun
Our star — a G-type main-sequence star that provides the energy driving all life and weather on Earth.
The Inner Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars — the four small, rocky planets closest to the Sun.
The Outer Planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — the four giant planets beyond the asteroid belt.
Timeline
View Full Timeline →The Sun and planets form from the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud over ~100 million years.
Galileo Galilei discovers the four largest moons of Jupiter, proving not everything orbits Earth.
Johannes Kepler publishes his three laws describing how planets orbit the Sun in ellipses.
William Herschel discovers Uranus — the first planet found with a telescope.
Neptune is discovered based on mathematical predictions of its gravitational effect on Uranus.