The Solar System
Our Solar System contains of eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are all centred around the Sun, a star which provides a gravitational force on the planets keeping them in orbit. The solar system also contains numerous dwarf planets (including Pluto), comets, asteroids and meteoroids. The solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago from a giant interstellar molecular cloud.
This epic photo shows a comet hurtling past a NASA spacecraft
Images have captured Comet A3 moving through our Solar System, in a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Summer solstice 2024 today: When is it and what causes the longest day of the year?
The longest day of the year – the summer solstice – has arrived. Here’s what to expect.
Why does Jupiter spin so fast?
It's our Solar System's largest planet, and also the dizziest.
Solar system planets in order: A complete guide
The best facts about all the planets closest to Earth.
What is Ashen light?
Trick of the light or naturally occurring phenomenon?
How can we still talk to Voyager 2, even though it’s billions of miles away?
In 2018, Voyager 2 became only the second human-made object to enter the space between the stars.
The 4 biggest questions about alien life, answered by an astrobiologist
Scientists are becoming increasingly optimistic that extraterrestrial life is out there. Could we finally be on the brink of finding it?
Jupiter in opposition 2023: How to see the gas giant at its biggest and brightest tonight
Astronomer Pete Lawrence shares expert tips and advice on how to spot Jupiter in opposition this November.
Neptune in opposition tonight: How to see the elusive blue planet at its brightest
As the big blue planet comes into opposition, you’ll need to know where to look. Here's how to maximise your chances.
Saturn in opposition: How to see the planet’s spectacular rings tonight
Here's how and when to see the ringed planet Saturn at its brightest when it reaches opposition this bank holiday weekend.
Will planet Nibiru crash into Earth? A scientist explains
Nibiru (also known as Planet Nine or Planet X) is prophesied to collide with our planet and destroy all of humanity, but is its existence pseudoscience or is there any proof?
8 really, really big books about space
Celebrate the absolute vastness of the cosmos with some of the best books about space, which demand a galaxy-sized bookshelf to store them on.
Why doesn’t Earth have rings?
Although Earth doesn't have a ring system today, it may have had one in the past.
Earth has a new companion asteroid that will share our orbit for 4,000 years
It’s much bigger than the only other known Trojan asteroid, and is leading the way as we orbit the Sun.
Does our Solar System have a wall?
Marking the boundary of our Solar System and interstellar space, this ‘wall’ provides important protection for the Earth.
20 of the most amazing moons in the Solar System
There are 174 known moons out there, spinning around the celestial bodies of our Solar System, so we’ve decided to pick out our favourites.
Solar eclipse 2021: How and when to see in the UK
How do solar eclipses happen? Why don't they have happen every month? With the help of astronomy lecturer Dr Darren Baskill, here's your guide to the biggest solar event of 2021.
Psyche: The metal mini-world that could change everything we know about the Solar System
There’s a giant metal asteroid floating out beyond Mars that might be the core of a planet that was smashed to smithereens aeons ago. NASA’s sending a probe to find out, but a positive answer could cause even bigger problems.
Alien life in our Solar System | 5 best places to look
A fleet of missions is spreading across the Solar System to investigate our neighbours for signs of life. Here’s what they are looking for.
Reality Check | No, an asteroid probably won’t smash into Earth the day before the US elections, and here’s why
What are the chances that we'll be struck by a space rock?
The next giant leaps | The UK missions getting us to the Moon
From spider robots to antennas on the Cornish coast, these UK-based projects are laying the groundwork for a permanent station on the Moon. Wallace and Gromit would be proud.
Planet Nine could be a grapefruit-sized black hole, say astrophysicists
We can prove it by looking for the black hole's 'accretion flares', the astrophysicists say.
Neowise | An increasingly rare opportunity to spot a comet with the naked eye
Neowise has an orbit of almost 6,800 years, meaning that the last generation of people to see it would have lived during the 5th millennium BC.
What’s the tallest mountain in the Solar System?
Asked by: Jimmy Phillips, Bristol