The Solar System
What is the Solar System and how did it come to be?
The Second Vision of Space
The solar system is our home, almost everything within physical reach resides within these confines. However, why is it the second vision? Travel through the solar system in this exhibit.
What is the Solar System?
The solar system is a star system within the Milky Way galaxy. This star system contains eight planets - as of 2024 - all of which revolve around our parent star, the sun. Each planet occupies its own ring and position in the solar system, each one unique with their own distinguishable features. These planets, in order from the sun, are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The solar system is also separated into three sections by two rings made of interplanetary chunks of ice, dust, and rock. The two rings are the Asteroid Belt and the Kuiper Belt.
This star system not only houses our eight planets, but countless dwarf planets as well.
Meet The Planets of
The Solar System
Mercury
Mercury is the first of eight total planets that revolve around the sun. It is far from habitable. Being one of the closest planets to the sun, Mercury undergoes extreme high and low temperatures and doesn’t have an atmosphere.
Venus
The second and arguably the most hellish of all eight planets is Venus. It lies fairly close to the sun but is able to retain an atmosphere. However, Venus’s atmosphere is so thick that it traps large amounts of heat, making Venus the hottest planet in the solar system.
Earth
Earth, number 3, stays in a range of the sun called the habitable zone. This allows Earth to maintain, not only an atmosphere, but all the requirements for life. This is our First Vision of Space.
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet in the Solar System, lying just within the habitable zone, but despite this its atmosphere is still largely deteriorated. This makes Mars a cold desolate wasteland, incapable of supporting more complex life forms beyond simple microorganisms.
Jupiter
The massive gas giant we know as Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system, it also is known for having the hundreds of moons, just like Saturn. However, Jupiter is primarily known for its Red Spot, one of many storms on Jupiter that last decades, but this one has lasted centuries.
The Two Giants
Saturn
Often called the crown jewel of the solar system for its massive rings, the sixth planet, Saturn, is a gas giant that has hundreds of moons. Although a large planet, it is smaller than Jupiter.
The Final Stretch
Uranus
Uranus is a very peculiar plant due to its rotation on its axis. Unlike most celestial bodies that rotate upright, Uranus rotates on its side. Just like the two giants, Saturn and Jupiter, Uranus is also a gas giant.
Neptune
Neptune is on the farthest reaches of the Solar System, being the eighth planet from the sun, Neptune has some of the coldest temperatures in the solar system.
The Primary Dwarf Planets
There are a total of 5 main dwarf planets that are called the primary 5 due to their standout features among the thousands upon millions that exist. They are as shown below in order:
Pluto, Eris, Huamea, Make make, and Ceres.
Ceres of all 5 is the most peculiar. Somehow, despite Ceres being the smallest of the 5, it still retains a spherical shape. It also lies within the inner ring of the solar system between Mars and the Asteroid Belt. Eris is the complete opposite. Eris lies on the other side of the Kuiper Belt and is the only one of the 5 that is.
The Two Rings of the Solar System
There are two rings in the solar system. These two rings go by the names of the Asteroid Belt and the Kuiper Belt. The Asteroid Belt contains the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, separating the side closest to the sun from the planets farther out. The Kuiper Belt on the other hand, contains the rest of the planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and separate the gas planets, that are closer to the sun, from the outer confines on the other side.
Only The Beginning…
Beyond the Kuiper Belt is the Oort Cloud, the gigantic sphere that marks the gravitational reaches of the Sun. Although we arrive at the end of the solar system, there is much more to explore. You can go below and click the button to proceed with the journey or scroll upwards and click the button at the top to return to the astronomy page.
