Our Solar System
Our solar system is filled with a wide assortment of celestial bodies - the Sun itself, our eight planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids - and on Earth, life itself! The inner solar system is occasionally visited by comets that loop in from the outer reaches of the solar system on highly elliptical orbits. In the outer reaches of the solar system, we find the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud. Still farther out, we eventually reach the limits of the heliosphere, where the outer reaches of the solar system interact with interstellar space. Solar system formation began billions of years ago, when gases and dust began to come together to form the Sun, planets, and other bodies of the solar system.
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Explore Our Solar System
Solar System Formation
Solar system formation began billions of years ago, when gases and dust began to come together ...Read more
Sun
The Sun is the closest star to Earth and is the center of our solar system. A giant, spinning ...Read more
Planets
By the current count of astronomers, our solar system includes 8 planets and 5 dwarf planets. ...Read more
Dwarf Planets
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved a new classification scheme for ...Read more
Asteroids
Asteroids are small bodies that are believed to be left over from the beginning of the solar ...Read more
Meteors, Meteoroids, and Meteorites
Meteors are streaks of light, usually lasting just a few seconds, which people occasionally ...Read more
Comets
Not long ago, many people thought that comets were a portent that something bad was about ...Read more
Poles in Space
The areas around the North and South Poles of planets, moons, and even the Sun are often interesting ...Read more
Culture, Myth, and Arts
Make important cultural connections about the Sun, planets, and the Moon. ...Read more
Solar System Discoveries
Who discovered the planets? For many of the planets in the solar system, we'll never know! ...Read moreMore about Our Solar System
- Kuiper Belt
- Solar System Facts
- Solar System News
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Historical Events
Full Earth and Space Science History Calendar (Members only)
Teacher Opportunities
Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)
Did you know?
Did you know that the physics of a spinning dancer and the formation of the solar system have something in common?Did you know that comets have two tails, not one?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?Slickensides
xSlickensides : Slickensides are polished striated rock surfaces caused by one rock mass moving across another on a fault.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
Soil Microbes Produce Less Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Than Expected With Global Warming
In dark, rich soils on every continent, microbes dealing with the effects of climate change aren't accelerating global warming the way scientists had predicted, a study by researchers at the University...Read more
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Science Blogs
Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists
Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information.
