Solar system background

TheSolar System

Embark on a journey through our cosmic neighborhood

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The heart of our solar system

The Sun

A nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, the Sun generates its energy through nuclear fusion, converting hydrogen into helium at its core. It contains 99.86% of all mass in our solar system.

Light from the Sun takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth
The Sun's core reaches temperatures of 15 million°C — hot enough to fuse atoms
Over one million Earths could fit inside the Sun
G-type main-sequence star
Type
4.6 billion years
Age
5,500°C
Surface Temp
1.39 million km
Diameter

The swift messenger

Mercury

The smallest planet and closest to the Sun, Mercury races through space faster than any other planet. Despite its proximity to the Sun, it's not the hottest planet due to its lack of atmosphere.

A year on Mercury lasts just 88 Earth days
Temperatures swing from 430°C during the day to -180°C at night
Mercury has no moons and no rings
58 million km
Distance from Sun
88 days
Orbital Period
59 Earth days
Day Length
4,879 km
Diameter

Earth's toxic twin

Venus

Shrouded in thick clouds of sulfuric acid, Venus has a runaway greenhouse effect that makes it the hottest planet. It rotates backwards compared to most planets, so the Sun rises in the west.

Venus is hotter than Mercury despite being further from the Sun
A day on Venus is longer than its year
Surface pressure is 90 times greater than Earth's
108 million km
Distance from Sun
465°C
Surface Temp
243 Earth days
Day Length
12,104 km
Diameter

Our pale blue dot

Earth

The only known world harboring life, Earth is a delicate oasis in the cosmic void. Its magnetic field shields us from solar radiation while liquid water covers 71% of its surface.

Earth is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman deity
Our atmosphere is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen
Earth's core is as hot as the surface of the Sun
150 million km
Distance from Sun
15°C average
Surface Temp
365.25 days
Orbital Period
1
Moons

The red frontier

Mars

Named after the Roman god of war, Mars captivates humanity as our next destination. Its rusty red surface hides ancient river valleys and the largest volcano in the solar system.

Olympus Mons is 3x taller than Mount Everest
Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system
A Martian day is only 37 minutes longer than Earth's
228 million km
Distance from Sun
-60°C average
Surface Temp
687 days
Orbital Period
2
Moons

King of the planets

Jupiter

A colossal gas giant that could swallow all other planets combined. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a storm that has raged for over 400 years, larger than Earth itself.

Jupiter has at least 95 known moons
Its magnetic field is 20,000 times stronger than Earth's
Jupiter rotates so fast that a day lasts only 10 hours
778 million km
Distance from Sun
139,820 km
Diameter
12 years
Orbital Period
318 × Earth
Mass

The ringed wonder

Saturn

Saturn's magnificent ring system spans up to 282,000 km but is only about 10 meters thick. Made of ice and rock, these rings would float if you could find a bathtub big enough.

Saturn's density is less than water — it would float
Winds at the equator reach 1,800 km/h
The rings are slowly raining down onto Saturn
1.4 billion km
Distance from Sun
116,460 km
Diameter
29 years
Orbital Period
146
Moons

The sideways world

Uranus

Uranus rotates on its side, likely knocked over by an ancient collision. This ice giant appears blue-green due to methane in its atmosphere absorbing red light.

Uranus has 27 known moons, all named after Shakespeare characters
It was the first planet discovered with a telescope
Each pole gets 42 years of continuous sunlight, then 42 years of darkness
2.9 billion km
Distance from Sun
50,724 km
Diameter
84 years
Orbital Period
98°
Axial Tilt

The windswept giant

Neptune

The most distant planet from the Sun, Neptune was discovered through mathematical prediction before it was ever seen. It harbors the fastest winds in the solar system.

Winds on Neptune reach speeds of 2,100 km/h
It takes 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun once
Neptune has only been visited by one spacecraft: Voyager 2
4.5 billion km
Distance from Sun
49,244 km
Diameter
-214°C
Surface Temp
16
Moons

The heart of the Kuiper Belt

Pluto

Once the ninth planet, now classified as a dwarf planet, Pluto remains a beloved world. Its heart-shaped nitrogen glacier, Tombaugh Regio, captured the world's imagination when revealed by New Horizons.

Pluto is smaller than Earth's Moon
Its largest moon Charon is so big they orbit each other
A year on Pluto lasts 248 Earth years
5.9 billion km
Distance from Sun
2,377 km
Diameter
-230°C
Surface Temp
5
Moons