Join us as we explore our planetary neighborhood: The Sun, planets, moons, and millions of asteroids and comets.
Our solar system has a star, eight planets, five dwarf planets, and thousands of asteroids, and comets.
Our solar system orbits the center of the Milky Way galaxy. We’re in one of the galaxy’s four spiral arms.
It takes our solar system about 230 million years to complete one orbit around the galactic center.
There are three general kinds of galaxies: elliptical, irregular, and spiral. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.
Our solar system has no atmosphere. But it has many worlds ? including Earth ? with many kinds of atmospheres.
Our solar system has more than 200 moons.
The four giant planets ? and at least one asteroid ? have rings.
More than 300 robotic spacecraft have left Earth's orbit, and 24 U.S. astronauts have traveled to the Moon.
So far, Earth is the only place we've found life in our solar system, but we’re looking.
The Voyagers are the only spacecraft to reach interstellar space.
The solar system has one star, eight planets, five dwarf planets, at least 290 moons, more than 1.3 million asteroids, and about 3,900 comets. It is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy called the Orion Arm, or Orion Spur. Our solar system orbits the center of the galaxy at about 515,000 mph (828,000 kph). It takes about 230 million years to complete one orbit around the galactic center.
We call it the solar system because it is made up of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity ? the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets Pluto, Ceres, Makemake, Haumea, and Eris ? along with hundreds of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
Launching Oct. 10, 2024, to Jupiter's icy moon, Europa.
Launched on a mission to a metal-rich asteroid, arriving 2029.
On its way to explore asteroid Apophis.
En route to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.
Exploring the surface of Mars since 2021.
Delivered asteroid Bennu sample in September 2023.
Exploring the surface of Mars since 2012.
Orbiting the Moon since 2009.
En route to Mercury orbit in 2025. *ESA/JAXA-led.
Orbiting Mars since 2006.
Orbiting Mars since 2014.
Orbiting Mars since 2001.
Orbiting Mars since 2003. *ESA-led.
Asteroid and comet hunter since 2009.
Orbiting Jupiter since 2016.
Exploring the Kuiper Belt since 2015.
Jupiter moon arrival in 2034. *ESA-led.
Our detailed daily guide to the night sky includes full Moon lore, meteor showers, asteroid flybys, and more.
Experience Earth, our solar system, nearby asteroids, the universe, and the spacecraft exploring them with immersive real-time 3D web-based apps. Start exploring your solar system now!
Hubble Celebrates the 15th Anniversary of Servicing Mission 4
Hubble Glimpses a Star-Forming Factory
NASA’s Webb Hints at Possible Atmosphere Surrounding Rocky Exoplanet
NASA, JAXA XRISM Spots Iron Fingerprints in Nearby Active Galaxy
NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operations
Breaking the Scaling Limits: New Ultralow-noise Superconducting Camera for Exoplanet Searches
Hubble Views a Galaxy with a Voracious Black Hole
Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays
Planets
Eclipses
Kuiper Belt
Oort Cloud