Solar System
Strangest things in our Solar System
Some of the weird and wonderful objects we find close to Earth
How many planets are there? It's a trickier question to answer than you might think...
What makes a planet? How many are there in our Solar System and the wider Universe?
Our Sun won't last forever. This is what will happen when it dies – and which planets will survive
Will the planets will survive our Sun’s far-off fate of swelling out into the Solar System as a red giant?
null
undefined
Astronomy explained | The Planets
A guide to the planets of the Solar System, their order in distance from the Sun, and facts about the rocky terrestrial worlds and the gas giants.
Ever noticed how all planets are beautifully round? This is real reason why
Most planets and other bodies in the Solar System are nearly perfectly spherical, but why?
Why go to Mars? Because it would be the trip of a lifetime. Here's why I'd love to go
I have always considered Mars the ideal location for my retirement.
How did the Moon form? Without the Cold War lunar missions, we might have no idea at all
To understand the formation of our natural satellite, we have to go all the way back to the early Solar System.
The colours of all the Solar System planets, and what causes them
What colour are the planets and why are their apparent hues so different?
Where's the edge of the Solar System and what's out there?
Where is the edge of the Solar System, and what's going on out there?
There are lots of strange 'snowmen' in the outer Solar System. Scientists may have worked out how they formed
Double-lobed Kuiper Belt objects are common. Have astronomers solved the mystery?
What would happen to our Solar System if Earth were replaced by a super Earth?
Computer simulations reveal what would happen to our Solar System if Earth were much bigger and orbited further from the Sun.
Aliens next door? If ET life does exist, these worlds close to Earth are our best chance of finding it
A guide to the planets | Neptune
Despite being the farthest planet from the Sun, Neptune's winds blow stronger than any hurricane on Earth.
Without Jupiter, we wouldn’t exist. Gas giant saved Earth from plunging into the Sun, say scientists
Rampaging Jupiter and Saturn had a strange effect on Mars in our early Solar System, scientists say
The movement of planets in the early Solar System could have starved infant Mars.
These images show the first time we ever saw the worlds of our Solar System in close-up
A guide to the planets | Saturn
Saturn's rings make it the most eye-catching planet in the Solar System
Vintage Sagan, vintage Voyager. NASA video shows historic conference where Solar System photo is shown for the first time
You could fit every planet in the Solar System between Earth and the Moon
Venus is the hottest planet, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. This is why
Mercury orbits closer to the Sun, so why isn't it hotter than Venus?
Evidence of Planet 9 in IRAS and AKARI surveys
A guide to the planets | Mercury
Mercury is the smallest of the planets in our Solar System and the closest to the Sun.
Asteroid Belt: what is it and how did it form?
Where is the asteroid belt, and do astronomer really know how it formed? New studies could change what we know about this rocky region of the Solar System.
