Solar System

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The Sun is a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium – at the center of our solar system. It’s about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) from Earth and it’s our solar system’s only star.

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sun

source of life

age

4.5 bilion years

star Type

Yellow Dwarf

Radius

696,340 kilometers

temperature

5,500 degrees Celsius

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The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's Moon. Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days.

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mercury

hot and cold

Length of Year

88 Earth Days

Planet Type

Terrestrial

Radius

2,439 kilometers

distance from sun

50,784,911 km

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Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" because of their similar size, mass, proximity to the Sun, and bulk composition. It is radically different from Earth in other respects.

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venus

the Evening Star

Length of Year

225 Earth Days

Planet Type

Terrestrial

Radius

6,051 kilometers

distance from sun

107,480,968 km

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Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large amounts of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water.

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earth

home sweet home

Length of Year

365 Earth Days

Planet Type

Terrestrial

Radius

6,371 kilometers

distance from sun

147,295,031 km

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Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, with surface features reminiscent of the impact craters of the Moon, and the valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth.

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mars

the red planet

Length of Year

687 Earth Days

Planet Type

Terrestrial

Radius

3,390 kilometers

distance from sun

224,894,231 km

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Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined

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jupiter

the king

Length of Year

4,333 Earth Days

Planet Type

Gas Giant

Radius

71,492 kilometers

distance from sun

746,122,626 km

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Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar system. Saturn is not the only planet to have rings, but none are as spectacular or as complex as Saturn's. Saturn also has dozens of moons.

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saturn

The Ringed One

Length of Year

10,759 Earth Days

Planet Type

Gas Giant

Radius

58,232 kilometers

distance from sun

147,295,031 km

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The seventh planet from the Sun with the third largest diameter in our solar system, Uranus is very cold and windy. It is surrounded by 13 faint rings and 27 small moons as it rotates at a nearly 90-degree angle from the plane of its orbit.

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uranus

SEVENTH WANDERER

Length of Year

30.687 Earth Days

Planet Type

Ice Giant

Radius

25,362 kilometers

distance from sun

2,935,484,463 km

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Neptune is the eighth and farthest-known Solar planet from the Sun. In the Solar System, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet.

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neptune

Way Out There

Length of Year

165 Earth Days

Planet Type

Ice Giant

Radius

24,622 kilometers

distance from sun

4,475,931,034 km

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mercury

venus

earth

mars

jupiter

saturn

uranus

neptune

Solar System Scope Live

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Explore the solar system, navigate through planets, and do more in a live simulation powered by NASA Eyes.

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Explore the planets

Explore the solar system planets individually, view planetary data, and launch live simulations.

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The Sun

The Sun is a hot glowing ball at the center of our solar system with about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) from Earth. Explore and learn more about the sun.

Mercury

The first planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Venus

The second planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Earth

The third planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Mars

The fourth planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Jupiter

The fifth planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Saturn

The sixth planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Uranus

The seventh planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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Neptune

The eighth planet from the Sun, visit the planet to learn more and access live simulation...

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