Solar System Studio
Your interactive guide to the cosmos. Explore planetary cards, visualize orbits, and compare celestial bodies.
Mercury
The smallest planet in the Solar System and the closest to the Sun. Its surface is heavily cratered, appearing much like the Earth's Moon.
Venus
The hottest planet in the Solar System due to a thick, toxic atmosphere that traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect.
Earth
Our home world, the only known planet to harbor life, with liquid water covering 71% of its surface.
Mars
The 'Red Planet', known for its dusty landscape, giant volcanoes, and the potential for past ancient life.
Jupiter
The largest planet in the Solar System, a gas giant with a Great Red Spot storm larger than Earth itself.
Saturn
Famous for its spectacular ring system, composed primarily of ice particles, rocky debris, and dust.
Uranus
An ice giant that spins on its side, likely due to a massive collision in its early history.
Neptune
The most distant major planet, a cold, dark, and windy world known for its deep blue color.
Pluto
Once considered the 9th planet, now classified as a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt.
Ceres
The largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system.
Our Cosmic Neighborhood
The Solar System is our local neighborhood in the Milky Way galaxy. It consists of the Sun (a G-type main-sequence star) and everything bound to it by gravity: the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
The Power of the Sun
The Sun contains 99.86% of the total mass of the entire Solar System. Its immense gravity holds everything else in orbit.
Without the Sun's energy, Earth would be a frozen, lifeless rock. It fuses 600 million tons of hydrogen into helium every single second!
Beyond the Planets
Between Mars and Jupiter lies the Asteroid Belt, a region of rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system.
Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, a realm of frozen worlds including Pluto. Further still is the Oort Cloud, a theoretical shell of icy comets that surrounds the solar system up to a light-year away.
Terrestrial vs. Jovian Planets
Astronomers divide the 8 major planets into two main groups:
- Terrestrial Planets (Inner System): Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. These are small, rocky worlds with solid surfaces. They have few or no moons and no ring systems.
- Jovian Planets (Outer System): Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These are massive worlds with thick atmospheres. They have many moons and all possess ring systems (though Saturn's are the most visible).
The Definition of a Planet
Why was Pluto demoted? According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) definition adopted in 2006, a celestial body must meet three criteria to be a planet:
- It must orbit the Sun.
- It must be massive enough for its gravity to pull it into a spherical shape.
- It must have "cleared its neighborhood" of other orbiting debris.
Pluto meets the first two but fails the third. It sits in the crowded Kuiper Belt and shares its orbit with thousands of other icy bodies. Thus, it was reclassified as a Dwarf Planet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
In 2006, the IAU defined a planet as a body that orbits the Sun, is spherical, and has 'cleared its neighborhood'. Pluto fails the third condition because it shares its orbit with many other Kuiper Belt objects.
What is the 'Goldilocks Zone'?
Also known as the Habitable Zone, it is the region around a star where temperatures are just right for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface. Earth is in this zone; Venus is too hot, and Mars is too cold.
What is the difference between a Gas Giant and an Ice Giant?
Gas Giants (Jupiter, Saturn) are mostly Hydrogen and Helium. Ice Giants (Uranus, Neptune) contain heavier elements like oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur, often in the form of 'ices' (water, ammonia, methane).
How old is the Solar System?
The Solar System formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant interstellar molecular cloud.
Which planet has the most moons?
Saturn currently holds the record with 146 confirmed moons, surpassing Jupiter's 95 moons. This number often changes as smaller moonlets are discovered.
What is the Kuiper Belt?
The Kuiper Belt is a donut-shaped ring of icy bodies extending beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the home of Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
Why does Uranus spin on its side?
Uranus travels around the Sun rolling on its side (axial tilt of 98°), likely the result of a colossal collision with an Earth-sized object billions of years ago.
What is the Great Red Spot?
It is a massive anticyclonic storm on Jupiter that has been raging for at least 400 years. It is large enough to fit the entire Earth inside it.
How far is 1 AU?
An Astronomical Unit (AU) is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, approximately 150 million kilometers (93 million miles).
Are there planets beyond Neptune?
Astronomers have found mathematical evidence for a 'Planet Nine' far beyond Pluto, but it has not yet been visually observed.