SOLAR SYSTEM
SOLAR SYSTEM
The solar system is the planetary system that orbits around the Sun. It consists of the Sun, eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), dwarf planets (such as Pluto), moons, asteroids, comets, and other small bodies. The solar system is held together by the gravitational attraction between the Sun and the objects orbiting around it. The Sun is at the center of the solar system, and the planets orbit around it in roughly circular or elliptical paths. The solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula, which collapsed under its own gravity to form the Sun and the planets.