Solar System
From Halbeeg, the open encyclopedia · Af-Soomaali
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The solar system comprises the Sun and all the celestial bodies held in its gravitational orbit. It includes eight planets, dwarf planets such as Pluto, many moons, asteroids, and comets.
The Sun contains the vast majority of the system's total mass. Its gravitational force keeps the other bodies in elliptical paths. The system lies within the Milky Way galaxy.
Planets
There are eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The first four are terrestrial planets, having solid surfaces. The last four are large gas and ice giants, with many moons and strong gravity.
Smaller bodies
Between Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt, containing thousands of rocks orbiting the Sun. Ceres, located there, is classified as a dwarf planet. Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, home to Pluto and other icy bodies. Comets typically originate in distant regions and develop luminous tails when they approach the Sun.
Origin
The prevailing astronomical theory holds that the system formed from a large cloud of gas and dust that collapsed. The centre became the Sun, while other matter accumulated into planets and other bodies. This is estimated to have occurred billions of years ago.