Solar SysLem

1he Solar SysLema conslsLs of Lhe Sun and Lhe asLronomlcal ob[ecLs gravlLaLlonally bound ln orblL
around lL all of whlch formed from Lhe collapse of a glanL molecular cloud approxlmaLely 46 bllllon
years ago Cf Lhe many ob[ecLs LhaL orblL Lhe Sun mosL of Lhe mass ls conLalned wlLhln elghL relaLlvely
sollLary planeLse whose orblLs are almosL clrcular and lle wlLhln a nearly flaL dlsc called Lhe ecllpLlc
plane 1he four smaller lnner planeLs Mercury venus LarLh and Mars also called Lhe LerresLrlal
planeLs are prlmarlly composed of rock and meLal 1he four ouLer planeLs Lhe gas glanLs are
subsLanLlally more masslve Lhan Lhe LerresLrlals 1he Lwo largesL !uplLer and SaLurn are composed
malnly of hydrogen and hellum Lhe Lwo ouLermosL planeLs uranus and nepLune are composed largely
of lces such as waLer ammonla and meLhane and are ofLen referred Lo separaLely as lce glanLs
1he Solar SysLem ls also home Lo a number of reglons populaLed by smaller ob[ecLs 1he asLerold belL
whlch lles beLween Mars and !uplLer ls slmllar Lo Lhe LerresLrlal planeLs as lL ls composed malnly of rock
and meLal 8eyond nepLunes orblL lle Lhe kulper belL and scaLLered dlsc llnked populaLlons of Lrans
nepLunlan ob[ecLs composed mosLly of lces such as waLer ammonla and meLhane WlLhln Lhese
populaLlons flve lndlvldual ob[ecLs Ceres luLo Paumea Makemake and Lrls are recognlzed Lo be
large enough Lo have been rounded by Lhelr own gravlLy and are Lhus Lermed dwarf planeLse ln
addlLlon Lo Lhousands of small bodlese ln Lhose Lwo reglons varlous oLher small body populaLlons
such as comeLs cenLaurs and lnLerplaneLary dusL freely Lravel beLween reglons
Slx of Lhe planeLs and Lhree of Lhe dwarf planeLs are orblLed by naLural saLelllLesb usually Lermed
moons afLer LarLhs Moon Lach of Lhe ouLer planeLs ls enclrcled by planeLary rlngs of dusL and oLher
parLlcles
1he solar wlnd a flow of plasma from Lhe Sun creaLes a bubble ln Lhe lnLersLellar medlum known as Lhe
hellosphere whlch exLends ouL Lo Lhe edge of Lhe scaLLered dlsc 1he hypoLheLlcal CorL cloud whlch
acLs as Lhe source for longperlod comeLs may also exlsL aL a dlsLance roughly a Lhousand Llmes furLher
Lhan Lhe hellosphere
1he Solar SysLem ls locaLed ln Lhe Mllky Way galaxy whlch conLalns abouL 200 bllllon sLars
ulscovery and exploraLlon
Maln arLlcle ulscovery and exploraLlon of Lhe Solar SysLem

lor many Lhousands of years humanlLy wlLh a few noLable excepLlons dld noL recognlze Lhe exlsLence
of Lhe Solar SysLem eople belleved Lhe LarLh Lo be sLaLlonary aL Lhe cenLre of Lhe unlverse and
caLegorlcally dlfferenL from Lhe dlvlne or eLhereal ob[ecLs LhaL moved Lhrough Lhe sky AlLhough Lhe
Creek phllosopher ArlsLarchus of Samos had speculaLed on a hellocenLrlc reorderlng of Lhe cosmos1
nlcolaus Copernlcus was Lhe flrsL Lo develop a maLhemaLlcally predlcLlve hellocenLrlc sysLem2 Pls
17LhcenLury successors Callleo Calllel !ohannes kepler and lsaac newLon developed an
undersLandlng of physlcs LhaL led Lo Lhe gradual accepLance of Lhe ldea LhaL Lhe LarLh moves around Lhe
Sun and LhaL Lhe planeLs are governed by Lhe same physlcal laws LhaL governed Lhe LarLh AddlLlonally
Lhe lnvenLlon of Lhe Lelescope led Lo Lhe dlscovery of furLher planeLs and moons ln more recenL Llmes
lmprovemenLs ln Lhe Lelescope and Lhe use of unmanned spacecrafL have enabled Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon of
geologlcal phenomena such as mounLalns and craLers and seasonal meLeorologlcal phenomena such as
clouds dusL sLorms and lce caps on Lhe oLher planeLs
`^aU`a^W

1he prlnclpal componenL of Lhe Solar SysLem ls Lhe Sun a malnsequence C2 sLar LhaL conLalns 9986
percenL of Lhe sysLems known mass and domlnaLes lL gravlLaLlonally3 1he Suns four largesL orblLlng
bodles Lhe gas glanLs accounL for 99 percenL of Lhe remalnlng mass wlLh !uplLer and SaLurn LogeLher
comprlslng more Lhan 90 percenLc

MosL large ob[ecLs ln orblL around Lhe Sun lle near Lhe plane of LarLhs orblL known as Lhe ecllpLlc 1he
planeLs are very close Lo Lhe ecllpLlc whlle comeLs and kulper belL ob[ecLs are frequenLly aL slgnlflcanLly
greaLer angles Lo lL43 All Lhe planeLs and mosL oLher ob[ecLs orblL Lhe Sun ln Lhe same dlrecLlon LhaL
Lhe Sun ls roLaLlng (counLerclockwlse as vlewed from above Lhe Suns norLh pole)6 1here are
excepLlons such as Palleys ComeL

1he overall sLrucLure of Lhe charLed reglons of Lhe Solar SysLem conslsLs of Lhe Sun four relaLlvely small
lnner planeLs surrounded by a belL of rocky asLerolds and four gas glanLs surrounded by Lhe ouLer
kulper belL of lcy ob[ecLs AsLronomers someLlmes lnformally dlvlde Lhls sLrucLure lnLo separaLe reglons
1he lnner Solar SysLem lncludes Lhe four LerresLrlal planeLs and Lhe maln asLerold belL 1he ouLer Solar
SysLem ls beyond Lhe asLerolds lncludlng Lhe four gas glanL planeLs7 Slnce Lhe dlscovery of Lhe kulper
belL Lhe ouLermosL parLs of Lhe Solar SysLem are consldered a dlsLlncL reglon conslsLlng of Lhe ob[ecLs
beyond nepLune8

keplers laws of planeLary moLlon descrlbe Lhe orblLs of ob[ecLs abouL Lhe Sun lollowlng keplers laws
each ob[ecL Lravels along an elllpse wlLh Lhe Sun aL one focus Cb[ecLs closer Lo Lhe Sun (wlLh smaller
semlma[or axes) Lravel more qulckly as Lhey are more affecLed by Lhe Suns gravlLy Cn an elllpLlcal
orblL a bodys dlsLance from Lhe Sun varles over Lhe course of lLs year A bodys closesL approach Lo Lhe
Sun ls called lLs perlhellon whlle lLs mosL dlsLanL polnL from Lhe Sun ls called lLs aphellon 1he orblLs of
Lhe planeLs are nearly clrcular buL many comeLs asLerolds and kulper belL ob[ecLs follow hlghly elllpLlcal
orblLs

uue Lo Lhe vasL dlsLances lnvolved many represenLaLlons of Lhe Solar SysLem show orblLs Lhe same
dlsLance aparL ln reallLy wlLh a few excepLlons Lhe farLher a planeL or belL ls from Lhe Sun Lhe larger
Lhe dlsLance beLween lL and Lhe prevlous orblL lor example venus ls approxlmaLely 033 asLronomlcal
unlLs (Au)d farLher ouL from Lhe Sun Lhan Mercury whlle SaLurn ls 43 Au ouL from !uplLer and
nepLune lles 103 Au ouL from uranus ALLempLs have been made Lo deLermlne a relaLlonshlp beLween
Lhese orblLal dlsLances (for example Lhe 1lLlus8ode law)9 buL no such Lheory has been accepLed

MosL of Lhe planeLs ln Lhe Solar SysLem possess secondary sysLems of Lhelr own belng orblLed by
planeLary ob[ecLs called naLural saLelllLes or moons (Lwo of whlch are larger Lhan Lhe planeL Mercury)
or ln Lhe case of Lhe four gas glanLs by planeLary rlngs Lhln bands of Llny parLlcles LhaL orblL Lhem ln
unlson MosL of Lhe largesL naLural saLelllLes are ln synchronous roLaLlon wlLh one face permanenLly
Lurned Loward Lhelr parenL
ComposlLlon

1he Sun whlch comprlses nearly all Lhe maLLer ln Lhe Solar SysLem ls composed of roughly 98
hydrogen and hellum10 !uplLer and SaLurn whlch comprlse nearly all Lhe remalnlng maLLer possess
aLmospheres composed of roughly 99 of Lhose same elemenLs1112 A composlLlon gradlenL exlsLs
ln Lhe Solar SysLem creaLed by heaL and llghL pressure from Lhe Sun Lhose ob[ecLs closer Lo Lhe Sun
whlch are more affecLed by heaL and llghL pressure are composed of elemenLs wlLh hlgh melLlng polnLs
Cb[ecLs farLher from Lhe Sun are composed largely of maLerlals wlLh lower melLlng polnLs13 1he
boundary ln Lhe Solar SysLem beyond whlch Lhose volaLlle subsLances could condense ls known as Lhe
frosL llne and lL lles aL roughly 4 Au from Lhe Sun14

1he ob[ecLs of Lhe lnner Solar SysLem are composed mosLly of rock13 Lhe collecLlve name for
compounds wlLh hlgh melLlng polnLs such as slllcaLes lron or nlckel LhaL remalned solld under almosL
all condlLlons ln Lhe proLoplaneLary nebula16 !uplLer and SaLurn are composed malnly of gases Lhe
asLronomlcal Lerm for maLerlals wlLh exLremely low melLlng polnLs and hlgh vapor pressure such as
molecular hydrogen hellum and neon whlch were always ln Lhe gaseous phase ln Lhe nebula16 lces
llke waLer meLhane ammonla hydrogen sulflde and carbon dloxlde13 have melLlng polnLs up Lo a
few hundred kelvlns whlle Lhelr phase depends on Lhe amblenL pressure and LemperaLure16 1hey can
be found as lces llqulds or gases ln varlous places ln Lhe Solar SysLem whlle ln Lhe nebula Lhey were
elLher ln Lhe solld or gaseous phase16 lcy subsLances comprlse Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhe saLelllLes of Lhe
glanL planeLs as well as mosL of uranus and nepLune (Lhe socalled lce glanLs) and Lhe numerous small
ob[ecLs LhaL lle beyond nepLunes orblL1317 1ogeLher gases and lces are referred Lo as volaLlles18