6.6: Our Solar System
- Page ID
- 244244
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Astronomers believe the solar system is about 4.6 billion years old . We base that idea through the study of meteorites and “dating” of these objects and observations of our Sun, as well as similar stars.
The Solar System is made up of one central star, eight (or nine, or ten…) known planets, satellites orbiting the planets, and miscellaneous debris; minor bodies; asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and dust, and what is known as the Kuiper Belt Objects and the Oort cloud .
Sun
One Central Star—Sun
Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / ESA.
Planets
Rocky Planet Earth– Eight (or nine, or ten…) known Planets
Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / ESA.
Satellites
Satellite Io (Jupiter): Orbits Planets
Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / ESA.
Minor Bodies
Asteroid-951 Gaspra
Public Domain | Image courtesy of NASA / ESA.
Comet Hale-Bopp
CC BY-SA 3.0 | Image courtesy of Wikimedia Authors: E. Kolmhofer, H. Raab; Johannes-Kepler-Observatory, Linz, Austria.
CC licensed content, Original
- Provided by: Florida State College at Jacksonville. License: CC BY: Attribution