An illustration of a slice of a bright orange sun, with planets, a comet and asteroids against a blue-black backround.

Solar System Exploration

Join us as we explore our solar system.

Planets

Dwarf Planets

10 THINGS about our solar system

This is an updated montage of planetary images taken by spacecraft managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. Included are from top to bottom images of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

1. Many Worlds

Our solar system has eight planets, and five dwarf planets.

Gray-colored asteroid Bennu is shaped like a spinning top.

2. Small Worlds, Too

About 1.4 million asteroids, and about 4,000 comets are in our solar system.

4. Meet Me in the Milky Way

Our solar system is in one of the Milky Way galaxy’s spiral arms called the Orion Spur.

5. A Long Way Around

Our solar system takes about 230 million years to orbit the galactic center.

6. Spiraling Through Space

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy.

The blue limb of Earth as viewed from the space station.

7. Diverse Atmospheres

Our solar system has many worlds with many types of atmospheres.

8. Ring Worlds

The four giant planets – and at least one asteroid – have rings.

9. Getting Out There

More than 300 robotic spacecraft have left Earth's orbit, and 24 U.S. astronauts have traveled to the Moon.

10. Life as We Know It

So far, Earth is the only place we've found life in our solar system.

Solar System Facts

Our solar system includes the Sun, eight planets, five officially named dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of asteroids and comets.

Our solar system is located in the Milky Way, a barred spiral galaxy with two major arms, and two minor arms. Our Sun is in a small, partial arm of the Milky Way called the Orion Arm, or Orion Spur, between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms. Our solar system orbits the center of the galaxy at about 515,000 mph (828,000 kph). It takes about 230 million years to complete one orbit around the galactic center.

Get the Facts

An artist's concept of our solar system.

NASA

COMET 3i/atlas

Interstellar Comet Cruises Past Mars, Behind Sun, Toward Jupiter Flyby Next Year

Only the third known object to venture into our solar system from interstellar space, Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth, but is taking a tour past our celestial neighbors. NASA has been studying the icy visitor with space telescopes including Hubble, Webb, and SPHEREx, as well as multiple other assets. The comet is on course to pass behind the Sun in late October, and venture past Jupiter in March 2026, on its way out of our solar system.

Learn More About Comet 3I/ATLAS

View Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Through NASA’s Multiple Lenses

Since the interstellar comet was discovered July 1, a dozen NASA assets have captured and processed imagery of the icy interloper, and several others will have opportunities to capture more images as the comet continues to pass through our solar system. Its path runs far beyond Earth; at its closest — on or around Friday, Dec. 19 — comet 3I/ATLAS will be about 170 million miles away, or nearly twice the distance from Earth to the Sun. NASA spacecraft will continue to observe the comet as it makes its journey through the solar system, passing the orbit of Jupiter in spring 2026.

Learn More

At the center of the image is a comet that appears as a teardrop-shaped bluish cocoon of dust coming off the comet’s solid, icy nucleus and seen against a black background. The comet appears to be heading to the bottom left corner of the image. About a dozen short, light blue diagonal streaks are seen scattered across the image, which are from background stars that appeared to move during the exposure because the telescope was tracking the moving comet.

Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus.

Image: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Eyes on the Solar System

Eyes of the Solar System uses data and images from NASA missions to give you a simulated view of our solar system.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Featured Missions

A silver, wedge-shaped spacecraft with a black telescope on the front, hovers against the darkness of space.

NEO Surveyor

NEO Surveyor will hunt asteroids and comets that are potential hazards to Earth. Launch is no earlier than September 2027.

A spacecraft hovers over a reddish striped moon with planet Jupiter in the background.

Europa Clipper

Europa Clipper launched Oct. 14, 2024, to conduct a detailed investigation of Jupiter's moon Europa.

Psyche

In August 2029, Psyche will arrive at a metal-rich asteroid with the same name.

A gray spacecraft is illustrated over Venus with one of its instruments scanning the planet below.

VERITAS

VERITAS and DAVINCI will be the first NASA spacecraft to explore Venus since the 1990s. VERITAS will launch no earlier than 2031.

10 Things: Movie Night With NASA

10 Things: Going Interstellar

What's That Space Rock?

Hubble Finds More Evidence of Water Vapor Plumes on Europa

10 Things: Our Solar System’s Most Marvelous Moons

Resources

Explore curated collections of resources, including activities that can be done at home, as well as videos, animations, handouts, and online interactives.