The Solar System
The Solar System is the Sun and everything that orbits it, including eight planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
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The Solar System is the Sun and everything that orbits it, including eight planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
- Inner planets are rocky
- Gas giants are Jupiter and Saturn
- Gravity holds everything in orbit
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Solar System?
Within Physics, which covers forces, energy, waves, electricity, magnetism, light and space explained through motion and experiments, this topic explains The Solar System. Physics topics explain how things move, push, heat up and carry energy, so each one here pairs a definition with a live model you can change.
Check that you can explain The Solar System in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Solar System explains how the physical world behaves, from sport and transport to electricity and medicine.
The Solar System in detail
The Solar System consists of the Sun, eight planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets. The four inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) are small and rocky, and the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are large gas or ice giants. Planets orbit the Sun in elliptical paths.
It formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust, called a nebula. The Sun contains 99.8% of the system's mass, and gravity holds everything in orbit. Distances are enormous: light takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth from the Sun.
How the interactive helps you understand The Solar System
Watch the orbit in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the orbit responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Solar System.
Real-life uses and examples
- Answer “explain” questions by linking The Solar System to a clear cause and effect.
- Predict what a ball, car or circuit will do with The Solar System before you do the calculation.
- Explain everyday devices, such as brakes, lifts or chargers, using The Solar System.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting that some quantities, such as force or velocity, also have a direction.
- Mixing up The Solar System with a related quantity that has different units.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Solar System
What is The Solar System?
The Solar System is the Sun and everything that orbits it, including eight planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
What are the most important points about The Solar System?
The main points are: Inner planets are rocky; Gas giants are Jupiter and Saturn; Gravity holds everything in orbit.
Why is The Solar System useful?
Understanding The Solar System explains how the physical world behaves, from sport and transport to electricity and medicine.
How can I practise The Solar System?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Solar System?
Related topics in Physics include The Universe and the Big Bang, Rotational Motion and Torque, Capacitors and Charge Storage.