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An illustration of the Sun and planets

Solar System Exploration

Join us as we explore our solar system.

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Planets

05

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.

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

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

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

Our solar system has more than 200 planetary moons.

A swirling Milky Way Galaxy, with our Sun seen on the outskirts.

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

Sun and planets in solar system

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

Spitzer Milky Way 1600px

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy.

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

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

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

Man in the moon with American flag

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

Earth blue marble photo

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.

Get the Facts
Illustration of the Solar System.
An artist's concept of our solar system.
NASA

Skywatching Tips

  • See a Total Lunar Eclipse on March 13

    The Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and appear to turn red on the night of March 13 or early in the morning on March 14, depending on time zone.

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  • What’s Up: A Fast-Moving Planet and a Crimson Moon!

    Catch Mercury if you can, then stay up late for a total lunar eclipse, and learn the truth about the dark side of the Moon.

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  • Detailed Daily Guide

    Learn about the next full moon, eclipses, meteor showers, comets, and other skywatching events.

    Get the Guide

  • What is a Planet Parade?

    How to watch the 'parade of planets' in our night sky.

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  • Meteor Showers

    Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on any clear night. When there are lots more meteors, you’re watching a meteor shower.

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  • Skywatching Hub

    Get tips for photographing the Moon, guides, activities, and videos for skywatchers.

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How To...

Explore NASA's tips and guides for observing and photographing the sky.

An airline flies across the face of the Moon in this forced perspective image that makes the airplane seen big and the Moon seem small.

Photograph the Moon

Capturing the Moon with a camera is one of the most satisfying – and challenging – projects available to an outdoor photographer.

Child looking through tripod-mounted binoculars.

Use Binoculars for Skywatching

Binoculars are an excellent first instrument for skywatching because they are generally easy to use and more versatile than most telescopes.

Meteors are seen as streaks of light coming from a central point in the sky. Trees are in the foreground of the image.

Photograph a Meteor Shower

Taking photographs of meteors streaking across the sky can be challenging, but with these tips - you might be rewarded with a great photo.

A nighttime photo shows a landscape of pointy, or pinnacle-shaped, rock formations, with the Milky Way as a glowing, diagonal band in the sky.

Find Good Places to Stargaze

If you're hoping to do some skywatching, but you're not quite sure how to find a great spot, we have you covered.

Eyes on the Solar System: A real-time visualization of our solar system using planetary science data.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Featured Missions

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.

This artist's-concept illustration depicts the spacecraft of NASA's Psyche mission near the mission's target, the metal asteroid Psyche.

Psyche

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

NASA's NEO Surveyor is seen in this illustration against an infrared observation of a starfield made by the agency's WISE mission.

NEO Surveyor

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

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.

Featured Stories

A rock that looks like a red space snowman

10 Things to Know About the Kuiper Belt

Photo of Lauren Farmer next to the North Pole sign

10 Things: Citizen Science

two rocky asteroids in black space

What's That Space Rock?

Hubble Finds More Evidence of Water Vapor Plumes on Europa

10 Things: Our Solar System’s Most Marvelous Moons

Featured Resources

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

Artists concept of spacecraft at asteroid

Lucy Mission

artist concept of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft with sampling arm extended

OSIRIS-REx

This artist's concept depicts NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft as it orbits Jupiter and passes over the gas giant's ice-covered moon Europa.

Ocean Worlds

A diamond shaped rocky object is shown side-by-side with another rocky object that has a bright point of light at its bottom right side.

Asteroids and Comets

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