Solar System Exploration
Join us as we explore our planetary neighborhood: The Sun, planets, moons, comets, and asteroids.
Solar System Overview
The solar system has one star, eight planets, five officially named dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, thousands of comets, and more than a million asteroids.
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.
We call it the solar system because it is made up of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity.
Observe the Moon with NASA
International Observe the Moon Night is September 14. It's a time to come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide. Everyone on Earth is invited to learn about lunar science and exploration, take part in celestial observations, and honor cultural and personal connections to the Moon.
Learn more and participateExploring an Ocean Moon
Our solar system has at least 293 moons orbiting planets, including Jupiter's moon, Europa, the target of NASA's Europa Clipper mission. Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch on Oct. 10, 2024, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Learn More About Europa ClipperFeatured Missions
Explore our solar system with NASA. Here are some of our upcoming missions.
Europa Clipper
NASA's Europa Clipper is launching Oct. 10, 2024, on the first mission to conduct a detailed science investigation of Jupiter's moon Europa.
NEO Surveyor
Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor is the first space telescope specifically designed to hunt asteroids and comets that may be potential hazards to Earth.
VERITAS
VERITAS, and another mission called DAVINCI, will be the first NASA spacecraft to explore Venus since the 1990s.