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Orange sun with colorful planets trailing out to one side.

Solar System Exploration

Join us as we explore our solar system.

08

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.

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.

3. Lots of Moons

Our solar system has more than 300 planetary moons.

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

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.

Sun and planets in solar system

5. A Long Way Around

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

Spitzer Milky Way 1600px

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.

Man in the moon with American flag

9. Getting Out There

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

Earth blue marble photo

10. Life as We Know It

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

live from the clean room

Roomies! Watch Us Build Two New Missions

We have a special treat: Two missions are sharing the clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory— NEO Surveyor and ASTHROS. Watch the missions come together on our live cam.

Watch the Clean Room Live Cam
A color photo of a very large, white clean room, where two spacecraft are being assembled on the floor. A group of workers dressed head-to-toe in white sanitary suits is huddled in the foreground at left. Behind them is a large black enclosure, trapezoid-shaped, resting on its long side, with its angled side pointing to the right. On the angled face, the top half is covered in a bright, silvery white panel, while the bottom half is opened to the inside. On the far right of the room, the other spacecraft is inside a large white scaffold with a ring at its top, sitting on a car-sized blue cart with black wheels. About the only part of the craft visible is a very large gold dish, facing the viewer, with thin black supports criss-crossed in an X outside its opening, holding a small metallic box in the middle. On the floor between the two craft are various rolling chairs and carts, including a large red tool chest. High on the wall behind everything are arrayed 24 circles showing the insignias of previous spacecraft built in this room.
The view in the clean room at NASA's JPL: Components of NEO Surveyor and ASTHROS.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

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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.

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Illustration of the Solar System.
An artist's concept of our solar system.
NASA
Featured Story

NEO Surveyor Instrument Enclosure Inside Historic Chamber A 

The instrument enclosure of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor is prepared for critical environmental tests inside the historic Chamber A at…

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Skywatching Tips

  • What’s Up

    What to look for in the night sky.

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  • Detailed Daily Guide

    Learn about the next full moon, and other skywatching events.

    Get the Guide

  • Skywatching Hub

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

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  • What is a Planet Parade?

    Occasionally four or five bright planets can be seen simultaneously with the naked eye. These events, often called "planet parades."

    Join the Parade

  • What are Auroras?

    What causes auroras? When and where can you seem them?

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  • Meteor Showers

    When's the next meteor shower, and how many meteors can you expect to see?

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How To...

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

Skywatching Hub
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 satisfying and challenging.

Read More
Child looking through tripod-mounted binoculars.

Use Binoculars for Skywatching

Binoculars are an excellent first "telescope" for skywatching.

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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

Follow these tips to be rewarded with a great photo of meteors.

Read More
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

We've got you covered. We'll help you find a great spot.

Read More
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Features

10 Things: Movie Night With NASA

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Photo of Lauren Farmer next to the North Pole sign

Citizen Science: Choose a Project, Do Science With NASA

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two rocky asteroids in black space

What's That Space Rock?

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Hubble Finds More Evidence of Water Vapor Plumes on Europa

10 Things: Our Solar System’s Most Marvelous Moons

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Resources

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

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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Artists concept of spacecraft at asteroid

Lucy Mission

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

OSIRIS-REx

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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

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Planets

Moons

Asteroids, Comets & Meteors

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