SOLAR SYSTEM

Last updated: 06/06/2019

The Solar System contains 8 planets. [In order from the Sun] Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It also has 5 dwarf planets named [in order from the Sun] Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. These planets and dwarf planets all orbit the Sun which is much larger than all of them. The Sun is so large and massive that it takes up 99.86%, of the entire Solar Systems mass! The Solar System also includes asteroid belts, Moons, and many other objects. 

The name "Solar System" was fitting because all these objects are kept in place by the Sun. The Sun's gravitational pull is harder when you're closer and weaker when you're further away. It still manages to keep everything in the Solar System in place. So why name it the Solar System? The reason is that Solar, means of the Sun or relating to the Sun and system means a structure. So basically the Solar System is a structure, that belongs, or is in the orbit of the Sun. Earth and all the other objects in the Solar System are orbiting the Sun, but the Sun, with the Solar System, is moving through space at a high speed. The heliosphere, a forcefield created by the Sun, protects the planets from harmful cosmic radiation when traveling through space. 

[Smallest to Largest Planets]

Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter.

[Smallest to Largest Dwarf Planets]

Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, and Pluto.  (Eris is more massive than Pluto)

[The Asteroid Belt Between Mars and Jupiter]

This is considered the "Main asteroid belt." There is the inner and outer region.

The inner region orbits Mars and the outer orbits Jupiter.