Sun with its eight planets, including our planet Earth forms the Solar System. Most people are taught at school about the sun, the eight planets and their characteristics. Scientists suggest that the formation of the Milky Way, and the formation of the Solar System are related to the Big-Bang theory. When the Big bang happened, clouds of mass were dispersed in the space. It is indicated that around 4.6 billion years earlier, a giant molecular cloud collapsed and led to the formation of the Solar System.
Components of the Solar System
As the name indicates, the centre of the Solar System is the sun. Apart from the sun, there are eight planets that revolve around the sun in their own orbits. These planets are known as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Neptune. Earlier, Pluto was also considered to be a planet. With new findings, astronomers have actually degraded erstwhile Planet Pluto. As of now, the sun has eight planets. Though Pluto is no longer considered to be a planet, but it is still a part of the Solar System. Meteors and comets also form a part of the Sun’s Solar System.
The inner planets that comprise Mars, Earth, Venus and Mercury are made up of metals and rocks. However, the outer planets or the bigger planets of the Solar System, which include Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter, are composed of gases such as helium and hydrogen. The largest planet is Jupiter, while the smallest planet if Mercury. Apart from Earth, no other planet has a stable atmosphere that is conducive to life.
Studies have proven the fact that the outer planets of sun are massive compared to the inner planets of the Solar System. All the objects that form a part of the Solar System are bound by the gravitational force and have their own paths. This is the reason that planets’ don’t collide with each other even though they move around the sun. Though Uranus and Neptune cross the orbital paths of each other, they have never been known to collide with each other.
Solar Wind
Solar winds are also an important component of the solar system. Studies indicate that the plasma that is blown from the surface of the Sun in the space comprises the solar winds. The solar wind is responsible for the formation of bubbles in the heliosphere, which is the interstellar medium.
Other Components of the Solar System
Other than the eight planets and the solar wind, the asteroids and comets also form an integral part of the Solar System. The spectacular asteroid belt that is formed between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars is an important part of this system. It is comprised of rocks, ice and other small remnants of comets and smaller planets that could never be formed. Studies related to the Solar System are still in progress, and scientists are expected to unveil more facts related to the mysteries of the Solar System in the coming days.
More Entries
- What are planets made of?
- How was the moon formed?
- Why do we have day and night?
- Why do planets circle the sun?
- Why do we se only one side of moon?
- Why do stars twinkle?
- What are sun spots?
- How do stars form?