How many planets in our solar system

The outer planets are gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Beyond Neptune, a newer class of smaller worlds called dwarf planets reign, including longtime favorite Pluto.

Thousands more planets have been discovered beyond our solar system. Scientists call them exoplanets exo means "from outside". The key difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is the kinds of objects that share its orbit around the Sun. Pluto, for example, has not cleared its orbit of similar objects while Earth or Jupiter have no similarly-sized worlds on the same path around the Sun.

Like planets, dwarf planets are generally round Haumea looks like an overinflated football and orbit the Sun. There are likely thousands of dwarf planets waiting to be discovered beyond Neptune. Except for Ceres, which lies in the main asteroid belt , these small worlds are located in the Kuiper Belt.

This simulated view of our solar system at the top of this page and below runs on real data. As they get closer to the Sun, they heat up and leave a trail of glowing dust and gases. Asteroids are small, rocky, debris left over from the formation of our solar system around 4. There are currently over , known asteroids. Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid belt contains an estimated 1. The total mass of all objects in the asteroid belt is still less than that of Earth's Moon.

Learn more about the course details here. Northgate Academy offers Earth science and astronomy as homeschooling courses. TraintheBrain provides online tutoring aimed at the deep discovery of astronomy, earth science, and more subjects related to our solar system. The Nine Planets We still love you, Pluto! An overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system. Mercury The smallest and fastest planet, Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and whips around it every 88 Earth days.

Venus Spinning in the opposite direction to most planets, Venus is the hottest planet, and one of the brightest objects in the sky.

By: Monica Young September 28, Solar System. By: Jure Japelj September 21, Imaging Foundations with Richard Wright. September 16, August 16, July 15, The spacecraft will continue collecting data about Mars, but engineers will stop sending commands until mid-October. Winds in the outermost "lane" of Jupiter's Great Red Spot are accelerating — a discovery made possible by Hubble. The dusty rocks of Jezero Crater are beginning to tell their story — thanks to the seven powerful science cameras aboard Perseverance.

NASA's Lucy is set to launch in October on the first mission to study the Trojan asteroids — swarms of asteroids associated with Jupiter. Lucy Is Going to Space! This year, the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice dropped to 1. The lander cleared enough dust from one solar panel to keep its seismometer on through the summer, allowing scientists to study three big quakes. Futuristic electric thrusters emitting a cool blue glow will guide the Psyche spacecraft through deep space to a metal-rich asteroid.

Perseverance successfully collected its first pair of rock samples, and scientists already are gaining new insights into the region. The rock core is now enclosed in an airtight titanium sample tube, and will be available for retrieval in the future. The rover will abrade a rock this week, allowing scientists and engineers to decide whether that target would withstand its powerful drill.