Our solar system includes the Sun, eight planets, five dwarf planets, and hundreds of moons, asteroids, and comets. The Solar System [d] consists of the Sun and the objects that orbit it. [11] The name comes from Sōl, the Latin name for the Sun. [12] It formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, creating the Sun and a protoplanetary disc from which the orbiting bodies assembled. The fusion of hydrogen into helium inside the Sun's core releases energy, which is primarily emitted through its outer photosphere. This creates a decreasing temperature gradient across ... Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Beyond our own solar system , there are more planets than stars in the night sky.
