(There are probably also many more planetary satellites that … Now why does a planet orbit the Sun and not the Sun orbit the planet? Over one million Earth’s could fit inside the Sun. The sun and planets are believed to have formed out of this disk, which is why, today, the planets still orbit in a single plane around our sun. Eight planets move around the Sun. The solar system was formed billions of years ago from a large cloud of gas and dust. The Sun is a hot ball of glowing gases. A new study provides the most accurate estimate of the frequency that planets that are similar to Earth in size and in distance from their host star occur around stars similar to our Sun… The distance of each planet from the sun is a determinant of its basic composition. It gives us light so we can see. First of all, saying the planets go around the Sun is just another way of saying the planets are in orbit around the Sun. Beyond Neptune, a newer class of smaller worlds called dwarf planets reign, including perennial favorite Pluto. Take an interactive tour of the solar system, or browse the site to find fascinating information, facts, and data about our planets, the solar system, and beyond. The solar system consists of the Sun; the eight official planets, at least three “dwarf planets”, more than 130 satellites of the planets, a large number of small bodies (the comets and asteroids), and the interplanetary medium. A … It is estimated that the formation of Earth began 4.54 billion years ago. A planet orbiting the Sun is like the moon or a NASA satellite orbiting Earth. Mars and the planets inside its orbit are known as terrestrial planets because they are composed mostly of rock. Moons and other satellites do the same around their planets. This is also known as the orbital period. A year is the time it takes the earth to make one revolution - a little over 365 days. While earth takes 365 days to make one circuit, the closest planet, Mercury, takes only 88 days. It is 92,955,820 miles away from the sun and is the third closest planet to the sun. Explore in 3D—Eyes on the Solar System. It is the center of our solar system.

It has a mass of around 330,000 times that of Earth. We call that an orbit. For a planet to remain in orbit around the sun and not fall into it, the planet must have a speed fast enough to keep it at a certain distance from the sun. The speed, or velocity, of the planets plays a big role in their orbits, including the shape of the orbit. The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either directly or indirectly.