What is Meant by the Solar System?

Answer: The Solar system is the gravitationally bound system that includes the Sun and its orbiting components.

Key Points:

1. The Sun holds the great bulk of the system’s mass (99.86%), with Jupiter holding the majority of the remaining mass.
2. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, the four inner system planets, are terrestrial planets made mostly of rock and metal. The outer system’s four enormous planets are significantly larger and more massive than our own.
3. Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, consisting primarily of hydrogen and helium; Uranus and Neptune, on the other hand, are ice giants, consisting primarily of volatile substances with comparatively high melting points compared to hydrogen and helium, such as water, ammonia, and methane.
4. All eight planets have roughly circular orbits that are close to the ecliptic, the plane of Earth’s orbit.