Solar System Orbit Visualization | NOIRLab
A visualization of the orbits of the planets in our Solar System. The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the masses that orbit it, most prominently its "eight planets" acccording to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), of these, Earth is one. The system formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, creating the Sun and a protoplanetary disc where the orbiting bodies assembled. Inside the Sun's core, hydrogen has been fused into helium for billions of years, releasing energy over even longer periods of time emitted through the Sun's outer layer, the photosphere. This created the heliosphere and a decreasing temperature gradient across the Solar System.
The mass of the Solar System is by 99.86% almost completely made up of the Sun's mass. The next most massive objects of the system are the eight planets that by definition dominate the orbits they occupy. Closest to the Sun in order of increasing distance are the four terrestrial planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. These are the planets of the inner Solar System. Earth and Mars are the only planets in the Solar System that orbit within the Sun's habitable zone, where sunlight can make surface water under atmospheric pressure a liquid. Beyond the frost line at about five astronomical units (AU), are two gas giants—Jupiter and Saturn—and two ice giants—Uranus and Neptune. These are the planets of the outer Solar System. Jupiter and Saturn possess nearly 90% of the non-stellar mass of the Solar System.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) established on July 28, 1919, in Brussels, Belgium. Its headquarters is located in Paris, France. The IAU aims to "promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, education, and outreach, through global collaboration."
NSF NOIRLab (formally named the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory) is the United States' national center for ground-based, nighttime optical astronomy. Through NOIRLab's programs, it is responsible for the following facilities: NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), the International Gemini Observatory, NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) and the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) operates these facilities and NSF NOIRLab under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
Duration: 33 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 17, 2025
No comments:
Post a Comment