In Depth | Sun – NASA Solar System Exploration The Sun is a 4 5 billion-year-old yellow dwarf star – a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium – at the center of our solar system It’s about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth and it’s our solar system’s only star
The Sun By the Numbers - NASA Solar System Exploration The Sun is the star at the heart of our solar system Its gravity holds the solar system together, keeping everything – from the biggest planets to the smallest bits of debris – in its orbit
In Depth | Ganymede – NASA Solar System Exploration Ganymede has a radius of 1,635 miles (2,631 kilometers) and is the largest moon in our solar system It’s bigger than Mercury and Pluto Ganymede is about 665,000 miles (1 07 million kilometers) from Jupiter, which orbits about 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) from the Sun Jupiter is 5 2 astronomical units away from the Sun One
Genesis : Search for Origins | JPL | NASA - NASA Solar System Exploration The solar wind generated by our sun is quite different from Earth's surface winds, which are created by differences in atmospheric pressures This "wind" carries about one million tons of hot plasma, electrically-charged gas particles, at a temperature of about 100,000 Kelvins, away from the sun every second
Solar System Exploration Our solar system includes the Sun, eight planets, five officially named dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of asteroids and comets Our solar system is located in the Milky Way, a barred spiral galaxy with two major arms, and two minor arms
In Depth | Perseids – NASA Solar System Exploration When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky
Jupiter - NASA Solar System Exploration Jupiter is the largest and oldest planet in our solar system If Jupiter was a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside Jupiter has the shortest day in the solar system, taking about 9 9 hours to spin around once on its axis
The Sun is a Star - NASA Solar System Exploration The star nearest to the planet Earth is the sun The sun’s diameter is 1 4 million kilometers and its distance from Earth is 150 million kilometers But what do numbers that big really mean? To get an idea of size, use a grapefruit to represent the sun Set it down and walk a dozen steps away Turn around and