Solar System

The Solar System is our cosmic neighbourhood, formed about 4.6 billion years ago. At its centre is the Sun, surrounded by planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets and countless smaller bodies, all held together by the Sun’s gravity. Unlike deep-sky objects, Solar System targets are comparatively close to Earth and can often reveal remarkable detail through amateur telescopes.

For the images in this section, Solar System objects are grouped into four main categories: the Sun, the Moon, planets, and small Solar System bodies — asteroids and comets.