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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Solar System & Planets

Solar system

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈsoʊlər ˌsɪstəm/nounCore term

In astronomy & space, solar system means: The Sun and everything that orbits it: eight planets and their moons, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, dust and gas.

In Turkish: Güneş Sistemi

How it is used

Often written with capitals, 'the Solar System', when it means ours. In lower case, 'a solar system' is sometimes used informally for another star and its planets, although astronomers prefer 'planetary system' there.

Example sentences

  1. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.

  2. Comets are leftovers from the early days of the solar system.

Common collocations

  • the outer solar system
  • the inner solar system
  • the early solar system
  • the edge of the solar system
  • SunThe star at the centre of our solar system. Its gravity holds the planets in their orbits, and its light and heat make life on Earth possible.
  • planetA large, round object that orbits a star, shines only by reflected light and is massive enough to have cleared other large bodies from its orbit.
  • asteroid beltThe region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most of the solar system's asteroids orbit the Sun.
  • Kuiper BeltA wide ring of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune, about 30 to 50 AU from the Sun. Pluto and other dwarf planets orbit there, and many short-period comets come from it.
  • dwarf planetA round object that orbits the Sun but has not cleared other objects from its orbit. Pluto, Ceres and Eris are well-known examples.

More terms: Solar System & Planets

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