The European Space Agency's (ESA's) Solar Orbiter is out of alignment with the rest of the Solar System. And that's a good thing. By orbiting the Sun outside of the Solar System's orbital plane, the ...

Illustration comparing the planets of the Solar System and the Sun on the same scale. The planets are shown to scale relative to each other but their distances are not. From left to right the bodies ...

Our solar system is a smashing success. A new study suggests that from its earliest period — even before the last of its nebular gas had been consumed — Earth’s solar system and its planets looked ...

The workings of our solar system are roughly the same now as they have been for millions of years. Moons circle their planets, the planets circle the sun, the sun’s magnetic fields and sunspots wax ...

Far from the Sun’s heat, orbiting the outer planets of the solar system, are moons with oceans of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces. Keith Cooper finds out how planetary scientists are ...