Discover all you need to know about the planets, comets and asteroids that orbit the Sun and make up our Solar System. Read the varying theories about the origins of the Solar System and find out how you can become an amateur astronomer and view it with your own eyes.

How far away is the Moon?
What is the distance between the Earth and the Moon? Is the answer as simple as you might think?
What is a blue moon and how often does it occur?
How common are blue moons in astronomical terms?
What are the names of full moons throughout the year?
Blue moons, Harvest moons, Worm moons? Find out more about the ancient names associated with the phases of the Moon - and what they mean.
Above and Beyond infographic: How high?
How high can you go? Get the low-down on all that's 'high up' in our fact-packed infographic. Who has flown the highest? Could we really build an elevator to space?
Planet Venus
The planet Venus: known for love, rotational contrariness, crushing atmospheres, furnace-like temperatures and acid rain.
Planet Uranus
The planet Uranus: first of the planets to be found in the modern era and dressed in rings. It orbits the sun on its side and the wrong way round!
Tides and tidal forces
What can explain high tide at London Bridge as well as Nova explosions from white dwarfs?
The Sun
The Sun’s diameter is 100 times that of Earth’s but its mass is 300,000 times greater and it is 15,000,000°C at its core.
The Planets
Learn about the order, orbits, atmospheres and compositions of all the planets in our Solar System.
Everything you've ever wanted to know about the Moon
The Moon is Earth’s most familiar companion, the closest astronomical object to the Earth. No other planet has a satellite as large in comparison to its own size.