<text><span class="style10">he Sun and the Solar System (4 of 6)</span><span class="style7"></span><span class="style10">The Solar System</span><span class="style7">The Solar System consists of the Sun together with a large number of bodies and matter that is gravitationally bound to it. These include the planets, their satellites, minor planets, comets, meteoroids and interplanetary gas and dust.There are nine known planets, all going round the Sun in elliptical orbits. In order of mean distance from the Sun, the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Of these, Pluto has a rather eccentric orbit so that although its average distance from the Sun is greater than that of Neptune, part of its orbit brings it closer to the Sun than Neptune. Thus from 1979 to 1999 Neptune holds the title of the outermost planet. However, in 1992 the discovery was announced of a body even further from the Sun. This body, which has a diameter of 200 km (120 mi), is thought to be an asteroid or comet. It has been designated 1992 QB1, and its mean distance from the Sun may be as much as 8800 million km (5400 million mi).</span></text>
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<text>ΓÇó STARS AND GALAXIESΓÇó THE INNER PLANETSΓÇó THE OUTER PLANETS</text>
