Our planetary system is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy
There are an estimated 400 Billion stars in the Milky Way, and our sun is just one insignificant star on one of the outer arms of the giant spiral, no where near the center
Why is it Called the Solar System?
There are many planetary systems like ours in the universe, with planets orbiting a host star. Our planetary system is named the "solar system" because our Sun is named Sol, after the Latin word for Sun, "solis," and anything related to the Sun we call "solar"
Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; hundreds of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids
Beyond our own solar system, we have discovered thousands of planetary systems orbiting other stars in the Milky Way
Astronomy News
Our next Total Solar Eclipse of the Sun is less than one year away
Would you like to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If so, do any friends or relatives live near the path of next April's eclipse? If yes again, then you might want to arrange a well-timed visit. Next April 8, the path of a total solar eclipse will cross North America from western Mexico to eastern Canada, entering the USA in southern Texas and exiting in northern Maine. All of North America will experience the least a partial solar eclipse
Featured here is a map of the path of totality. Many people who have seen a total solar eclipse tell stories about it for the rest of their lives. As a warmup, an annular solar eclipse will be visible later this year -- in mid-October 2023
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~ Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
