The Dynamic Earth @ National Museum of Natural History

Main Menu > The Solar System

The Big Picture
The Earth is one small planet in a vast Solar System. It formed as a byproduct of the Sun's birth—along with all the other planets, moons, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets.

Birth of
the Solar System

Take a
Planetary Tour

Samples of
the Solar System

How to Make
a Planet

The Moon
A mere 386,000 km (240,000 mi) away, the Moon is our closest neighbor. From lunar rocks, we have learned that this body's amazing origins are intimately linked to the Earth's. Yet, the Moon bears little resemblance to our own planet. The quiet Moon we see today belies the violence of its distant past.

Our Celestial
Neighbor

Geologic History
of the Moon

Impacts
The collision and sticking together of objects is the fundamental process that formed the solid bodies in our Solar System and continues to shape them today. From the first gentle clumping together of tiny grains to the catastrophic asteroid impact that probably killed off Earth's dinosaurs, collisions have left their imprint on all the rocky bodies arrayed around our Sun.

[Photo Link: Accretion: From Dusk to Planets]

Accretion: From
Dust to Planets

Anatomy of
an Impact

Impacts: Evidence
on Earth

Impacts on
Other Worlds

Meteorites
Meteorites are precious rocks that preserve material from the birth of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago. Some are actual pieces of the original matter from which the planets were assembled. Others are fragments of asteroids that grew hot enough to develop crusts, mantles, and cores. When these extraterrestrial rocks land on Earth, they provide an extraordinary opportunity to piece together the history of our Solar System's birth and evolution.

Discovering
Meteorites

Meteorite
Classification