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The Solar System consists of teh Sun and everything bound to it by gravity. It formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust, and it orbits within one of the [[Galaxies|galaxies]] we can observe, the Milky Way.
## The planets
The four inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are small and rocky. The outer planets are far larger: Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants, while Uranus and Neptune are ice giants.
## Smaller bodies
The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter. Beyond Neptune, the Kuiper belt holds icy objects, including the dwarf planet Pluto.