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{{short description|none}}
[[File:The_Solar_System,_with_the_orbits_of_5_remarkable_comets._LOC_2013593161.jpg|thumb|True-scale Solar System poster made by [[Emanuel Bowen]] in 1747. At that time, Uranus, Neptune, nor the asteroid belts had been discovered yet.]]
'''Discovery and exploration of the [[Solar System]]''' is observation, visitation, and increase in knowledge and understanding of [[Earth]]'s "cosmic neighborhood".<ref name=exp/> This includes the [[Sun]], Earth and the [[Moon]], the major planets [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], [[Venus]], [[Mars]], [[Jupiter]], [[Saturn]], [[Uranus]], and [[Neptune]], their [[Natural satellite|satellites]], as well as smaller bodies including [[comet]]s, [[asteroid]]s, and [[Cosmic dust|dust]].<ref name=exp/>

In ancient and medieval times, only objects [[Apparent magnitude|visible]] to the naked eye—the Sun, the Moon, the five [[classical planets]], and [[comet]]s, along with phenomena now known to take place in [[Earth's atmosphere]], like [[meteor]]s and [[aurora]]e—were known.{{dubious|date=January 2024}} Ancient astronomers were able to make geometric observations with various instruments. The collection of precise observations in the [[early modern period]] and the invention of the [[telescope]] helped determine the [[Heliocentrism|overall structure]] of the Solar System. Telescopic observations resulted in the discovery of [[Natural satellite|moons]] and [[Ring system|rings]] around [[planet]]s, and new planets, comets and the [[asteroid]]s; the recognition of planets as other worlds, of Earth as another planet, and stars as other suns; the identification of the Solar System as an entity in itself, and the determination of the distances to some nearby stars.

For millennia, what today is known to be the Solar System was regarded as the "[[Universe|whole universe]]", so the knowledge of both mostly advanced in parallel. A clear distinction was not made until around the mid-17th century. Since then, incremental knowledge has been gained not only about the Solar System, but also about [[outer space]] and its [[deep-sky object]]s.

The composition of stars and planets was investigated with [[spectroscopy]]. Observations of Solar System bodies with other types of electromagnetic radiation became possible with [[radio astronomy]], [[infrared astronomy]], [[ultraviolet astronomy]], [[X-ray astronomy]], and [[gamma-ray astronomy]].

Robotic [[space probe]]s, the [[Apollo program]] landings of humans on the Moon, and [[space telescope]]s have vastly increased human knowledge about the atmosphere, geology, and electromagnetic properties of other planets, giving rise to the new field of [[planetary science]].

The Solar System is one of many planetary systems in the galaxy.<ref name=exp>[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/road_map_final.pdf Solar System Exploration]</ref><ref name="NASA Solar System Overview">{{cite web|title=Our Solar System |publisher=NASA |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/overview/ |access-date=2021-08-04}}</ref> The planetary system that contains Earth is named the "Solar" System. The word "solar" is derived from the Latin word for Sun, ''Sol'' (genitive ''Solis''). Anything related to the Sun is called "solar": for example, [[stellar wind]] from the Sun is called [[solar wind]].

==Pre-telescope==
{{see also|Planet#History|History of astronomy|Timeline of Solar System astronomy|Historical models of the Solar System}}
[[File:Anaximander cosmology-en.svg|thumb|Map of [[Anaximander]]'s universe (circa 560 BCE)]]
The first humans had limited understanding of the celestial bodies that could be seen in the sky. The [[Sun]], however, was of immediate interest, as it generates the day-night cycle. Even more, the [[dawn]] and [[sunset]] always take part at roughly the same points of the horizon, which helped to develop the [[cardinal direction]]s. The [[Moon]] was another body of immediate interest, because of its higher visual size. The [[Lunar phase]]s allowed to measure time in longer periods than those of days, and predict the duration of [[season]]s.<ref>Masip, pp. 15–16</ref>

Prehistoric beliefs about the structure and [[Cosmogony|origin]] of the universe were highly diverse, often rooted in [[religious cosmology]], and many are unrecorded. Many associated the [[classical planet]]s (these star-like points visible with the naked eye) with [[deities]], in part due to their puzzling [[Apparent retrograde motion|forward and retrograde]] motion against the otherwise [[fixed stars]], which gave them their nickname of "wanderer stars", πλάνητες ἀστέρες (''planētes asteres'') in Ancient Greek, from which today's word "[[planet]]" was derived.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/planet |title=Planet Etymology |website=dictionary.com |access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref>

Systematic astronomical observations were performed in many areas around the world, and started to inform cosmological knowledge, although they were mostly driven by [[Astrology|astrological]] purposes such as [[divination]] and/or [[omen]]s. Early historic civilizations in [[Egyptian astronomy|Egypt]], the [[Levant]], [[Pre-Socratic philosophy|pre-Socratic Greece]], [[Babylonian astronomy|Mesopotamia]], and [[ancient China]], recorded beliefs in a [[flat Earth]]. [[Vedic]] texts proposed a number of shapes, including a wheel (flat) and a bag (concave), though they likely promote a [[spherical Earth]], which they refer to as ''bhugol'' (or ''भूगोल'' in Hindi and Sanskrit), which literally translates to "spherical land".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Knudsen |first1=Toke Lindegaard |title=Three Purāṇic Statements on the Shape of the Earth |journal=History of Science in South Asia |volume=9 |pages=128–166 |year=2021 |url=https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/hssa/1900-v1-n1-hssa06024/1077082ar.pdf |doi=10.18732/hssa55}}</ref> Ancient models were typically [[geocentric]], putting the Earth at the center of the universe,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Early physics and astronomy. A historical introduction|last=Pedersen|first=Olaf|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1993|isbn=0-521-40340-5|location=Cambridge (UK)}}</ref> based solely in the common experience of seeing the skies slowly moving around above our heads, and by feeling the land under our feet to be firmly at rest. Some traditions in [[Chinese astronomy#Cosmology|Chinese cosmology]] proposed an outer surface to which planets and the Sun and Moon were attached; another proposed they were free-floating. All remaining stars were regarded as "[[Fixed stars|fixed]]" in the background.

One important discovery made at different times in different places is that the bright planet sometimes seen near the sunrise (called [[Phosphorus (morning star)|Phosphorus]] by the Greeks) and the bright planet sometimes seen near the sunset (called [[Hesperus]] by the Greeks) were actually the same planet, [[Venus]].<ref>See {{section link|Venus|Observation and exploration history}} for details.</ref>
[[File:Animated Hippopede of Eudoxus.gif|thumb|Animation depicting Eudoxus' model of retrograde planetary motion. The two innermost homocentric spheres of his model are represented as rings here, each turning with the same period but in opposite directions, moving the planet along a figure-eight, or [[hippopede]]]]
[[File:Ptolemaic elements.svg|thumb|The basic elements of Ptolemaic astronomy, showing a planet on an epicycle (smaller dashed circle), a deferent (larger dashed circle), the eccentric (×) and an [[equant]] (•).]]
Though unclear if motivated by empirical observations, the concept of a [[spherical Earth]] apparently first gained intellectual dominance in the [[Pythagorean school]] in Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC.<ref>See [[History of geodesy]] for more details.</ref> Meanwhile, the [[Pythagorean astronomical system]] proposed the Earth and Sun and a [[counter-Earth]] rotate around an unseen "Central Fire".  Influenced by Pythagoran thinking and [[Plato]], philosophers [[Eudoxus of Cnidus|Eudoxus]], [[Callippus]], and [[Aristotle]] all developed models of the solar system based on [[concentric spheres]]. These required more than one sphere per planet in order to account for the complicated curves they traced across the sky. [[Aristotelian physics]] used the Earth's place at the center of the universe along with the theory of [[classical element]]s to explain phenomena such as falling rocks and rising flames; objects in the sky were theorized to be composed of a unique element called [[Aether (classical element)|aether]].

A later geocentric [[Ptolemaic model|model developed by Ptolemy]] attached smaller spheres to a smaller number of large spheres to explain the complex motions of the planets, a device known as [[deferent and epicycle]] first developed by [[Apollonius of Perga]]. Published in the ''[[Almagest]]'', this model of [[celestial spheres]] surrounding a spherical Earth was reasonably accurate and predictive,<ref name="Masip">Masip, pp. 16–19</ref> and became dominant among educated people in various cultures, spreading from Ancient Greece to Ancient Rome, Christian Europe, the Islamic world, South Asia, and China via inheritance and copying of texts, conquest, trade, and missionaries. It remained in widespread use until the 16th century.<ref name="Masip">Masip, pp. 16–19</ref>

Various astronomers, especially those who had access to more precise {{citation needed|date=April 2024}} observations, were skeptical of the geocentric model and proposed alternatives, including the [[heliocentric]] theory  where the planets and the Earth orbit the Sun. Many proposals did not diffuse outside the local culture, or did not become locally dominant. [[Aristarchus of Samos]] had speculated about heliocentrism in [[Ancient Greece]]; [[Martianus Capella]] taught in the early [[Middle Ages]] that both Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun, while the Moon, the Sun and the other planets orbit the Earth;<ref>Bruce S. Eastwood, ''Ordering the Heavens: Roman Astronomy and Cosmology in the Carolingian Renaissance'' (Leiden: Brill, 2007), pp. 238–239.</ref> in [[Al-Andalus]], [[Arzachel]] proposed that Mercury orbits the Sun, and [[Geocentric model#Persian and Arab astronomy and geocentrism|heliocentric astronomers worked in the Maragha school]] in Persia. [[Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics|Kerala]]-based astronomer [[Nilakantha Somayaji]] proposed a geoheliocentric system, in which the planets circled the Sun while the Sun, Moon and stars orbited the Earth.

Finally, Polish astronomer [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] developed in full a system called [[Copernican heliocentrism]], in which the planets and the Earth orbit the Sun, and the Moon orbits the Earth. Though the by-then-late Copernicus' theory was known to Danish astronomer [[Tycho Brahe]], he did not accept it, and proposed his own geoheliocentric [[Tychonic system]]. Brahe undertook a substantial series of more accurate observations. German natural philosopher [[Johannes Kepler]] at first worked to combine Copernican system with [[Platonic solid]]s in line with his interpretation of Christianity and an ancient musical resonance theory known as ''[[Musica universalis]]''. After becoming an assistant for Brahe, Kepler inherited the observations and was directed to mathematically analyze the orbit of Mars. After many failed attempts, he eventually made the groundbreaking discovery that the planets moved around the Sun in [[ellipse]]s. He formulated and published what are now known as [[Kepler's laws of planetary motion]] from 1609 to 1619. This became the dominant model among astronomers, though as with [[Dynamics of the celestial spheres|celestial sphere models]], the physical mechanism by which this motion occurred was somewhat mysterious and theories abounded.

It took some time for the new theories to diffuse across the world. For example, with the [[Age of Discovery]] already well underway, [[Colonial American Astronomy|astronomical thought in America]] was based on the older Greek theories,<ref>{{Citation|last=Brasch|first=Frederick|author-link=Frederick Edward Brasch|title=The Royal Society of London and its Influence upon Scientific Thought in the American Colonies|journal=The Scientific Monthly|date=October 1931|volume=33|issue=4|pages=338|postscript=.}}</ref> but newer western European ideas began to appear in writings by 1659.<ref>{{Citation|last=Morison|first=Samuel Eliot|title=The Harvard School of Astronomy in the Seventeenth Century|journal=The New England Quarterly|date=March 1934|volume=7|issue=1|pages=3–24|postscript=.|doi=10.2307/359264|jstor=359264}}</ref>

==Telescopic observations==
{{See also|Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their moons}}
[[File:Newton telescope replica 1668.jpg|thumb|A replica of Isaac Newton's telescope.]]

===Early telescopic discoveries===
{{See also|Scientific Revolution}}
The invention of the [[telescope]] revolutionized astronomy, making it possible to see details about the Sun, Moon, and planets not available to the naked eye. It appeared around 1608 in the Netherlands, and was quickly adopted among European enthusiasts and astronomers to study the skies.

Italian polymath [[Galileo Galilei]] was an early user and made prolific discoveries, including the [[phases of Venus]], which definitively disproved the arrangement of spheres in the Ptolemaic system.
Galileo also discovered that the [[Moon]] was cratered, that the Sun was marked with [[sunspot]]s, and that Jupiter had [[Galilean moons|four satellites]] in orbit around it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) |author=Eric W. Weisstein |work=Wolfram Research |year=2006 |url=http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Galileo.html |access-date=2010-10-27}}</ref> [[Christiaan Huygens]] followed on from Galileo's discoveries by discovering Saturn's moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] and the shape of the [[rings of Saturn]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Discoverer of Titan: Christiaan Huygens |work=ESA Space Science |year=2005 |url=http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMJRT57ESD_index_0.html |access-date=2010-10-27}}</ref> [[Giovanni Domenico Cassini]] later discovered four more [[Sidera Lodoicea|moons of Saturn]] and the [[Rings of Saturn#Cassini Division|Cassini division]] in Saturn's rings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Giovanni Domenico Cassini (June 8, 1625–September 14, 1712) |work=SEDS.org |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/Bios/cassini.html |access-date=2006-11-08}}</ref>

[[File:Mercury transit 2.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Sun]] photographed through a telescope with special solar filter. [[Sunspot]]s and [[limb darkening]] can be clearly seen. Mercury is transiting in the lower middle of the Sun's face.]]

Around 1677, [[Edmond Halley]] observed a [[transit of Mercury]] across the Sun, leading him to realise that observations of the [[solar parallax]] of a planet (more ideally using the [[transit of Venus]]) could be used to [[Trigonometry|trigonometrically]] determine the distances between Earth, [[Venus]], and the Sun.<ref>Jeremiah Horrocks, William Crabtree, and the Lancashire observations of the transit of Venus of 1639, Allan Chapman 2004 Cambridge University Press {{doi|10.1017/S1743921305001225}}</ref> In 1705, Halley realised that repeated sightings of [[Halley's Comet|a comet]] were recording the same object, returning regularly once every 75–76 years. This was the first evidence that anything other than the planets orbited the Sun,<ref>{{cite web |title=Comet Halley |work=University of Tennessee |url=http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/comets/halley.html |access-date=2006-12-27}}</ref> though this had been theorized about comets in the 1st century by [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sagan|first1=Carl|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LhkoowKFaTsC|title=Comet|last2=Druyan|first2=Ann|publisher=Random House|year=1997|isbn=978-0-3078-0105-0|location=New York|pages=26–27, 37–38|author-link1=Carl Sagan|author-link2=Ann Druyan|name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Around 1704, the term "Solar System" first appeared in English.<ref>{{cite web |title=Etymonline: Solar System |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=solar+system&searchmode=none |access-date=2008-01-24}}</ref>

===Newtonian physics===

English astronomer and mathematician [[Isaac Newton]], incidentally building on recent scientific inquiries into the speed at which objects fall, was inspired by claims by rival [[Robert Hooke]] of a proof of Kepler's laws. Newton was able to explain the motions of the planets by hypothesizing a force of [[gravity]] acting between all solar system objects in proportion to their mass and an [[inverse-square law]] for distance - [[Newton's law of universal gravitation]]. Newton's 1687 ''[[Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica]]'' explained this along with [[Newton's laws of motion]], for the first time providing a unified explanation for astronomical and terrestrial phenomena. These concepts became the basis of [[classical mechanics]], which enabled future advancements in many fields of [[physics]].

===Discovery of additional planets and moons===
The telescope made it possible for the first time to detect objects not visible to the naked eye. This took some time to accomplish, due to various logistical considerations such as the low magnification power of early equipment, the small area of the sky covered in any given observation, and the work involved in comparing multiple observations over different nights.

In 1781, [[William Herschel]] was looking for [[binary star]]s in the constellation of [[Taurus (constellation)|Taurus]] when he observed what he thought was a new comet. Its orbit revealed that it was a new planet, [[Uranus]], the first ever discovered telescopically.<ref>{{cite web |title=Herschel, Sir William (1738–1822) |work=enotes.com |url=http://science.enotes.com/earth-science/herschel-sir-william |access-date=2006-11-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509151843/http://science.enotes.com/earth-science/herschel-sir-william |archive-date=2006-05-09 }}</ref>

[[Giuseppe Piazzi]] discovered [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]] in 1801, a small world between Mars and Jupiter. It was considered another planet, but after subsequent discoveries of other small worlds in the same region, it and the others were eventually reclassified as [[asteroid]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Discovery of Ceres: 2nd Centenary, January 1, 1801–January 1, 2001 |work=astropa.unipa.it |year=2000 |url=http://www.astropa.unipa.it/Asteroids2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012134002/http://www.astropa.unipa.it/Asteroids2001 |access-date=2006-10-12|archive-date=2006-10-12 }}</ref>

By 1846, discrepancies in the orbit of Uranus led many to suspect a large planet must be tugging at it from farther out. [[John Couch Adams|John Adams]] and [[Urbain Le Verrier]]'s calculations eventually led to the discovery of [[Neptune]].<ref name="Planets">{{cite web |title=Mathematical discovery of planets |author=J. J. O'Connor |author2=E. F. Robertson |name-list-style=amp |work=St. Andrews University |year=1996 |url=http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Neptune_and_Pluto.html |access-date=2006-11-08 |archive-date=2015-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612235826/http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Neptune_and_Pluto.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The excess perihelion precession of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]'s orbit led Le Verrier to postulate the intra-Mercurian planet [[Vulcan (hypothetical planet)|Vulcan]] in 1859, but that would turn out not to exist: the excess perihelion precession was finally explained by Einstein's [[general relativity]], which displaced Newton's theory as the most accurate description of gravity on large scales.

Eventually, new moons were discovered also [[Moons of Uranus|around Uranus]] starting in 1787 by Herschel,<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1098/rstl.1787.0016| last=Herschel |first=W. S.|title=An Account of the Discovery of Two Satellites Revolving Round the Georgian Planet |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London |volume=77 |pages=125–129 |year=1787| jstor=106717 |doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Moons of Neptune|around Neptune]] starting in 1846 by [[William Lassell]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lassell |first=W. |title= Discovery of supposed ring and satellite of Neptune|year=1846 |journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]] |volume=7 |issue=9 | page=157 |bibcode=1846MNRAS...7..157L |doi=10.1093/mnras/7.9.154 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and [[Moons of Mars|around Mars]] in 1877 by [[Asaph Hall]].<ref>{{cite journal|bibcode=1877AN.....91...11H|title=Observations of the Satellites of Mars|last1=Hall|first1=Asaph|journal=Astronomische Nachrichten|volume=91|issue=1|pages=11–14|year=1877|doi=10.1002/asna.18780910103|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1424707|access-date=1 July 2021|archive-date=1 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001044436/https://zenodo.org/record/1424707|url-status=live}}</ref>

Further apparent discrepancies in the orbits of the outer planets led [[Percival Lowell]] to conclude that yet another planet, "[[Planet X]]", must lie beyond Neptune. After his death, his [[Lowell Observatory]] conducted a search that ultimately led to [[Clyde Tombaugh]]'s discovery of [[Pluto]] in 1930. Pluto was, however, found to be too small to have disrupted the orbits of the outer planets, and its discovery was therefore coincidental. Like Ceres, it was initially considered to be a planet, but after the discovery of many other similarly sized objects in its vicinity it was reclassified in 2006 as a [[dwarf planet]] by the IAU.<ref name="Planets"/>

===More technical improvements===
In 1668 [[Isaac Newton]] builds [[Newton's reflector|his own]] [[reflecting telescope]], the first fully functional of this kind, and a landmark for future developments as it reduces [[spherical aberration]] with no [[chromatic aberration]].<ref>{{cite book|author=A. Rupert Hall|title=Isaac Newton: Adventurer in Thought|url=https://archive.org/details/isaacnewtonadven0000hall|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-56669-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/isaacnewtonadven0000hall/page/67 67]}}</ref> Today, most powerful telescopes in the world are of that type.

[[File:1851 07 28 Berkowski.jpg|thumb|The first solar eclipse photograph was taken on July 28, 1851, by a daguerrotypist named Berkowski.]]
In 1840 [[John W. Draper]] takes a [[daguerreotype]] of the Moon, the first astronomical photograph.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kalfus|first1=Skye|title=Across the Spectrum|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/across-the-spectrum|journal=Chemical Heritage Magazine|publisher=[[Chemical Heritage Foundation]]|date=2010|volume=28|issue=2|access-date=23 March 2018|archive-date=24 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324102519/https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/across-the-spectrum|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since then, [[astrophotography]] is a key tool in the observational studies of the skies.

[[Spectroscopy]] is a method that permits to study materials by means of the light they emit,<ref>{{cite book |author=Crouch, Stanley |author2=Skoog, Douglas A. |title=Principles of instrumental analysis |publisher=Thomson Brooks/Cole |location=Australia |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-495-01201-6}}</ref> [[History of spectroscopy|developed]] around 1835–1860 by [[Charles Wheatstone]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS: 1802–1875 |edition=2nd |author=Brian Bowers |publisher=IET |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-85296-103-2 |pages=207–208 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m65tKWiI-MkC&q=Wheatstone+spectrum+analysis+metals&pg=PA208}}</ref> [[Léon Foucault]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Foucault |first1=L. |title=Lumière électrique |trans-title=Electric light |language=fr |journal=Société Philomatique de Paris. Extraits des Procès-Verbaux de Séances. |date=1849 |pages=16–20 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/98244#page/106/mode/1up}}</ref> [[Anders Jonas Ångström]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ångström |first1=A.J. |title=Optische Untersuchungen |journal=Annalen der Physik und Chemie |date=1855a |volume=94 |pages=141–165 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4433632;view=1up;seq=161 |trans-title=Optical investigations |language=de}}</ref> and others. [[Robert Bunsen]] and [[Gustav Kirchhoff]] further develop the [[spectroscope]], which they used to pioneer the identification of the [[chemical element]]s in Earth, and also in the Sun.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Kirchhoff, Gustav Robert |short=x |noicon=x|quote=[...] to him belongs the merit of having [...] enunciated a complete account of its theory, and of thus having firmly established it as a means by which the chemical constituents of celestial bodies can be discovered through the comparison of their spectra with those of the various elements that exist on this earth.}}</ref> Around 1862 Father [[Angelo Secchi]] developed the [[Astronomical spectroscopy|heliospectrograph]], enabling him to study both the Sun and the stars, and identifying them as things intrinsically of the same kind.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Angelo Secchi|first= J.|last= Pohle |quote=[...][his] theory of the unity of the world and of the identity of the fixed stars and the sun received most profound scientific demonstration and confirmation.}}</ref> In 1868 [[Jules Janssen]] and [[Norman Lockyer]] discovered a new element in the Sun unknown on Earth, [[helium]], which currently comprises 23.8% of the mass in the solar [[photosphere]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Thomson, William |date=August 3, 1871 |title=Inaugural Address of Sir William Thomson| journal=Nature |volume=4 |issue=92 |pages=261–278 [268] |bibcode=1871Natur...4..261. |doi=10.1038/004261a0 |pmc=2070380 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IogCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA268 |quote=Frankland and Lockyer find the yellow prominences to give a very decided bright line not far from D, but hitherto not identified with any terrestrial flame. It seems to indicate a new substance, which they propose to call Helium}}</ref> As of today, spectroscopes are an important tool to know about the chemical composition of the celestial bodies.

By the mid-20th century, new important technologies for [[remote sensing]] and observation arose, as [[Radar astronomy|radar]], [[radio astronomy]] and [[astronautics]].

===Discovery of the solar system as one among many===
{{See also|Fixed stars}}
In ancient times, there was a common belief in the so-called "sphere of [[fixed stars]]", a giant dome-like structure or [[firmament]] centered on Earth which acted as the confinement of the whole [[universe]], its edge, rotating daily around. Since [[Ancient Greek astronomy|Hellenistic astronomy]] and through the [[Middle Ages]], the estimated radius of such sphere was becoming increasingly large, up to inconceivable distances. But by the European [[Renaissance]], the possibility that such a huge sphere could complete a single revolution of 360° around the Earth in only 24 hours was deemed improbable,<ref name="Gilbert_DeMagnete">{{cite book |last=Gilbert |first=William |title=De Magnete |url=https://archive.org/details/williamgilbertof00gilb |translator-last=Mottelay |translator-first=P. Fleury |date=1893 |chapter=Book 6, Chapter III|publisher=Dover Publications |location=New York |isbn = 0-486-26761-X|others=(Facsimile)}}</ref> and this point was one of the arguments of [[Nicholas Copernicus]] for leaving behind the centuries-old geocentric model.

In the sixteenth century, a number of writers inspired by Copernicus, such as [[Thomas Digges]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Scientific Revolution: The Essential Readings|volume=7|series=Blackwell Essential Readings in History|editor-first=Marcus|editor-last=Hellyer|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|date=2008|isbn=9780470754771|page=63|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1VhC63yV-WgC&pg=PA63|quotation=The Puritan Thomas Digges (1546–1595?) was the earliest Englishman to offer a defense of the Copernican theory. ... Accompanying Digges's account is a diagram of the universe portraying the heliocentric system surrounded by the orb of fixed stars, described by Digges as infinitely extended in all dimensions.}}</ref> [[Giordano Bruno]]<ref name="thirddialogue">{{cite book |last=Bruno |first=Giordano |title=On the infinite universe and worlds |chapter=Third Dialogue |chapter-url=http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/brunoiuw3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427091405/http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/brunoiuw3.htm |archive-date=27 April 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> and [[William Gilbert (astronomer)|William Gilbert]]<ref name="Gilbert_DeMagnete"/> argued for an indefinitely extended or even infinite universe, with other stars as distant suns, paving the way to deprecate the Aristotelian sphere of the fixed stars.

When [[Galileo Galilei]] examined the skies and constellations through a [[telescope]], he concluded that the "fixed stars" which had been studied and mapped were only a tiny portion of the massive universe that lay beyond the reach of the naked eye.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Planetary astronomy from the Renaissance to the rise of astrophysics|author1=Taton, René |author2=Wilson, Curtis |date=1989|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-24254-1|oclc=769917781}}</ref> He also aimed his telescope to the faint strip of the [[Milky Way]], and he found it resolves into countless white star-like spots, presumably farther stars themselves.<ref>Galileo Galilei, ''Sidereus Nuncius'' (Venice, (Italy): Thomas Baglioni, 1610), [https://archive.org/stream/Sidereusnuncius00Gali#page/n37/mode/2up pages 15 and 16.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316173644/https://archive.org/stream/Sidereusnuncius00Gali |date=March 16, 2016 }}<br />
English translation: Galileo Galilei with Edward Stafford Carlos, trans., ''The Sidereal Messenger'' (London: Rivingtons, 1880), [https://archive.org/stream/siderealmessenge80gali#page/42/mode/2up/ pages 42 and 43.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202215542/https://archive.org/stream/siderealmessenge80gali |date=December 2, 2012 }}</ref>

The term "Solar System" entered the English language by 1704, when [[John Locke]] used it to refer to the Sun, planets, and comets as a whole.<ref>{{cite web | title=solar (adj.) | website=Online Etymology Dictionary | url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/solar | access-date=2 May 2022 | archive-date=18 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318002833/https://www.etymonline.com/word/solar | url-status=live }}</ref> By then it had been stablished beyond doubt that planets are other worlds, then the stars would be other distant suns, so the whole Solar System is actually only a small part of an immensely large universe, and definitively something distinct.

Although it is debatable when the Solar System as such was truly "discovered", three 19th century observations determined its nature and place in the Universe beyond reasonable doubt. First, by 1835–1838, [[Thomas Henderson (astronomer)|Thomas Henderson]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Henderson|first=Thomas|date=1839|title=On the Parallax of α Centauri|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|volume=4|issue=19 |pages=168–170|doi=10.1093/mnras/4.19.168 |bibcode=1839MNRAS...4..168H|doi-access=free}}</ref> and [[Friedrich Bessel]]<ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1093/mnras/4.17.152| last = Bessel | first = F. W. | author-link = Friedrich Bessel| title = On the parallax of 61 Cygni| journal = Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society| volume = 4| issue = 17| pages = 152–161| year = 1838b| bibcode = 1838MNRAS...4..152B| doi-access = free}}</ref> successfully measured two [[stellar parallax]], an apparent shift in the position of a nearby star created by Earth's motion around the Sun. This was not only a direct, experimental proof of heliocentrism ([[James Bradley]] already did it in 1729 when he discovered the cause of the [[aberration of starlight]] is the Earth's motion around the Sun),<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bradley |first=James |title=A Letter from the Reverend Mr. James Bradley Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, and F.R.S. to Dr.Edmond Halley Astronom. Reg. &c. Giving an Account of a New Discovered Motion of the Fix'd Stars. |date=1727–1728 |doi = 10.1098/rstl.1727.0064 |journal=Phil. Trans. R. Soc. |volume=35 |issue=406 |pages=637–661|bibcode=1727RSPT...35..637B|doi-access=free}}</ref> but also accurately revealed, for the first time, the vast distance between the Solar System and the closest stars. Then, in 1859, [[Robert Bunsen]] and [[Gustav Kirchhoff]], using the newly invented [[spectroscope]], examined the spectral signature of the Sun and discovered that it was composed of the same elements as existed on Earth, establishing for the first time a physical similarity between Earth and the other bodies visible from Earth.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spectroscopy and the Birth of Astrophysics|work=Center for History of Physics, a Division of the American Institute of Physics|url=http://www.aip.org/history/cosmology/tools/tools-spectroscopy.htm|access-date=2008-04-30|archive-date=2015-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907133751/https://www.aip.org/history/cosmology/tools/tools-spectroscopy.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Then, Father [[Angelo Secchi]] compared the spectral signature of the Sun with those of other stars, and found them virtually identical.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The realisation that the Sun is a star led to a scientifically updated hypothesis that other stars could have planetary systems of their own, though this was not to be proven for nearly 140 years.

[[Observational cosmology]] began with attempts by [[William Herschel]] to describe the shape of the then known universe. In 1785, he proposed the [[Milky Way]] was a disk, but assumed the Sun was at the center. This heliocentric theory was overturned by [[galactocentrism]] in the 1910s, after more observations by [[Harlow Shapley]] placed the [[Galactic Center]] relatively far away.

===Extrasolar planets and the Kuiper belt===
In 1992, the first evidence of a [[planetary system]] other than our own was discovered, orbiting the [[pulsar]] [[PSR B1257+12]]. Three years later, [[51 Pegasi b]], the first [[extrasolar planet]] around a Sunlike star, was discovered. NASA announced in March 2022 that the number of discovered exoplanets reached 5,000, of several types and sizes.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cosmic-milestone-nasa-confirms-5000-exoplanets|title= Cosmic Milestone: NASA Confirms 5,000 Exoplanets|author= |date= March 21, 2022|publisher= NASA|accessdate=April 5, 2022}}</ref>

Also in 1992, astronomers [[David C. Jewitt]] of the [[University of Hawaii]] and [[Jane Luu]] of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] discovered [[15760 Albion|Albion]]. This object proved to be the first of a new population, which became known as the [[Kuiper belt]]; an icy analogue to the asteroid belt of which such objects as [[Pluto]] and [[Charon]] were deemed a part, the Kuiper belt objects (KBO).<ref>{{cite journal |title=Kuiper Belt Objects: Relics from the Accretion Disk of the Sun |author=Jane X. Luu |author2=David C. Jewitt |name-list-style=amp |journal= Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics|year=2002 |volume=40 |pages=63–101 |doi=10.1146/annurev.astro.40.060401.093818 |bibcode=2002ARA&A..40...63L |url=http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.astro.40.060401.093818 |access-date=2006-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=List of Trans-Neptunian Objects |author=Minor Planet Center |author-link=Minor Planet Center |url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/lists/TNOs.html |access-date=2010-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20101027133511/http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/lists/TNOs.html |archive-date=2010-10-27 }}</ref>

Teams by [[Michael E. Brown|Mike Brown]], [[Chad Trujillo]] and [[David L. Rabinowitz|David Rabinowitz]] discovered the [[trans-Neptunian object]]s (TNO) [[50000 Quaoar|Quaoar]] in 2002,<ref>{{cite web |title=50000 Quaoar (2002 LM60) |publisher=International Astronomical Union |work=Minor Planet Center |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=50000 |access-date=30 November 2017}}</ref> [[90377 Sedna|Sedna]] in 2003,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Discovery of a Candidate Inner Oort Cloud Planetoid |author=Mike Brown |author2=David Rabinowitz |author3=Chad Trujillo |journal=Astrophysical Journal |bibcode=2004ApJ...617..645B |year=2004 |volume=617 |pages=645–649 |issue=1 |arxiv=astro-ph/0404456 |doi=10.1086/422095 |s2cid=7738201}}</ref> [[90482 Orcus|Orcus]] and [[Haumea]] in 2004<ref>{{cite web |title=90482 Orcus (2004 DW) |work=Minor Planet Center |url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=90482 |access-date=3 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author= Michael E Brown |url=http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/ortiz/|title=The electronic trail of the discovery of 2003&nbsp;EL<sub>61</sub> |work=Caltech |access-date=2006-08-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901181611/http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/ortiz/ |archive-date=2006-09-01}}</ref> and [[Makemake]] in 2005,<ref>{{cite web |type=2019-05-12 last obs |title=JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 136472 Makemake ({{mp|2005 FY|9}}) |work=NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=136472 |access-date=2020-02-20}}</ref> part of the most notable KBOs, some now regarded as [[dwarf planet]]s. Also in 2005 they announced the discovery of [[Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris]], a [[scattered disc]] object initially thought to be larger than Pluto, which would make it the largest object discovered in orbit around the Sun since Neptune.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eris (2003 UB313) |work=Solstation.com |year=2006 |url=http://www.solstation.com/stars/ub313.htm |access-date=2010-10-27}}</ref> ''[[New Horizons]]''{{'}} fly-by of [[Pluto]] in July 2015 resulted in more-accurate measurements of Pluto, which is slightly larger, though less massive, than Eris.

==Observations by radar==
{{main|Radar astronomy}}
[[File:Venus map with labels.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A map of Venus produced from ''Magellan'' radar data]]
[[File:Toutatis.jpg|thumb|200px|Radar image of asteroid [[4179 Toutatis]].]]
[[Radar astronomy]] is the technique for observing nearby [[astronomical object]]s by reflecting [[radio wave]]s or [[microwave]]s off target objects and analyzing their reflections, which provide information about the shapes and surface properties of solid bodies, unavailable by other means. Radar can also accurately measure the position and track the movement of such bodies, specially when they are small, as comets and asteroids, as well as to determine distances between objects in the Solar System. In certain cases [[radar imaging]] has produced images with up to 7.5-meter resolution.

The [[Moon]] is comparatively close and was studied by radar soon after the invention of the technique in 1946,<ref>{{cite journal |first=Jack |last=Mofensen |url=http://www.eagle.ca/~harry/ba/eme/index.htm |title=Radar echoes from the moon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029000712/http://www.eagle.ca/~harry/ba/eme/index.htm |archive-date=2008-10-29 |journal=Electronics |volume=19 |pages=92–98 |date=April 1946}}</ref> mainly precise measurements of its distance and its surface roughness.

Other bodies that have been observed by this means include:
* [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] – Improved value for the distance from the Earth observed (test of theory of [[General relativity]]).<ref>{{cite journal | last=Shapiro | first= I. I. | date= December 28, 1964| title=Fourth test of general relativity| journal=Physical Review Letters| volume = 13 | issue = 26 | pages=789–791 | doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.13.789 | bibcode=1964PhRvL..13..789S}}</ref> Rotational period, [[libration]], surface mapping, study of polar regions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Slade |first1=Martin A. |last2=Butler |first2=Bryan J. |last3=Muhleman |first3=Duane O |date=1992 |title=Mercury radar imaging – Evidence for polar ice |journal=Science |volume=258 |issue=5082 |pages=635–640 |bibcode=1992Sci...258..635S |doi=10.1126/science.258.5082.635 |pmid=17748898 |s2cid=34009087}}</ref>
* [[Venus]] – First radar detection in 1961. Measurement of the size of the [[astronomical unit]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4218/sp4218.htm |title=NASA SP-4218: To See the Unseen – A History of Planetary Radar Astronomy |chapter=Chapter 2: Fickle Venus |chapter-url=http://history.nasa.gov:80/SP-4218/ch2.htm |first=Andrew J. |last=Butrica |publisher = NASA | date=1996 |access-date=2008-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823124845/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4218/sp4218.htm |archive-date=2007-08-23 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rotation period, gross surface properties. The ''[[Magellan probe|Magellan]]'' mission mapped the entire planet using a [[radar altimeter]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1989-033B |title= Magellan |publisher= NASA / National Space Science Data Center |access-date=February 21, 2011}}</ref> a task that cannot be made by optical means due to the [[Venus's atmosphere|opaque atmosphere of this planet]].
* [[Earth]] – Numerous airborne and spacecraft radars have mapped the entire planet, for various purposes. One example is the [[Shuttle Radar Topography Mission]], which mapped large parts of the surface of Earth at 30 m resolution.<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Version 3.0 Global 1 arc second Data Released over Asia and Australia Version 1.0|url=https://earthdata.nasa.gov/nasa-shuttle-radar-topography-mission-srtm-version-3-0-global-1-arc-second-data-released-over-asia-and-australia|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513032841/https://earthdata.nasa.gov/nasa-shuttle-radar-topography-mission-srtm-version-3-0-global-1-arc-second-data-released-over-asia-and-australia|archive-date=2017-05-13}}</ref>
* [[Mars]] – Mapping of surface roughness from [[Arecibo Observatory]]. The ''[[Mars Express]]'' mission carries a [[ground-penetrating radar]].<ref>R. Orosei ''et al.,'' [https://www.academia.edu/2661769/Science_results_from_the_MARSIS_and_SHARAD_subsurface_sounding_radars_on_Mars_and_their_relevance_to_radar_sounding_of_icy_moons_in_the_Jovian_system "Science results from the MARSIS and SHARAD subsurface sounding radars on Mars and their relevance to radar sounding of icy moons in the Jovian system"], EPSC2010-726, European Planetary Science Congress 2010, Vol. 5 (accessed Nov. 17 2014)</ref>
* [[Jupiter]] system – Survey of moon [[Europa (moon)|Europa]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hobley |first1=Daniel E. J. |last2=Moore |first2=Jeffrey M. |last3=Howard |first3=Alan D. |last4=Umurhan |first4=Orkan M. |title=Formation of metre-scale bladed roughness on Europa's surface by ablation of ice |journal=Nature Geoscience |date=8 October 2018 |volume=11 |issue=12 |pages=901–904 |doi=10.1038/s41561-018-0235-0 |bibcode=2018NatGe..11..901H |s2cid=134294079 |url=http://orca.cf.ac.uk/115808/1/D%20Hobley%20Nature_PDF_15128_2_merged_1533721936.pdf |access-date=11 January 2020 |archive-date=31 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731024053/http://orca.cf.ac.uk/115808/1/D%20Hobley%20Nature_PDF_15128_2_merged_1533721936.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Saturn]] system – Rings and [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] from [[Arecibo Observatory]]. Mapping of Titan's surface and observations of other moons from the [[Cassini-Huygens|Cassini]] spacecraft.<ref>{{cite web|title=In Depth {{!}} Huygens|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/huygens/in-depth/|access-date=3 February 2022|website=[[NASA]]}}</ref> As Venus, Titan also possesses an opaque atmosphere.

By 2018, there have been radar observations of 138 [[Asteroid belt|main belt asteroid]]s, 789 [[near-Earth asteroid]]s, and 20 comets, including [[73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/|title = Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets|publisher = NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research|access-date = 2016-04-25}}</ref>

==Observations by spacecraft==
{{For timeline|Timeline of Solar System exploration}}
{{See also|Space technology|Space exploration}}

[[Image:europa g1 true.jpg|thumb|right|Lineae on Europa by ''Galileo'' spacecraft]]
[[File:Pioneer10-11.jpg|thumb|right|Artist's conception of ''[[Pioneer 10]]'', which passed the orbit of Pluto in 1983. The last transmission was received in January 2003, sent from approximately 82&nbsp;AU away. The {{Age in years|1972}}-year-old space probe is receding from the Sun at over 43,400&nbsp;km/h (27,000&nbsp;mph),<ref>{{cite web |author=Donald Savage |author2=Michael Mewhinney |date=2003-02-25 |url=http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=4618 |title=Farewell Pioneer 10 |publisher=NASA |access-date=2007-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129144204/http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=4618 |archive-date=2012-01-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

Since the start of the [[Space Age]], a great deal of exploration has been performed by [[robotic spacecraft]] missions that have been organized and executed by various space agencies.

All planets in the Solar System, plus their [[Planetary-mass moon|major moons]] along some [[asteroid]]s and [[comet]]s, have now been visited to varying degrees by spacecraft launched from Earth. Through these uncrewed missions, humans have been able to get close-up photographs of all the planets and, in the case of [[Lander (spacecraft)|landers]], perform tests of the soils and [[atmosphere]]s of some.

The first artificial object sent into space was the Soviet satellite ''[[Sputnik 1]]'', launched on 4 October 1957, which successfully orbited Earth until 4 January the following year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sputnik 1 |work=NASA |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1957-001B |access-date=2009-07-30}}</ref> The American probe ''[[Explorer 6]]'', launched in 1959, was the first satellite to image Earth from space.

===Flybys===
The first successful probe to fly by another Solar System body was ''[[Luna 1]]'', which sped past the Moon in 1959.  Originally meant to impact with the Moon, it instead missed its target and became the first artificial object to orbit the Sun.  ''[[Mariner 2]]'' was the first [[planetary flyby]], passing Venus in 1962.  The first successful flyby of Mars was made by ''[[Mariner 4]]'' in 1965. ''[[Mariner 10]]'' first passed Mercury in 1974.

The first probe to explore the outer planets was ''[[Pioneer 10]]'', which flew by Jupiter in 1973. ''[[Pioneer 11]]'' was the first to visit Saturn, in 1979. The [[Voyager program|Voyager]] probes performed a [[Grand Tour program|Grand Tour]] of the outer planets following their launch in 1977, with both probes passing Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980&ndash;1981. ''[[Voyager 2]]'' then went on to make close approaches to Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989. The two Voyager probes are now far beyond Neptune's orbit, and are on course to find and study the [[termination shock]], heliosheath, and [[Heliopause (astronomy)|heliopause]]. According to [[NASA]], both Voyager probes have encountered the termination shock at a distance of approximately 93&nbsp;AU from the Sun.<ref>{{cite web |year=2002 |title=Time Line of Space Exploration |author=Randy Culp |url=http://my.execpc.com/~culp/space/timeline.html |access-date=2006-07-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060828211027/http://my.execpc.com/~culp/space/timeline.html |archive-date=2006-08-28 }}</ref>

The first flyby of a comet occurred in 1985, when the ''[[International Cometary Explorer]]'' (ICE) passed by the comet [[21P/Giacobini–Zinner|Giacobini–Zinner]],<ref>[http://spider.seds.org/spider/Comets/c_missions.html Comet Space Missions], accessed 2007-10-23.</ref> whereas the first flybys of asteroids were conducted by the ''[[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]]'' space probe, which imaged both [[951 Gaspra]] (in 1991) and [[243 Ida]] (in 1993) on its way to [[Jupiter]].

Launched on January 19, 2006, the ''[[New Horizons]]'' probe is the first human-made spacecraft to explore the Kuiper belt. This uncrewed mission flew by Pluto in July 2015. The mission was extended to observe a number of other Kuiper belt objects, including a close flyby of [[486958 Arrokoth]] on New Year's Day, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |year=2006 |title=New Horizons NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission |url=http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ |access-date=2006-07-01}}</ref>

As of 2011, American scientists are concerned that exploration beyond the Asteroid Belt will hampered by a shortage of [[Plutonium-238]].{{update inline|date=August 2016}}<!-- Everyone seems to be talking about alternative propulsion tech now? -->

===Orbiters, landers, rovers and flying probes===
[[File:PIA16239 High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera.jpg|thumb|[[Curiosity rover|''Curiosity'' rover]] self-portrait at "[[Rocknest (Mars)|Rocknest]]" (October 31, 2012), with the rim of [[Gale Crater]] and the slopes of [[Aeolis Mons]] in the distance.]]

In 1966, the Moon became the first Solar System body beyond Earth to be orbited by an [[Satellite#History of artificial satellites|artificial satellite]] (''[[Luna 10]]''), followed by Mars in 1971 (''[[Mariner 9]]''), Venus in 1975 (''[[Venera 9]]''), Jupiter in 1995 (''[[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]]''), the asteroid [[433 Eros|Eros]] in 2000 (''[[NEAR Shoemaker]]''), Saturn in 2004 (''[[Cassini–Huygens]]''), and Mercury and [[4 Vesta|Vesta]] in 2011 (''[[MESSENGER]]'' and ''[[Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn]]'' respectively). ''Dawn'' was orbiting the asteroid–dwarf planet [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]] since 2015 and it is still there as of 2023, but it became inactive since 2018. In 2014 ''[[Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta]]'' spacecraft becomes the first comet orbiter, around [[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko|Churyumov–Gerasimenko]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Frequently_asked_questions |title=Rosetta's Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=European Space Agency |access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref>

The first probe to [[landings on other planets|land on another Solar System body]] was the [[Soviet space program|Soviet]] ''[[Luna 2]]'' probe, which impacted the Moon in 1959. Since then, increasingly distant planets have been reached, with probes landing on or impacting the surfaces of Venus in 1966 (''[[Venera 3]]''), Mars in 1971 (''[[Mars 3]]'', although a fully successful landing didn't occur until ''[[Viking 1]]'' in 1976), the asteroid [[433 Eros|Eros]] in 2001 (''[[NEAR Shoemaker]]''), Saturn's moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] in 2004 (''[[Huygens probe|Huygens]]''), the comets [[Tempel 1]] (''[[Deep Impact (spacecraft)|Deep Impact]]'') in 2005, and [[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko|Churyumov–Gerasimenko]] (''[[Philae (spacecraft)|Philae]]'') in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/philae-lands-three-times-111220143/ |title=Philae Lands on Its Comet – Three Times! |work=[[Sky & Telescope]] |first=Kelly |last=Beatty |date=12 November 2014 |access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref> The ''Galileo'' orbiter also dropped a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere in 1995, this was intended to descend as far as possible into the gas giant before being destroyed by heat and pressure.

{{As of|2022}}, three bodies in the Solar System, the Moon, Mars and [[162173 Ryugu|Ryugu]]<ref>{{cite news|publisher=The Planetary Society|url=https://www.planetary.org/articles/mascot-landing-on-ryugu-successful|first=Emily|last=Lakdawalla|date=5 October 2018|title=MASCOT landing on Ryugu a success}}</ref> have been visited by [[Rover (space exploration)|mobile rovers]]. The first robotic rover to visit another celestial body was the Soviet ''[[Lunokhod 1]]'', which landed on the Moon in 1970. The first to visit another planet was ''[[Sojourner (rover)|Sojourner]]'', which travelled 500 metres across the surface of Mars in 1997. The first flying probe on in Solar System was the [[Vega program#Balloon|Vega balloons]] in 1985, while first powered flight was undertook by ''[[Ingenuity (helicopter)|Ingenuity]]'' in 2020. The only crewed rover to visit another world was NASA's [[Lunar Roving Vehicle]], which traveled with Apollos [[Apollo 15|15]], [[Apollo 16|16]] and [[Apollo 17|17]] between 1971 and 1972.

In 2022, the [[Double Asteroid Redirection Test|DART]] [[Deliberate crash landings on extraterrestrial bodies|impactor crashed]] into [[Dimorphos]], the [[minor-planet moon]] of the asteroid [[65803 Didymos|Didymos]], with the explicit purpose of intentionally deviate (slightly) the orbit of a Solar System body for the first time ever, which it accomplished.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 September 2022 |title=NASA's DART Mission Hits Asteroid in First-Ever Planetary Defense Test |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

===Sample return===
{{See also|Moon rock|Sample-return mission|Meteorites|Cosmic dust}}
[[File:Lunar basalt 70017.jpg|thumb|A [[Lunar basalt 70017|Moon rock]] returned by [[Apollo 17]]]]
In some instances, both human and robotic explorers have taken physical samples of the visited bodies and return them back to Earth. Other extraterrestrial materials came to Earth naturally, as [[meteorite]]s, or became stuck to [[artificial satellites]]; they are specimens which also allows studying Solar System matter.

*Moon (various missions including [[Apollo program|Apollo]], [[Luna programme|Luna]] and [[Chinese Lunar Exploration Program|Chang'e]]).
*Asteroid (''[[Hayabusa]] and [[Hayabusa2]]'').
*Comet dust (''[[Stardust (spacecraft)|Stardust]]'').
*Solar wind (''[[Genesis (spacecraft)|Genesis]]'').

===Spacecraft exploration===
Overview of some missions to the Solar System.
{| class="wikitable" style="float: left; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 1em;"
|+ Examples of missions
|-
! #
!Spacecraft
!Launch<br/> year
!Mercury
!Venus
!Mars
!Ceres
!Jupiter
!Saturn
!Uranus
!Neptune
!Pluto
!End <br/>year
|-
| 1
|''[[Venera 3]]''
|1965
|
|{{yes2|Crash landing}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1966
|-
| 2
|''[[Pioneer 10]]''
|1972
|
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
|
| 2003
|-
| 3
|''[[Pioneer 11]]''
|1973
|
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
| 1995
|-
| 4
|''[[Mariner 10]]''
|1973
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1975
|-
| 5
|''[[Voyager 1]]''
|1977
|
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 6
|''[[Voyager 2]]''
|1977
|
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|—
|-
| 7
|''[[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]]''
|1989
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
|2003
|-
| 8
|''[[Ulysses (spacecraft)|Ulysses]]''
|1990
|
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
|
|2009
|-
| 9
|''[[Cassini–Huygens|Cassini]]''
|1997
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|2017
|-
| 10
|''[[2001 Mars Odyssey|Mars Odyssey]]''
|2001
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 11
|''[[Spirit rover|MER-A]] / [[Opportunity rover|B]]''
|2003
|
|
|{{no result|Rovers}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2010 / 2018
|-
| 12
|''[[Mars Express]]''
|2003
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 13
|''[[MESSENGER]]''
|2004
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|2015
|-
| 14
|''[[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter|MRO]]''
|2005
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 15
|''[[Venus Express]]''
|2005
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
| 
|
|
|
|2014
|-
| 16
|''[[New Horizons]]''
|2006
|
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|
|
|
|{{yes|Flyby}}
|—
|-
| 17
| ''[[Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn]]''
|2007
|
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
| 
|2018
|-
| 18
|''[[Juno (spacecraft)|Juno]]''
|2011
|
|
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 19
|''[[Curiosity rover|Curiosity]]'' ([[Mars Science Laboratory|MSL]])
|2011
|
|
|{{no result|Rover}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 20
|''[[Tianwen-1]]''
|2020
|
|
|{{yes2|Orbiter}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 20
|''[[Zhurong (rover)|Zhurong]]''
|2020
|
|
|{{no result|Rover}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 21
|''[[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance]]'' ([[Mars 2020]])
|2020
|
|
|{{no result|Rover}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|-
| 21
|''[[Ingenuity (helicopter)|Ingenuity]]'' ([[Mars 2020]])
|2020
|
|
|{{no result|Flying probe}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|—
|}
{{Clear}}
See also the categories for missions to [[:Category:Missions to comets|comets]], [[:Category:Missions to asteroids|asteroids]], [[:Category:Missions to the Moon|the Moon]], and [[:Category:Missions to the Sun|the Sun]].

== Crewed exploration ==
[[File:Astronaut Owen Garriott Performs EVA During Skylab 3 - GPN-2002-000065.jpg|thumb|[[Owen Garriott]] on an Earth orbit EVA, 1973]]
The first human being to reach space (defined as an [[Kármán line|altitude of over 100 km]]) and to orbit Earth was [[Yuri Gagarin]], a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[cosmonaut]] who was launched in [[Vostok 1]] on April 12, 1961.  The first human to walk on the surface of another Solar System body was [[Neil Armstrong]], who stepped onto the [[Moon]] on July 21, 1969 during the [[Apollo 11]] mission; five more Moon landings occurred through 1972.  The United States' reusable [[Space Shuttle]] flew 135 missions between 1981 and 2011.  Two of the five shuttles were destroyed in accidents.

The first orbital [[space station]] to host more than one crew was [[NASA]]'s [[Skylab]], which successfully held three crews from 1973 to 1974.  True human settlement in space began with the Soviet space station [[Mir]], which was continuously occupied for close to ten years, from 1989 to 1999.  Its successor, the [[International Space Station]], has maintained a continuous human presence in space since 2001.  In 2004, U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] announced the [[Vision for Space Exploration]], which called for a replacement for the aging Shuttle, a return to the Moon and, ultimately, a crewed mission to Mars.
{{Further|Human spaceflight|Space exploration}}

== Exploration by country ==
{{see also|Timeline of first orbital launches by country}}
<small>'''Legend:'''<br>
☄ - orbit or flyby<ref>The LEO column only shows the country's launches on its own carrier rockets</ref></small><br>❏ <small>- Space observatory<br>
Ѫ - successful landing on an object<br>
⚗ - sample return<br>
⚘ - crewed mission<ref>The column only shows the country's launches on its own carrier rockets</ref><br>
ↂ - permanent inhabited space station</small><ref>only stations with at least one module built by the country in question are counted</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country !! [[Low Earth orbit|LEO]] !! Moon !! Mars !! Mars moons !! [[Small Solar System body|SSSBs]] !! Venus !! Mercury !! Outer Solar System
|-
! style="text-align:left;" | {{USA}}   
| [[Skylab|☄]][[Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2|❏]][[John Glenn|⚘]][[Skylab|ↂ]] || [[Pioneer 4|☄]][[Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph|❏]][[Surveyor 1|Ѫ]][[Apollo 11|⚗⚘]] || [[Mariner 4|☄]][[Viking 1|Ѫ]] || [[Mariner 6 and 7|☄]] || [[Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9|☄]][[NEAR Shoemaker|Ѫ]][[Stardust (spacecraft)|⚗]] || [[Pioneer Venus Orbiter|☄]][[Pioneer Venus Multiprobe|Ѫ]] || [[Mariner 10|☄]] || [[Pioneer 10|☄]]
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{USSR}}<ref>The USSR was [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolved]] at 26 December 1991. Russia, Ukraine and some other post-soviet countries inherited parts of its technological base</ref> 
| [[Sputnik 1|☄]][[Orion (space telescope)|❏]][[Yuri Gagarin|⚘]][[Salyut programme|ↂ]] || [[Luna 1|☄]][[Luna 9|Ѫ]][[Luna 16|⚗]] || [[Mars 2|☄]][[Mars 3|Ѫ]] || [[Phobos program|☄]] || [[Vega program|☄]] || [[Venera 1|☄]][[Venera 7|Ѫ]] ||  || 
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{PRC}} 
| [[Dong Fang Hong I|☄]][[Dark Matter Particle Explorer|❏]][[Yang Liwei|⚘]][[Tiangong-1|ↂ]] || [[Chang'e 1|☄]][[Chang'e 3|❏Ѫ]][[Chang'e 5|⚗]] || [[Tianwen-1|☄]][[Tianwen-1#Zhurong rover|Ѫ]] || || [[Chang'e 2|☄]] || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{RUS}}<small> (since 1992)</small>
| [[Kosmos 2175|☄]][[Mir|⚘ↂ]]|| || || || || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{JPN}} 
| [[Ohsumi (satellite)|☄]][[Hakucho|❏]][[Kibō (ISS module)|ↂ]] || [[Hiten (spacecraft)|☄]][[Smart Lander for Investigating Moon|Ѫ]] || || || [[Sakigake|☄]][[Hayabusa2|Ѫ]][[Hayabusa|⚗]] || [[Akatsuki (spacecraft)|☄]] || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |[[File:European_Space_Agency_logo.svg|23px]] [[European Space Agency|ESA]]<ref>The ESA entries also include achievements of individual ESA members</ref> 
| [[CAT-1|☄]][[Cos-B|❏]][[Columbus (ISS module)|ↂ]] || [[SMART-1|☄]] || [[Mars Express|☄]] || [[Mars Express|☄]] || [[Giotto (spacecraft)|☄]][[Rosetta (spacecraft)|Ѫ]] || [[Venus Express|☄]] || || [[Galileo (spacecraft)|☄]][[Cassini–Huygens|Ѫ]]
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{IND}} 
| [[Rohini (satellite)|☄]][[Astrosat|❏]]|| [[Chandrayaan-1|☄]][[Chandrayaan-3|Ѫ]]|| [[Mars Orbiter Mission|☄]] || || || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{ISR}} 
| [[Ofeq|☄]] || [[Beresheet|☄]] || || || || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{KOR}} 
| [[Nuri (rocket)|☄]] || [[Danuri|☄]] || || || || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{UAE}} 
| || || [[Emirates Mars Mission|☄]] || || || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{IRN}} 
| [[Omid|☄]] || || || || || || ||
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{UKR}}<small> (since 1992)</small>
| [[Sich-1|☄]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{PRK}} 
| [[Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3|☄]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |{{NZL}} 
| [[List of Electron launches|☄]] ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
|-
! style="text-align:left;" |Commercial 
| [[Northrop Grumman Pegasus|☄]][[SpaceX DM-2|⚘]] || [[PAS-22|☄]][[IM-1|Ѫ]]  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
|}

{{smalldiv|1=
'''Notes:'''
* Only successful or partially successful missions are counted; instruments on a spacecraft made by another country are not counted as a separate mission
* Clicking on the symbol opens an article describing the first successful mission in that category
}}

== Exploration survey ==
Bodies imaged up close:

<gallery perrow="6" heights="100" caption="Solar System, ordered by size" style="margin: 0 auto; text-align: center">
Sun white.jpg|[[Sun]]<br /> (star)
Jupiter and its shrunken Great Red Spot.jpg|[[Jupiter]]<br /> (planet)
Top view of the rings of Saturn by Cassini - October 10, 2013.jpg|[[Saturn]]<br /> (planet)
Uranus Voyager2 color calibrated.png|[[Uranus]]<br /> (planet)
Neptune Voyager2 color calibrated.png|[[Neptune]]<br /> (planet)
The Earth seen from Apollo 17.jpg|[[Earth]]<br /> (planet)
Venus_2_Approach_Image.jpg|[[Venus]]<br /> (planet)
Mars_-_August_30_2021_-_Flickr_-_Kevin_M._Gill.png|[[Mars]]<br /> (planet)
Ganymede_-_Perijove_34_Composite.png|[[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]]<br /> (moon of Jupiter)
Titan in true color.jpg|[[Titan (moon)|Titan]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Mercury in color - Prockter07-edit1.jpg|[[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]<br /> (planet)
Callisto_-_July_8_1979_(38926064465).jpg|[[Callisto (moon)|Callisto]]<br /> (moon of Jupiter)
Io highest resolution true color.jpg|[[Io (moon)|Io]]<br /> (moon of Jupiter)
FullMoon2010.jpg|[[Moon]]<br /> (moon of Earth)
Europa_in_natural_color.png|[[Europa (moon)|Europa]]<br /> (moon of Jupiter)
Triton moon mosaic Voyager 2 (large).jpg|[[Triton (moon)|Triton]]<br /> (moon of Neptune)
[[Triton (moon)|Triton]]<br /> (moon of Neptune)
Pluto in True Color - High-Res.jpg|[[Pluto]]<br /> (dwarf planet)
Titania (moon) color, edited.jpg|[[Titania (moon)|Titania]]<br /> (moon of Uranus)
PIA07763 Rhea full globe5.jpg|[[Rhea (moon)|Rhea]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Voyager 2 picture of Oberon.jpg|[[Oberon (moon)|Oberon]]<br /> (moon of Uranus)
Iapetus as seen by the Cassini probe - 20071008.jpg|[[Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Charon in True Color - High-Res.jpg|[[Charon (moon)|Charon]]<br /> (moon of Pluto)
PIA00040 Umbrielx2.47.jpg|[[Umbriel]]<br /> (moon of Uranus)
Ariel in monochrome.jpg|[[Ariel (moon)|Ariel]]<br /> (moon of Uranus)
Dione in natural light.jpg|[[Dione (moon)|Dione]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
PIA18317-SaturnMoon-Tethys-Cassini-20150411.jpg|[[Tethys (moon)|Tethys]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Ceres - RC3 - Haulani Crater (22381131691) (cropped).jpg|[[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]<br /> (dwarf planet)
Vesta_in_natural_color.jpg|[[4 Vesta|Vesta]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Potw1749a Pallas crop.png|[[2 Pallas|Pallas]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
PIA17202 - Approaching Enceladus.jpg|[[Enceladus]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Miranda - January 24 1986 (30906319004).jpg|[[Miranda (moon)|Miranda]]<br /> (moon of Uranus)
SPHERE image of Hygiea.jpg|[[10 Hygiea|Hygiea]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Proteus (Voyager 2).jpg|[[Proteus (moon)|Proteus]]<br /> (moon of Neptune)
Mimas Cassini.jpg|[[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Hyperion true.jpg|[[Hyperion (moon)|Hyperion]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Iris asteroid eso.jpg|[[7 Iris|Iris]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Phoebe cassini.jpg|[[Phoebe (moon)|Phoebe]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
PIA12714 Janus crop.jpg|[[Janus (moon)|Janus]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Amalthea (moon).png|[[Amalthea (moon)|Amalthea]]<br /> (moon of Jupiter)
PIA09813 Epimetheus S. polar region.jpg|[[Epimetheus (moon)|Epimetheus]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Thebe.jpg|[[Thebe (moon)|Thebe]]<br /> (moon of Jupiter)
Rosetta triumphs at asteroid Lutetia.jpg|[[21 Lutetia|Lutetia]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Prometheus 12-26-09a.jpg|[[Prometheus (moon)|Prometheus]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
PIA21055 - Pandora Up Close.jpg|[[Pandora (moon)|Pandora]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
(253) mathilde crop.jpg|[[253 Mathilde|Mathilde]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Hydra Enhanced Color.jpg|[[Hydra (moon)|Hydra]]<br /> (moon of Pluto)
Nix best view.jpg|[[Nix (moon)|Nix]]<br /> (moon of Pluto)
Leading hemisphere of Helene - 20110618.jpg|[[Helene (moon)|Helene]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
243 Ida large.jpg|[[243 Ida|Ida]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Atlas color PIA21449.png|[[Atlas (moon)|Atlas]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Pan color PIA21449.png|[[Pan (moon)|Pan]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Telesto cassini closeup.jpg|[[Telesto (moon)|Telesto]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
UltimaThule CA06 color 20190516.png|[[486958 Arrokoth|Arrokoth]]<br /> (Kuiper belt object)
Calypso N1644755236 1.jpg|[[Calypso (moon)|Calypso]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Phobos colour 2008.jpg|[[Phobos (moon)|Phobos]]<br /> (moon of Mars)
Eros - PIA02923 (color).jpg|[[433 Eros|Eros]]<br /> (near-Earth asteroid)
Deimos-MRO.jpg|[[Deimos (moon)|Deimos]]<br /> (moon of Mars)
951 Gaspra.jpg|[[951 Gaspra|Gaspra]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
PIA02127.jpg|[[Tempel 1]]<br /> (comet)
2867 Šteins by Rosetta (reprocessed).png|[[2867 Šteins|Šteins]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Daphnis (Saturn's Moon).jpg|[[Daphnis (moon)|Daphnis]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Comet Borrelly Nucleus.jpg|[[19P/Borrelly|Borrelly]]<br /> (comet)
Comet 67P on 19 September 2014 NavCam mosaic.jpg|[[67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko|Churyumov–<br />Gerasimenko]]<br /> (comet)
Wild2 3.jpg|[[81P/Wild|Wild 2]]<br /> (comet)
Asteroid 4179 Toutatis close-up.jpg|[[4179 Toutatis|Toutatis]]<br /> (near-Earth asteroid)
Methone PIA14633.jpg|[[Methone (moon)|Methone]]<br /> (moon of Saturn)
Comet Hartley 2 (super crop).jpg|[[103P/Hartley|Hartley 2]]<br /> (comet)
Dactyl-HiRes.jpg|[[243 Ida#Moon|Dactyl]]<br /> (moon of [[243 Ida|Ida]])
Ryugu colored.jpg|[[162173 Ryugu|Ryugu]]<br /> (near-Earth asteroid)
Dinkinesh First Look L'LORRI.png|[[152830 Dinkinesh|Dinkinesh]]<br /> (belt asteroid)
Didymos-only.png|[[65803 Didymos|Didymos]]<br /> (near-Earth asteroid)
Bennu mosaic OSIRIS-REx (square).png|[[101955 Bennu|Bennu]]<br /> (near-Earth asteroid)
Itokawa06 hayabusa.jpg|[[25143 Itokawa|Itokawa]]<br /> (near-Earth asteroid)
Stacked image of Dimorphos true orientation.jpg|[[Dimorphos]]<br /> (moon of Didymos)
</gallery>

Objects imaged only at low resolution:
:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="8"| Satellites
|-
! style="font-weight:normal" | [[Moons of Jupiter|Jupiter]]
! style="font-weight:normal" | [[Moons of Saturn|Saturn]]
! style="font-weight:normal" | [[Moons of Uranus|Uranus]]
! style="font-weight:normal" colspan="3" | [[Moons of Neptune|Neptune]]
! style="font-weight:normal" colspan="2" | [[Moons of Pluto|Pluto]]
|-
| width=100 | [[File:Metis.jpg|80px|center]][[Metis (moon)|Metis]]
| width=100 | [[File:Polydeuces.jpg|80px|center]][[Polydeuces (moon)|Polydeuces]]
| width=100 | [[File:Puck.png|80px|center]][[Puck (moon)|Puck]]
| width=100 | [[File:Nereid-Voyager2.jpg|80px|center]][[Nereid (moon)|Nereid]]
| width=100 | [[File:Despina.jpg|80px|center]][[Despina (moon)|Despina]]
| width=100 | [[File:Larissa 1.jpg|80px|center]][[Larissa (moon)|Larissa]]
| width=100 | [[File:Kerberos %28moon%29.jpg|80px|center]][[Kerberos (moon)|Kerberos]]
| width=100 | [[File:Styx %28moon%29.jpg|80px|center]][[Styx (moon)|Styx]]
|-
! colspan="6"| Selected asteroids, by number
! colspan="2"| Selected comets
|-
| [[File:3 Juno VLT (2021).png|80px|center]][[3 Juno|Juno]]
| [[File:6hebe.png|80px|center]][[6 Hebe|Hebe]]
| [[File:13 Egeria VLT %282021%29%2C deconvolved.pdf|80px|center]][[13 Egeria|Egeria]]
| [[File:15 Eunomia VLT %282021%29%2C deconvolved.pdf|80px|center]][[15 Eunomia|Eunomia]]
| [[File:Psyche VLT.png|80px|center]][[16 Psyche|Psyche]]
| [[File:Potw1749a Amphitrite crop.png|80px|center]][[29 Amphitrite|Amphitrite]]
| [[File:Comet Halley close up-cropped.jpg|80px|center]] [[Halley's Comet|Halley's]]
| [[File:Comet Hyakutake from Hubble.jpg|80px|center]][[Comet Hyakutake|Hyakutake]]
|-
| [[File:41 Daphne VLT %282021%29%2C deconvolved.pdf|80px|center]][[41 Daphne|Daphne]]
| [[File:Potw1749a Bamberga crop.png|80px|center]][[324 Bamberga|Bamberga]]
| [[File:511 Davida VLT %282021%29%2C deconvolved.pdf|80px|center]][[511 Davida|Davida]]
| [[File:704 Interamnia VLT %282021%29%2C deconvolved.pdf|80px|center]][[704 Interamnia|Interamnia]]
| [[File:Stardust - Annefrank.jpg|80px|center]][[5535 Annefrank|Annefrank]]
| [[File:PIA01345.jpg|80px|center]][[9969 Braille|Braille]]
| [[File:17pHolmes 071104 eder vga.jpg|80px|center]][[Comet Holmes|Holmes]]
| [[File:Comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner September 2018.jpg|80px|center]][[21P/Giacobini–Zinner|Giacobini–Zinner]]
|-
! colspan="8"| Trans-Neptunian objects (TNO), named and/or with radius above 200&nbsp;km, ordered by size
|-
| [[File:Eris and dysnomia2.jpg|80px|center]][[Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris]]
| [[File:Haumea Hubble.png|80px|center]][[Haumea]]
| [[File:Makemake and its moon.jpg|80px|center]][[Makemake]]
| [[File:225088 Gonggong and Xiangliu by Hubble (clean).png|80px|center]][[225088 Gonggong|Gonggong]]
| [[File:quaoar-weywot hst.jpg|80px|center]][[50000 Quaoar|Quaoar]]
| [[File:Sedna PRC2004-14d.jpg|80px|center]][[90377 Sedna|Sedna]]
| [[File:Orcus-vanth hst2.jpg|80px|center]][[90482 Orcus|Orcus]]
| [[File:Salacia Hubble.png|80px|center]][[120347 Salacia|Salacia]]
|-
| [[File:Varda-ilmare hst.jpg|80px|center]][[174567 Varda|Varda]]
| [[File:28978-ixion hst.jpg|80px|center]][[28978 Ixion|Ixion]]
| [[File:20000-varuna hst.jpg|80px|center]][[20000 Varuna|Varuna]]
| [[File:2007 UK126 Hubble %28crop%29.png|80px|center]][[229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà|Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà]]
| [[File:471143-dziewanna hst.jpg|80px|center]][[471143 Dziewanna|Dziewanna]]
| [[File:Huya Hubble.png|80px|center]][[38628 Huya|Huya]]
|
|
|}

See also the radar images at "[[Near-Earth object]]".

==See also==
* '''Astronomy'''
**[[Timeline of Solar System astronomy]]
**[[Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their moons]]
**[[List of former planets]]
**[[List of hypothetical Solar System objects]] in astronomy
**[[Fixed stars]]
**[[Historical models of the Solar System]]
* '''Exploration'''
**[[Timeline of spaceflight]]
**[[Timeline of space exploration]]
**[[Timeline of Solar System exploration]] 
**[[Timeline of first images of Earth from space]]
**[[List of Solar System probes]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last= Masip|first= Joel Gabas|date= 2016|title= El sistema solar, un rincón particular de la Vía Láctea|trans-title= The Solar System, a special place of the Milky Way|url= |language= Spanish|location= Spain|publisher= RBA|isbn=978-84-473-8562-1}}

{{Solar System}}
{{Planetary exploration}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Discovery And Exploration Of The Solar System}}
[[Category:Discovery and exploration of the Solar System| ]]
[[Category:Solar System]]

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