Our solar system consists of the Sun and eight planets, along with their moons, asteroids, comets, and dust and gases. It forms part of the Milky Way galaxy. The Sun is a large burning ball of fire that provides light and heat to Earth. The eight planets range from the small, rocky Mercury to the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn with their rings, to the icy planets Uranus and Neptune. Each planet has unique characteristics like size, composition, and time to orbit the Sun.