Meaning & use
solar system
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Meanings
nouncountable
The sun and all the planets, moons, asteroids, and other objects that travel around it.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the': the solar system. As a common noun it can also be countable: other stars have their own solar systems (though 'planetary system' is more exact).
Patterns
- the solar system
- in the solar system
- the solar system consists of something
Earth is the third planet from the sun in the solar system.
Scientists have found thousands of asteroids in the solar system.
The solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago.
nouncountabletechnical
The sun and the objects orbiting it, when talking about a similar arrangement around another star.
Grammar: In this looser use it takes a plural: solar systems. Astronomers often prefer 'planetary system' for stars other than the sun.
Patterns
- other solar systems
- a distant solar system
Astronomers have discovered planets in many distant solar systems.
Each star may have its own solar system of orbiting worlds.
Word forms
| plural | solar systems |
|---|
Common combinations
- the solar system
- The solar system includes eight planets.
- in the solar system
- Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
- explore the solar system
- Robots have been sent to explore the solar system.
- the outer solar system
- The outer solar system is cold and dark.
- a model of the solar system
- The class built a model of the solar system.
Synonyms and how they differ
- planetary system
- More precise in astronomy, because it works for planets around any star, not just our sun.
- the sun's family
- Informal and figurative; fine in speech but not in science writing.
Word family
Commonly confused: solar system or galaxy? solar system or universe?
solar system vs galaxy
A galaxy is a huge group of billions of stars; the solar system is just one small part of the Milky Way galaxy.
solar system vs universe
The universe is everything that exists in space; the solar system is only our sun and what orbits it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'solar system' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Solar system' means the sun plus the objects orbiting it, so saying Mars and Venus are planets in it is correct. Option 1 describes a galaxy, option 2 is false because there are eight planets, and option 4 reverses the relationship: the planets orbit the sun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “solar system”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.