THE SOLAR SYSTEM: The Solar System is the gravitationally bound system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it. It formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a dense region of a molecular cloud collapsed, forming the Sun and a protoplanetary disc . The Sun is a typical star that maintains a balanced equilibrium by the fusion of hydrogen into helium at its core , releasing this energy from its outer photosphere . Astronomers classify it as a G-type main-sequence star . Solar System without captions with captions Show all The Sun, planets, moons and dwarf planet (true color, size to scale, distances not to scale) Age 4.568 billion years Location Local Interstellar Cloud Local Bubble Orion–Cygnus Arm Milky Way Nearest star Proxima Centauri (4.2465 ly) Alpha Centauri (4.36 ly) Po...