This study notes covers Our Place in the Universe within Our Solar System for GCSE Physics. Revise Our Solar System in Space Physics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 5 of 6 in this topic. Use this study notes to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 6
Practice
13 questions
Recall
12 flashcards
🌌 Our Place in the Universe
- Solar System: Sun + 8 planets + moons + asteroids + comets
- Milky Way: Our galaxy — 200 billion stars in a spiral shape
- Universe: All matter, energy, space, and time — ~2 trillion galaxies
- Light year: Distance light travels in one year = 9.46 × 10¹² km
Scale: Nearest star (Proxima Centauri) = 4.2 light years away. Our galaxy = 100,000 light years across!