Plot of the Inner Solar System
The plot below shows the current location of the major planets (Mercury through Jupiter) and the minor planets that are in the inner region of the solar system.Also available is a view of the innermost region of the solar system. The plot is of the same form as the plot on this page.
The current locations of the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter are shown as red circles and the current locations of the known minor planets are blue dots. The two "clouds" of objects 60° ahead and behind Jupiter (and at or near Jupiter's distance from the sun) are the Jupiter Trojans.
In this view, objects in direct orbits (most of the objects in this plot) move counterclockwise and the vernal equinox is towards the right. (The equinox directions are the direction of the sun as seen from the earth.) The plot is correct for the date given at the bottom of the plot.
Back to minor planet lists and comet lists.