Analyze the elemental composition of the solar system. Our solar system is made up of about 99% hydrogen and helium. This is because the largest objects (the sun and the four gas giant planets) are made up almost entirely of these two gases. The heavier, denser elements are found only in the core of the gas giants and on smaller planets, such as Earth.
Group together the non-sun objects. The sun is the dominating feature in the solar system; it makes up around 99% of the mass. However, the eight planets can be grouped together based on their similar characteristics and composition: four inner, rocky planets vs. the four outer, gas giants. Additionally, there are asteroids (found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter) and comets (generally found in the Oort Cloud, beyond Neptune) to be considered. Also, there are dwarf planets beyond Neptune, which include Pluto, Ceres and Eris.
Determine an object's relationship to the sun by using Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation. The equation for the law is "F = G(M1)(M2)/R2," where "F" is the force of gravity, "G" is the gravitational constant, the "M"s are the masses of the objects being considered, and "R" is the radius of the diameter between them. This is useful in analyzing a solar system because it helps show the strength of the gravitational relationship between the sun and the various objects that orbit it.