Eugene Rosinski, Age 9, Of South River, N.J..,For His Question:

What is beyond the solar system?

A sunbeam must travel 360 million miles to reach pluto, the outside planet of our solar system. It is then in the vast ocean of space between the stars. On and on it goes, maybe for countless ages. But if it travels in the right direction, it may reach a star in about four and a half years. In another direction, our sunbeam may reach a different star after traveling for more than eight years.

Beyond the solar system, the distant stars are few and far between. But in the vast ocean of space, there.are countless billions of stars more or less like our sun, and some, we think, have planet families somewhat like our own solar system.