Solar System

Latest about Solar System

The planet Earth on April 17, 2019. The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC), a NASA camera aboard NOAA’s DSCOVR spacecraft, returns daily images of Earth from a distance of nearly 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers). This animation shows the entire rotation of the planet on that day.

How fast is Earth moving?

By Doris Elin Urrutia last updated

Earth is moving much faster than it seems.

Earth
an illustration of stars in the night sky

February new moon 2025: The young moon occults Mercury and passes by Venus

By Jesse Emspak published

The moon enters its new phase for February 2025 tonight, leaving the skies nice and dark for observing many bright planets currently visible in the night sky.

The moon

NASA set to deliver a knock-out PUNCH to mysteries of the solar wind

By Keith Cooper published

A new mission designed to better understand the heliosphere will be the first to map in three dimensions how the solar corona becomes the solar wind.

The Sun
a photograph of space showing a few dozen stars and a blurry dot circled with a label reading "2024 YR"

Watch asteroid 2024 YR4 zoom harmlessly through space after risk of hitting Earth falls to near zero (video)

By Samantha Mathewson published

Observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope helped show that the expected trajectory of asteroid 2024 YR4 poses nearly zero risk of impacting Earth in 2032.

Asteroids

Ancient beach on Mars discovered by China's Mars rover: 'This strengthens the case for past habitability'

By Kiona N. Smith published

China's Mars rover discovered evidence of an ancient Red Planet beach. Here's why scientists are excited about this.

Mars
rolling hills of wind-blown red rock and dust

If Mars has microbe fossils, a laser and rock quarry in Algeria could help find them

By Keith Cooper published

Scientists searching for microbe fossils on Mars have a better idea of what to look for thanks to gypsum that formed when the Mediterranean Ocean dried up over 5 million years ago.

Mars
The average distance between Earth and Marsthe two planets is 140 million miles (225 million km). The distance between the two planets affects how long it would take to travel between the two.

What makes Mars the 'Red' Planet? Scientists have some new ideas

By Victoria Corless published

Mars is known as the "Red" Planet, but what actually makes it red? New research offers answers.

Mars
a bright flare of light erupts from the rightmost edge of the sun

Sun unleashes powerful X-class solar flare, triggers radio blackouts across Pacific Ocean (video)

By Meredith Garofalo published

A strong X-class solar flare erupted from the sun on Sunday, Feb. 23, creating radio blackouts across parts of the Pacific Ocean.

The Sun
close-ups on two overlapping black shirts with graphic designs depicting a lunar module and related mission art

Columbia Sportswear offers limited edition apparel celebrating its 2nd moon mission

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

The gold dots on Columbia Sportswear's new long-sleeve shirt forms more than just the silhouette of a lunar lander. It also represents the tech used to protect the craft and outdoor explorers.

The moon
a six-legged lunar lander is seen being fit into its launch shroud with an inset showing the detail on one of the craft's footpads

First (and last?) look at Intuitive Machines' next moon lander's footpad designs

By Robert Z. Pearlman published

Photos of the next spacecraft to launch to the moon have revealed a detail on the lander's footpads that Intuitive Machines hopes will never be seen again.

The moon
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