Solar System Discoveries

Who discovered the planets? For many of the planets in the solar system, we'll never know! Some planets are so bright in the sky that the first observers of these planets are lost in the distant past of early civilizations. Venus was carefully observed in early Mesoamerican cultures. The most distant planets were discovered in the last century, and we're now still discovering Dwarf planets, in our solar system and beyond. Visit the links here to find out more about what we know about the discovery of planets."
Have you ever seen the <a href="/earth/Magnetosphere/aurora.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Southern or Northern Lights</a>? Earth isn't the only planet that puts on these beautiful light shows, which are also called the "<a href="/earth/Magnetosphere/aurora.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">aurora</a>". Aurora have been seen at both <a href="/saturn/saturn_polar_regions.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">poles of Saturn</a>, too, as well as at the poles of <a href="/jupiter/magnetosphere/jupiter_aurora.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Jupiter</a>. These "<a href="/earth/Magnetosphere/tour/tour_earth_magnetosphere_09.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">curtains of light</a>" sometimes rise 1,200 miles (2,000 km) above the <a href="/saturn/atmosphere/S_clouds_overview.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">cloud tops</a> near Saturn's poles. The <a href="/space_missions/HST.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Hubble Space Telescope</a> took this picture in 2004.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA, ESA, J. Clarke (Boston University), and Z. Levay (STScI)</em></small></p>Neptune's <a href="/neptune/lower_atmosphere.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">atmosphere</a> shows a striped pattern of <a href="/neptune/atmosphere/N_clouds_overview.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">clouds</a>. This cloud pattern is very similar to that of <a href="/jupiter/jupiter.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Jupiter</a> and <a href="/saturn/saturn.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Saturn</a>. Neptune even has a <a href="/neptune/atmosphere/N_clouds_GDS.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Great Dark Spot</a> similar to Jupiter's <a href="/jupiter/atmosphere/J_clouds_GRS.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Great Red Spot</a>. The Great Dark Spot of Neptune is thought to be a hole, similar to the hole in the <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/ozone_layer.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">ozone layer on Earth</a>, in the <a href="/physical_science/chemistry/methane.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">methane</a> cloud deck of Neptune.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA</em></small></p><a href="/mercury/mercury.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Mercury</a>, the innermost planet of the solar system, is a little bigger than the Earth's Moon. The <a href="/mercury/Interior_Surface/Surface/surface_overview.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">surface</a> of the planet is covered with craters, like the Moon, but temperatures there can reach over 800&deg;F because Mercury is so close to the Sun and rotates so slowly. This picture was taken by the <a href="/space_missions/robotic/messenger/messenger.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">MESSENGER spacecraft</a> in October 2008.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington.</em></small></p>The uniquely red <a href="/mars/interior/Martian_global_geology.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">global surface</a> of Mars is marked by many interesting features - some like those on the <a href="/earth/earth.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">Earth</a> and others strangely different. The reddish color is caused by rust (iron oxide) in the <a href="/mars/exploring/martian_soils.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">soil</a>. Some of these features are; <a href="/mars/interior/mars_volcanoes.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">volcanoes</a>, canyon systems, <a href="/mars/interior/Martian_running_water.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">river beds</a>, <a href="/mars/interior/Mars_cratered_terrain.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">cratered terrain</a>, and <a href="/mars/interior/Martian_dunefields.html&edu=elem&dev=1/windows.html">dune fields</a>. This image shows a global mosaic of 102 Viking 1 Orbiter images of Mars taken in February, 1980.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of NASA.</em></small></p>

Explore Solar System Discoveries

Discovery of Mercury

Mercury's orbit is so close to the Sun that it is hard to see from the ground. This is why ...Read more

Discovery of Venus

Venus is one of the brightest objects in the sky. It is always found near the Sun. It rises ...Read more

Discovery of Mars

Mars is a bright, red object in the sky. It is very easy to see, which means that even people ...Read more

Discovery of Jupiter

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system! It's also very bright in the sky. We don't ...Read more

Discovery of Saturn

Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. It is also very bright in the sky. ...Read more

Discovery of Uranus

Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel. He argued with his friends over its name. ...Read more

Discovery of Neptune

Neptune was discovered in 1846. But it wasn't discovered using a telescope. Scientists used ...Read more

Discovery of Pluto

The ninth planet in our solar system is Pluto. It was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. ...Read more

Discovery of Ceres

Ceres is the largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt. It was classified as a "dwarf ...Read more

Discovery of Haumea

Haumea is a dwarf planet in our Solar System. Haumea is officially the fifth dwarf planet. ...Read more

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Did you know?

Did you know that the physics of a spinning dancer and the formation of the solar system have something in common?

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Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

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Cirque
xCirque : A semicircular basin excavated by glaciers in mountain top regions; may contain a lake

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Research Highlights

Pollution from Asia Circles Globe at Stratospheric Heights

Air pollution can get high in the atmosphere – high above most of the clouds you see in the sky. Scientists are finding air pollution more than 20 miles above the surface of the Earth. That’s in the stratosphere...Read more


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