Explore Solar System Discoveries

Mercury's orbit is so close to the Sun that it is difficult to see by ground-based observers. ...
Read more

Venus is one of the brightest objects in the sky, so it is clearly visible to the naked eye. ...
Read more

Mars is much like Venus-- it's very bright and therefore easily spotted in the night sky. ...
Read more

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects ...
Read more

Like the inner planets and Jupiter, Saturn is clearly visible in the night sky. The ancient ...
Read more

Astronomer William Herschel is credited with the discovery of Uranus in 1781. He was using ...
Read more

If you had a quiz question in school that asked what year Neptune was discovered, you'd probably ...
Read more

After the discovery of Neptune in 1846, mathematical theory suggested that there still might ...
Read more

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

Haumea is a dwarf planet in our Solar System. Haumea is the fifth object officially classified ...
Read more
More about Solar System Discoveries
Did you know?
Do you want to build your own
custom comet?
Did you know that comets have two tails, not one?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?
Sand boilxSand boil : A sand boil is sand and water that come out onto the ground surface during an earthquake as a result of liquefaction at shallow depth.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
Scientists can now study climate change in far more detail with powerful new computer software released by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. The Community Earth System...
Read more