Explore Planets
![](/images/icons/systemplanet_whatis.jpg)
It may surprise you, but astronomers don't really have a good definition of a "planet". Because ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_mercury.jpg)
Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, is also the smallest planet in the Solar System. Only ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_venus.jpg)
Fair but inhospitable Venus, a "Sister" planet to the Earth that is very different from our ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_earth.jpg)
Earth, our home planet, is a beautiful blue and white ball when seen from space. ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_mars.jpg)
Mars, Earth's outer neighbor, is the fourth planet from the Sun. Mars' bright appearance and ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_jupiter.jpg)
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. When approached from afar, its fantastic ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_saturn.jpg)
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, has the most spectacular set of rings in the solar system. ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_uranus.jpg)
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, has its spin axis almost in the plane of its orbit ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_neptune.jpg)
Neptune, the eighth and furthest planet from the Sun, is a very cold place. Its bluish color ...
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![](/images/icons/systemplanet_pluto.jpg)
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved a new classification scheme for ...
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Did you know?
Did you know that there are
no seasons on Venus?
Did you know that there is a strange hexagon in the atmosphere at the northern pole of Saturn?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?
ChinookxChinook : A dry down-slope wind which occurs on the downwind side of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind which results from the subsequent (adiabatic) warming of air which has dropped most of its moisture on windward slopes.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
Global warming is a hot topic, and it's causing concern for scientists studying winter annuals in the Sonoran Desert. While desert winters have become warmer and drier over the years, climate changes have...
Read more![](/olpa/images/desert_plants_small.jpg)