Category: Solar System
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Spot the King of Planets: Observe Jupiter
Jupiter is easy to observe, and well-documented by astronomers. Learn more about the King of the Planets in February’s mid-month article!
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For Your Processing Pleasure: The Sharpest Pictures of Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io in a Generation
NASA’s Juno spacecraft just made the closest flybys of Jupiter’s moon Io that any spacecraft has carried out in more than 20 years. An instrument on this spacecraft called “JunoCam” returned spectacular, high-resolution images—and raw data are now available for…
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How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Is Different than the 2017 Eclipse
On April 8, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the United States, as millions will view a total solar eclipse. For many, preparing for this event brings memories of the magnificent total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. In 2017,…
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NASA’s Hubble Watches ‘Spoke Season’ on Saturn
This photo of Saturn was taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on October 22, 2023, when the ringed planet was approximately 850 million miles from Earth. Hubble’s ultra-sharp vision reveals a phenomenon called ring spokes. Saturn’s spokes are transient features…
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NASA’s Webb Rings in Holidays with Ringed Planet Uranus
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently trained its sights on unusual and enigmatic Uranus, an ice giant that spins on its side. Webb captured this dynamic world with rings, moons, storms, and other atmospheric features – including a seasonal polar…
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NASA’s Dragonfly to Proceed with Final Mission Design Work
NASA’s Dragonfly mission has been authorized to proceed with work on final mission design and fabrication – known as Phase C – during fiscal year (FY) 2024. The agency is postponing formal confirmation of the mission (including its total cost…
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Cassini Top 10 Images of 2012
As the Cassini spacecraft roams the Saturnian system, each year it opens new windows on an amazing corner of our solar system. Images of mighty Saturn, its majestic rings, and the dynamic moons continue to stun us, offering ever-changing vistas…
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Cassini Top 10 Images of 2013
We’ve shared 150 press images through 40 news releases and special features during 2013. As the Cassini science team members look forward to a great 2014 and beyond, here’s a look back at their top ten 10 images of the…
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Temperatures Across Our Solar System
Let’s look at the mean temperature of the Sun, and the planets in our solar system.
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NASA’s Lucy Surprises Again, Observes 1st-ever Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft took images of asteroid Dinkinesh, discovering that the asteroid has the first-ever contact binary pair orbiting the asteroid.