|

Our Solar System is a Very Special Place

Our Solar System is a collection of eight planets, millions of moons and innumerable small objects orbiting the Sun. These include dwarf planets and countless asteroids, comets and other small, icy objects. The Sun is the largest object in the Solar System, with its enormous mass making it the closest star to Earth. The Sun…

Space Exploration Has Captured the Imagination of People Everywhere

Since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth, humans have been venturing into space. NASA is leading the way, but private companies, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, are also developing capabilities that were once solely the domain of government agencies. Americans are largely supportive of NASA and…

Can Solar Systems Exist Outside Galaxies? – find more about this

Our solar system is just a small part of the billions of galaxies that make up the universe. Every galaxy has its own set of stars, planets, and other celestial objects that orbit it. These things all orbit around the center of the galaxy, which is where the gravity forces them to move in a…

How the Solar System Moves Through Space – find more about this

Every scrap of matter in our solar system originated as part of a giant interstellar cloud. As it grew hot and dense, gravity began to pull dust and gas inwards. Gravity sculpted this material into the planets, as well as smaller bodies such as asteroids, comets and meteoroids. Some of these objects are still tumbling…