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New Horizons

Learn more about NASA's New Horizons mission, which performed history's first flyby of the Pluto system on July 14, 2015.

Related Topics: Interstellar Travel, NASA, Alien Planets

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A wispy layer of mesospheric clouds illuminates Earth's atmosphere in this photo taken from the International Space Station. European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano tweeted this photo from space, writing, "Mesospheric clouds tinge the sunset, south of the Indian Ocean." Mesospheric clouds, also known as noctilucent clouds, form 47 to 53 miles (76 to 85 kilometers) above Earth's surface, an altitude where water vapor can freeze into clouds of ice crystals. For comparison, the International Space Station orbits at an average altitude of 250 miles (400 km).

Pictures from Space! Our Image of the Day

By SPACE.com Staff

A wispy layer of mesospheric clouds illuminates Earth's atmosphere in this photo taken from the International Space Station.

new horizons spacecraft

Long After Historic Flybys, NASA's New Horizons Is Still Pioneering Science in the Kuiper Belt

By Meghan Bartels

New Horizons made an epic flyby of a Kuiper Belt object to ring in the New Year — but scientists need brand-new observations to truly understand that data.

This new Hubble Space Telescope view of Jupiter, taken on June 27, 2019, reveals the giant planet's trademark Great Red Spot, and a more intense color palette in the clouds swirling in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 observed Jupiter when the planet was 400 million miles (640 million kilometers) from Earth, when Jupiter was near "opposition," or almost directly opposite the sun in the sky.

Jupiter: Our Solar System's Largest Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

If Jupiter were the size of a basketball, Earth would be the size of a grape.

Uranus’ tilt essentially has the planet orbiting the Sun on its side, the axis of its spin is nearly pointing at the Sun.

Uranus: The Ringed Planet That Sits on its Side

By Charles Q. Choi

Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and was the first to be discovered.

This artist’s concept shows NASA's New Horizons spacecraft during its 2015 encounter with Pluto and its moon, Charon.

New Horizons: Exploring Pluto and Beyond

By Elizabeth Howell

The New Horizons spacecraft reached the dwarf planet Pluto in July 2015.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew by the distant Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule (2014 MU69) on Jan. 1, 2019.

A Gentle Kiss: How the Kuiper Belt Object Ultima Thule Was Born

By Mike Wall

A surprisingly gentle merger between two small primordial bodies formed the distant object Ultima Thule, a new study suggests.

Saturn’s famous rings are spectacular. The most recently discovered ring is at least 200 times the diameter of the planet and could fit one billion Earths.

Saturn: Facts About the Ringed Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

Learn about the physical characteristics of Saturn and its famous rings, what we know about Saturn’s moons and Saturn’s roots in Greek mythology.

This artist's impression shows the distant dwarf planet Eris in the distance with its moon Dysmonia in the foreground. Both call the Kuiper Belt "home." New observations have shown that Eris is smaller than previously thought and almost exactly the same size as Pluto. Eris is extremely re

The Kuiper Belt: Objects at the Edge of the Solar System

By Nola Taylor Redd

Beyond Neptune, the Kuiper Belt is a vast region of icy objects called Kupier Belt Objects (KBOs), including dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Maumea and Makemake — and possibly a true ninth planet.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew by the distant Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule (2014 MU69) on Jan. 1, 2019.

Ultima Thule's Mystery Mounds Puzzle Scientists

By Mike Wall

Ultima Thule is lumpy, and scientists aren't sure why.

Zooming in to Ultima Thule while riding along with NASA's New Horizons probe.

Queen Guitarist Brian May Scores Ultima Thule Flyby Time-Lapse Video

By Sarah Lewin

An ethereal track by Queen lead guitarist Brian May accompanies the awe-inspiring time-lapse view from NASA's New Horizons flyby of a distant solar system object.

A new map produced by the New Horizons team appears to show the many different lumps of rock that converged to form the object nicknamed Ultima Thule.

NASA's New Horizons Reveals Geologic 'Frankenstein' That Formed Ultima Thule

By Meghan Bartels

To make this image appear in 3D, stare "through" the computer screen and then focus on the ghostly image that should pop up between the two halves of this picture.

Ultima Thule Pops in 3D in This Incredible New Horizons View

By Meghan Bartels

The New Horizons spacecraft is speeding away from its recent flyby target, a distant icy space rock nicknamed Ultima Thule, but the view from Earth is only getting better.

Craters on the Pluto moon Charon's Vulcan Planitia, as seen by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015.

In Pluto's Realm, Small Objects Are Rare

By Mike Wall

Researchers have noted a distinct dearth of small craters on Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.

A giant planet similar to Uranus or Neptune may orbit the sun in the solar system's outer reaches. Planet Nine is shown here in an artist's impression that includes hypothetical lightning on the planet's surface. The bright star to the right is the sun.

Newfound 'FarFarOut' Is Most Distant Solar System Body Ever Seen

By Mike Wall

Best-ever image of Ultima Thule made it back to Earth.

Best-Ever View of Distant Object Ultima Thule Reveals Weird Circles, Pits

By Mike Wall

The best-ever photos of Ultima Thule have made it down to Earth, and they heighten the intrigue about the frigid and faraway world.

Crescent View of Ultima Thule

Ultima Thule Beyond Pluto Is Flat Like a Pancake (and Not a Space Snowman After All)

By Mike Wall

The final photos that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft snapped of Ultima Thule during the probe's epic Jan. 1 flyby reveal the distant object to be much flatter than scientists had thought.

Asteroid 2019 AQ3 diagram

Found! Fastest-Orbiting Asteroid Zips Around Sun in Just 165 Days

By Mike Wall

Astronomers just found an asteroid that zips around the sun every 165 Earth days — the shortest year for any known asteroid.

Uranus and Netpune

Hubble Telescope Watches the Weather on Uranus and Neptune

By Meghan Bartels

If you don't like your local weather, perhaps you would prefer the atmosphere on Uranus or Neptune — and the Hubble Space Telescope has an update on each planet's current conditions.

Mars Hubble Photo

Mars: What We Know About the Red Planet

By Charles Q. Choi

Learn about planet Mars’ atmosphere, water supply and the possibility to support life, plus, findings from the Mars exploration rover mission.

'Oumuamua

Interstellar Object 'Oumuamua Could Be a 'Monstrous' Corpse of Comet Dust

By Meghan Bartels

'Oumuamua is long gone, but it's still leaving scientists guessing. A new explanation proposes that the strange object was a "monstrous fluffy dust aggregate" produced by a busted-up comet.