Solar System

Our solar system is filled with planets, asteroids, comets, the sun and more, making it a wealth of discoveries waiting to be found. See the latest discoveries from across our solar system here. 

Explore the planets in our solar system: Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Related topics: asteroids, Pluto, the moon, comets

Latest Updates

a comet

Why is Comet K2 so hard to see given its huge size?

By Elizabeth Howell published

As a huge comet makes its closest approach to Earth on July 13, you might be curious why it's so hard to spot.

a comet

What time will the huge comet K2 make its closest approach to Earth?

By Elizabeth Howell published

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS), called K2 for short, is one of the farthest active comets ever spotted and will whizz by our planet on July 13.

Comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS was captured on June 18, 2022 in constellation Ophiuchus, at magnitude 9.7.

Megacomet K2 caught on camera cruising through celestial equator

By Elizabeth Howell published

A megacomet glows in the dark in this long-exposure image captured by an astrophotographer on June 18, before its closest approach to Earth.

A composite image of Uranus (left) and Neptune based on Hubble Space Telescope observations.

James Webb Space Telescope will heat up studies of our solar system's 'ice giants'

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has a blue-eyed special among its solar system observations.

Artist's illustration of our solar system. It shows planets orbiting the sun and a large comet sweeping in from the top right corner.

Solar system planets, order and formation: A guide

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Explore the eight (or nine) planets of the solar system in order from nearest to the sun and discover the many wonders of our solar system along the way.

space volcanoes: Volcanic vent on Mars

Space volcanoes: Origins, variants and eruptions

By Robert Lea last updated

Reference Capable of both destruction and creation, space volcanoes are common on planets and moons throughout the solar system and beyond.

earth and asteroid

Celebrate Asteroid Day 2022 with free online broadcast today

By Samantha Mathewson published

Asteroid research and planetary defense is of great interest to scientists around the world, which is why June 30 marks international Asteroid Day.

a spacecraft at an asteroid

NASA's metal asteroid mission Psyche won't launch before mid-2023 (and could face cancellation)

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Psyche asteroid mission is facing an uncertain future after software testing issues forced an extended launch delay expected to last at least until July 2023.

An image of comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS (K2) taken in June 2017 by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3.

A huge comet will fly by Earth in July and you might be able to see it

By Elizabeth Howell published

A comet first spotted in the distance in 2017 might finally be within view soon of amateur astronomers.

On the left, comet 323P/SOHO observed by the Subaru Telescope in December 2020. On the right, an image of the comet taken in February by the Canada-France Telescope.

Telescopes watch the sun bake a comet to death

By Tereza Pultarova published

Telescopes watch as a comet disintegrates near the sun, gathering data that might help explain why some comets seem to disappear.

sky map of five planets

Rare 5-planet alignment comes into better view this week. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao published

A rare parade of planets is coming into better view in the second half of June, and even the moon will join the show.

An illustration of the Voyager 1 probe in space.

With Voyager 1 data mystery, NASA relies on slow, long-distance conversation

By Andrew Jones published

NASA's Voyager 1 team is trying to work out why the spacecraft appears to be confused about its location in space, but the mission's distance from Earth makes solving the issue challenging.

Abell 2146, which is a huge collision between a pair of galaxy clusters, located 2.8 billion light-years from the Milky Way. Here, the hot intra-cluster gas, imaged by Chandra, is shown in false color (blue).

Giant galaxy cluster collision triggers vast shock wave stretching over a million light-years long

By Keith Cooper published

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory spotted enormous shock waves racing away from a collision of two galaxy clusters.

An artist's depiction of Jupiter as seen from the surface of its icy moon Europa.

Jupiter's icy moon Europa will block out a star for lucky skywatchers

By Tom Kerss published

Jupiter's moon Europa is set to obscure a star while being shadowed by its own host planet.

A collage shows a New Horizons image of Pluto against a space background.

Curious Kids: Why does it matter if Pluto is a planet or a dwarf planet?

By Samantha Lawler published

"Comet," "star" and "planet" are category names that immediately tell you something important about what they describe.

The main body of the Europa Clipper spacecraft arrived at the clean room of JPL in early June 2022.

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft takes big step toward 2024 launch

By Andrew Jones published

NASA's Europa Clipper mission is one step closer to starting its journey to Jupiter's icy moon.

An artist's depiction of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft at the asteroid Ryugu.

Asteroid Ryugu contains material older than the planets, among the most primitive ever studied on Earth

By Keith Cooper published

Analysis of Hayabusa2's samples from the asteroid Ryugu shows they date to before the formation of the planets.

NASA sky map of five bright visible planets before dawn in June 2022.

A 'planetary breakup' of 5 planets in the June's big stargazing sight, NASA says

By Samantha Mathewson published

The rare alignment of five naked-eye planets will begin to "break up" as they appear to grow increasingly distant from one another in the morning sky.

Asteroid collisions in the early solar system exposed their iron cores to space, allowing them to cool rapidly.

Iron meteorites point to millions of years of chaos in early solar system

By Keith Cooper published

An asteroid demolition derby took place between 7.8 million and 11.7 million years after the birth of the solar system.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this sequence of the 2012 transit of Venus from space.

Venus crossed the sun's face 10 years ago. Most people alive will never see the sight again.

By Tom Kerss last updated

On the 10th anniversary of the last transit of Venus, find out what makes these events so special and what else to look out for during the long wait for the next one.