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

An artist's depiction of Chariklo, the largest known Centaur, accompanied by its rings and satellites.

What if the same spacecraft studied mysterious icy bodies and the cosmos as well?

By Meghan Bartels published

Staring out into space is a time-tested technique for making long journeys pass more quickly, but not one often applied at the scale of the solar system.

Taken during Juno's 39th close flyby of Jupiter on Jan. 12, 2022, this stunning view captures two of the planet's moons: Io (left) and Europa (right).

NASA spacecraft snaps gorgeous new photo of Jupiter's moons Io and Europa

By Samantha Mathewson published

NASA's Juno spacecraft beamed back stunning new photos of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa.

A false-color image highlights different materials on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres.

Strange dwarf planet Ceres may have formed at the icy edges of the solar system

By Paul Sutter published

Ceres is the most dominant member of the asteroid belt but it doesn't look like the other asteroids.

Artist's illustration of Planet Nine, a world about 10 times more massive than Earth that may lie undiscovered in the far outer solar system.

Another search for Planet 9 comes up empty

By Elizabeth Howell published

A theorized huge, Planet 9 beyond the orbit of Neptune once again wasn't found in a new survey.

This Virtual Telescope Project graphic shows the orbit of the near-Earth asteroid 2022 ES3, which flies close by Earth on March 13, 2022.

An asteroid the size of a bus flies by Earth today and you can watch it live online

By Elizabeth Howell published

You can watch a big asteroid make a safe flyby of Earth today (March 13) from any spot with good internet access.

Jupiter is a gas giant, but it has rocky moons, including Ganymede (shown here), the largest moon in the solar system.

Are there any moons that are made of gas?

By Ashley Hamer published

What would happen if Earth's moon were made of gas?

This artist’s illustration shows what Mars would look like with liquid water.

Could Mars ever have supported life? This NASA challenge wants your help to find out

By Elizabeth Howell published

A new competition with HeroX asks for innovative ways to analyze data gathered on the Red Planet.

Venus and Mars will shine near each other in the predawn sky on March 12, 2022. Here's where to look.

See Venus and Mars pair up in the early morning sky Saturday

By Samantha Mathewson published

Venus will meet up with Mars in the very early morning sky on Saturday (March 12). Here’s how you can catch the planetary duo.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, like the solar system's other small bodies, is shaped by geological processes rather than by gravity.

Why are asteroids and comets such weird shapes?

By JoAnna Wendel published

While planets and some moons are almost perfectly spherical, the smaller bits of the solar system, such as asteroids and comets, come in all different shapes. But why is that?

An image of Venus compiled from data gathered by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and the Magellan mission, both of which ended in the early 1990s.

Scientists hail 'the decade of Venus' with 3 new missions on the way

By Meghan Bartels published

As planetary scientists resumed meeting in person, Venus experts had something special to celebrate.

March is a month of transition, as we change seasons from winter to spring. Here's some strange things to see in the night sky.

March night sky wonders: Strange sights to see every year

By Joe Rao published

Reference A look into the March night sky for some sky objects with unusual solar system planets, stars and constellations.

China's Zhurong Mars rover captured this panorama of the Red Planet. Visible in the foreground are the rover's solar panels and communications equipment.

China's Zhurong rover reveals how weather and ancient water altered rocks on Mars

By Andrew Jones published

China’s first Mars rover Zhurong reveals how weather and ancient water changed the surface of the largest impact basin on Mars.

The four gas giants of our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are collectively known as Jovian planets, meaning “Jupiter-like”.

Gas giants: Jovian planets of our solar system and beyond

By Elizabeth Howell published

Reference The solar system gas giants – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – also known as Jovian planets are helping us learn more about gaseous exoplanets.

The Hiawatha impact crater in Greenland, as depicted by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Huge asteroid slammed into Greenland just a few million years after the dinosaurs died out

By Stefanie Waldek published

It's much, much older than originally anticipated.

These bits of rock and dust were gathered from the C-type asteroid Ryugu by the spacecraft Hayabusa2.

Pristine asteroid Ryugu contains amino acids that are building blocks of life

By Tereza Pultarova published

Samples from asteroid Ryugu are the most pristine pieces of our solar system ever studied and contain amino acids that could have given rise to life on Earth.

In April 2020, NASA's Juno spacecraft spotted something strange in Jupiter's atmosphere. Scientists later identified the observation as a meteor.

Meteor streaks through Jupiter's atmosphere as NASA spacecraft watches

By Chelsea Gohd published

When a rogue meteor careened through the atmosphere of Jupiter last year, it caught the attention of NASA's Juno spacecraft in orbit around the giant planet.

Time-lapse imaging of Yutu 2 progress across the lunar landscape.

China's Yutu 2 rover beams back stunning image after 3 years on moon's far side

By Andrew Jones published

China's Yutu 2 rover has returned a view of its path over three years of travel across the harsh environment of the moon's far side.

Asteroid 2022 AE1, discovered in January 2022, seemed to be on a trajectory to collide with Earth.

It seemed like the most dangerous asteroid in a decade, but it definitely won't hit Earth

By Tereza Pultarova published

A recently discovered asteroid seemed to be on a trajectory to hit Earth next year, but orbit recalculation eventually revealed it will miss our planet.

In this illustration, a low-power laser (red cone) on Earth could be used to shift the orbit (red lines) of a small probe (grey circle), or propel it at rapid speeds to Neptune and beyond.

Tiny laser-propelled spaceships could travel to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond

By Charles Q. Choi published

Miniature spaceships the size of cellphones could fly across the solar system using sails propelled by lasers, reaching distant destinations on very reasonable timescales.

Saturn's moon Mimas bears an uncanny resemblance to the Death Star in Star Wars.

Saturn's 'Death Star' moon could have a secret underground ocean

By Ben Turner published

Scientists have found "compelling evidence" that Saturn's "Death Star" moon is hiding an ocean just beneath its surface, furthering the search for possible life in our solar system.