The Solar System

Asteroids
General
The Solar System
Images from the November 2023 flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft show a trough on Dinkinesh where a large piece — about a quarter of the asteroid — suddenly shifted, a ridge, and a separate contact binary satellite (now known as Selam). Scientists say this complicated structure shows that Dinkinesh and Selam have […]
Posted May 29, 2024
Apophis
Asteroids
Missions
OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer)
The Solar System
Uncategorized
Mission engineers were confident NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification – Apophis Explorer) spacecraft could weather its closest ever pass of the Sun on Jan. 2, 2024.
Posted May 28, 2024
Psyche Mission
Asteroids
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Psyche Asteroid
The Solar System
The spacecraft already is beyond the distance of Mars and is using ion propulsion to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid, where it will orbit and collect science data. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft passed its six-month checkup with a clean bill of health, and there’s no holding back now.
Posted May 22, 2024
Juno
Io
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jupiter
Jupiter Moons
The Solar System
Imagery from the solar-powered spacecraft shows some intriguing features on the ice-encased Jovian moon. Images from the JunoCam visible-light camera aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft supports the theory that the icy crust at the north and south poles of Jupiter’s moon Europa is not where it used to be.
Posted May 15, 2024
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Juno
Jupiter
Jupiter Moons
The Solar System
NASA’s Juno mission captured these views of Jupiter during its 59th close flyby of the giant planet on March 7, 2024. They provide a good look at Jupiter’s colorful belts and swirling storms, including the Great Red Spot. Close examination reveals something more: two glimpses of the tiny moon Amalthea (see Figure B below). Figure […]
Posted May 13, 2024
Europa Clipper
Jupiter
Jupiter Moons
NASA STEM Projects
Opportunities For Students to Get Involved
Planetary Science Division
Science Mission Directorate
STEM Engagement at NASA
The Solar System
Uncategorized
NASA has selected 40 undergraduate students for the first year of its Europa ICONS (Inspiring Clipper: Opportunities for Next-generation Scientists) internship program, supporting the agency’s Europa Clipper mission.
Posted May 2, 2024
The Solar System
Uncategorized
Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion The story of how we understand planetary motion could not be told if it were not for the work of a German mathematician named Johannes Kepler.  Kepler’s three laws describe how planets orbit the Sun. They describe how (1) planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun as a focus, […]
Posted May 2, 2024
Mars
Curiosity (Rover)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Heliophysics
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN)
The Solar System
The Sun
The Sun will be at peak activity this year, providing a rare opportunity to study how solar storms and radiation could affect future astronauts on the Red Planet. In the months ahead, two of NASA’s Mars spacecraft will have an unprecedented opportunity to study how solar flares — giant explosions on the Sun’s surface — […]
Posted April 29, 2024
Citizen Science
Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN)
Planetary Science
The Solar System
There’s good news from NASA’s Cloudspotting on Mars project! That’s the project that invites you to help identify exotic clouds high in the Martian atmosphere. Congratulations to the Cloudspotting on Mars team and all the volunteers who have helped spot Martian clouds!
Posted April 29, 2024
Curiosity (Rover)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Mars
Mars Exploration Program
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Missions
NASA Directorates
Planetary Science Division
Science Mission Directorate
The Solar System
The most surprising revelation from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover — that methane is seeping from the surface of Gale Crater — has scientists scratching their heads. Living creatures produce most of the methane on Earth. But scientists haven’t found convincing signs of current or ancient life on Mars, and thus didn’t expect to find methane […]
Posted April 22, 2024
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