Our planet has a new, tiny companion on its long journey around the Sun. Astronomers recently announced the discovery of a small asteroid, named 2025 PN7, that is following Earth in a very special and unusual orbit. This discovery has caused a lot of excitement, with many people calling it a new “mini-moon.” It is … Read more
When we look up at the night sky, we see objects with names that feel ancient and permanent, like Mars, Jupiter, or our own Moon. These names are part of our culture. But astronomers are discovering new objects in space all the time. We are finding new moons orbiting other planets, new dwarf planets hiding … Read more
When we look at pictures of our solar system, Saturn is the undisputed star. Its giant, bright rings of ice and dust are beautiful and make it unique. Our own planet, Earth, just has a simple moon. And our neighbor, Mars, is a red, dusty planet with two tiny, lumpy moons. But this may not … Read more
Mars has always captured our attention. It is our closest planetary neighbor that is not a scorching hothouse like Venus. We see its reddish tint in the night sky and send rovers to crawl across its dusty, rocky surface. We know it has giant canyons, towering volcanoes, and polar ice caps. It is a world … Read more
Our Sun is the center of our solar system, a giant, hot star that gives us light and warmth. We often think of it as a perfect, glowing ball of light that is always the same. But the Sun is actually a very active and dynamic place. It has weather, storms, and changing features, much … Read more
For many of us, the solar system was simple. We learned in school that there were nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It was a fact, as solid as the ground we stand on. Then, in 2006, everything changed. A group of scientists voted, and suddenly, Pluto was “demoted.” … Read more
Jupiter is the king of our solar system. It is a massive, swirling giant of gas so large that all the other planets could fit inside it. For centuries, we have looked at it through telescopes and seen a tan-colored, striped ball with a famous “Great Red Spot.” But in recent years, our view of … Read more
When we talk about Mars, the “Red Planet,” the first thing that often comes to mind is water. For decades, scientists have been hunting for it. We know that Mars is not a completely dry world. We can see vast, white polar ice caps with our telescopes, and we know these are made of both … Read more
Our solar system is filled with amazing and mysterious places. We have giant gas planets, rocky worlds, and icy moons. But one moon stands out as truly special: Titan. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, and it is one of the most Earth-like places we have ever found. It has a thick atmosphere, clouds, … Read more
Mars is our neighbor in space, a cold, dusty, and reddish world. For decades, humans have been sending robotic explorers, called rovers, to drive across its surface and learn its secrets. Most of these rovers have come from the United States. But in 2021, China successfully landed its very first rover on the Red Planet. … Read more