View of the Solar System Table of Contents

• Student Resources
  • Calculate how much you weigh on other planets.
  • What would your age be on other planets.
  • Planetary Icosahedrons

• The Creation
  • The Birth and Formation of Galaxies
    • The Oldest Light in the Universe
  • Star Formation, Life, and Death
  • Planetary System Formation
  • Other Planetary Systems
    • Extremely Hot Planet - First Exoplanet Weather Map
    • Spitzer Captures Light from Extrasolar Planets
    • Hubble Directly Observes Planet Orbiting Fomalhaut
    • Research Finds First Potentially Habitable Exoplanet

• Solar System Introduction
  • Sun
    • Sun Introduction
    • Sharpest View of the Sun
    • Educator's Guide to Convection
    • Educator's Guide to Eclipses
    • Educator's Guide to Sunspots
    • International Spacecraft Reveals Detailed Processes on the Sun
    • Stiff Solar Atmosphere Cancels Dance and Gets Hot
    • Thought-Provoking Imagery Shows Sun's Place in the Galaxy
    • Solar Mystery Nears Solution With Data From SOHO Spacecraft
    • Solar Flare Leaves Sun Quaking
    • Fountains of Fire Illuminate Solar Mystery
    • Chronology of Sun Exploration
    • Stereo Eclipse
  • Mercury
    • Mercury Introduction
    • Chronology of Mercury Exploration
    • Mercury Map Images
    • MESSENGER Streams Back Surprises From Mercury
    • Hidden Territory on Mercury Revealed
  • Venus
    • Venus Introduction
    • Venusian Impact Craters
    • Venusian Volcanic Features
    • Chronology of Venus Exploration
  • Earth
    • Earth Introduction
    • Earth's Interior & Plate Tectonics
    • African Desert Rift Confirmed as New Ocean in the Making
    • Earth From Space
    • Clouds From Space
    • Terrestrial Impact Craters
      • Terrestrial Impact Crater Structures
      • Chain of Impact Craters Suggested by Spaceborne Radar Images
      • Educator's Guide to Impact Craters
    • Terrestrial Volcanoes
      • The Nature of Volcanoes
      • Principal Types of Volcanoes
      • Hawaiian Volcanoes
      • Resurgent Calderas and the Valles Caldera
    • NASA Researchers Document Shrinking of Greenland's Glaciers
    • IMAGE - Spacecraft Mission to Earth
      • IMAGE Spacecraft Takes First Pictures of Electrified Gas Surrounding Earth
    • The Moon
      • NASA Research Team Reveals Moon Has Earth-Like Core
      • Apollo Landing Missions
      • Educator's Guide to Eclipses
      • Educator's Guide to Moon Phases
      • The Moon, as Seen by the Cassini Spacecraft
      • The Great Moon Hoax
      • Native American Indian Lunar Calendar
      • En route to Mars, the Moon
      • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
        • NASA's LRO Spacecraft Sends First Lunar Images to Earth
      • Water Molecules Found on the Moon
  • Mars
    • Mars Introduction
    • Phoenix Mars Lander
    • Mars Exploration Mission
      • Spirit Rover
      • Opportunity Rover
    • The Surface of Mars
    • Mars Pathfinder Mission
    • Mars Science Laboratory
      • Water History, Rock Composition Among Latest Findings a Year After Mars Pathfinder
    • Spacecraft Data Suggest Water Flowing on Mars
    • Life from Mars: The Discovery
      • Statement from Daniel S. Goldin
      • Meteorite Yields Evidence of Primitive Life on Early Mars
      • Life from Mars: Video Animations
    • Martian Volcanoes
    • Martian Clouds
    • No Evidence Of Ancient Ocean Shorelines
    • Possible Rootless Cones or Pseudocraters on Mars
    • New Images Suggest Present-Day Sources of Liquid Water on Mars
    • Images Suggesting Present-Day Sources of Liquid Water on Mars
    • Magnetic Stripes Preserve Record of Ancient Mars
    • First Global 3-D View of Mars Reveals Deep Basin and Pathways for Water Flow
    • The Face on Mars and other Familiar Features
    • Satellites of Mars
      • Phobos, Deimos
    • The Rationale for Exploring Mars
    • Chronology of Mars Exploration
    • Project Viking Fact Sheet
  • Jupiter
    • Jupiter Introduction
    • Satellites of Jupiter
      • Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, Sinope
    • Chronology of Jupiter Exploration
    • The Ganymede Map Images
    • Maps of Io
    • Io's Volcanic Features
    • Pele Volcano & Pillan Patera
    • Io's Atmosphere, Mountains, and "Water Cycle"
    • The Europa Map Images
    • Voyager Jupiter Science Summary
    • Battery Acid Chemical Found on Jupiter's Moon Europa
    • Hubble Finds Oxygen Atmosphere On Jupiter's Moon Europa
    • Hubble Finds Ozone on Jupiter's Moon Ganymede
    • The Discovery of the Galilean Satellites
    • Galileo Spacecraft Press Releases and Information
  • Saturn
    • Saturn Introduction
    • NASA Space Telescope Discovers Largest Ring Around Saturn
    • Cassini At Saturn
    • Huygens on Titan
    • Lake-Like Feature on Titan
    • What is Consuming Hydrogen and Acetylene on Titan?
    • Saturn's Magnificent Rings
      • Historical Background of Saturn's Rings
    • Cassini Finds New Saturn Moon That Makes Waves
    • New Views of Saturn's Aurora, Captured by Cassini
    • Satellites of Saturn
      • Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Telesto, Calypso, Dione, Helene, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe, New Satellites of Saturn
    • Scientists Study 'Plumbing' in Plumes of Enceladus
    • Saturn's Giant Sponge
    • Radical! Liquid Water on Enceladus
    • Chronology of Saturn Exploration
    • Voyager Saturn Science Summary
    • The Cassini Mission
    • Rhea Map Images
    • Cassini Sees Seasonal Rains Transform Titan's Surface
  • Uranus
    • Uranus Introduction
    • Satellites of Uranus
      • Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon Caliban, Sycorax
    • Uranus Science Summary
    • Chronology of Uranus Exploration
  • Neptune
    • Neptune Introduction
    • Satellites of Neptune
      • Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton, Nereid
    • Voyager Neptune Science Summary
    • Chronology of Neptune Exploration
    • The Triton Map Images
  • Dwarf Planets
    • Pluto and Charon
      • Pluto
      • Satellite of Pluto
        • Charon
        • New Moons S/2005 P1 and S/2005 P2
      • Chronology of Pluto Exploration
    • Ceres
    • Eris
      • Eris Discovery Press Release
  • Asteroids
    • Asteroid Introduction
    • Hubble Sees Suspected Asteroid Collision
    • Asteroids
      • Annefrank, Braille, Castalia, Eros, Gaspra, Geographos, Ida, Lutetia, Mathilde, Toutatis, Vesta
    • Chronology of Asteroid Exploration
  • Comets
    • Comet Introduction
    • Comet Historical Background
    • Individual Comets
      • Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3
      • Comet Hartley 2
        • Cosmic Snow Storm During Comet Encounter
      • Comet 17P/Holmes
      • Comet Tempel 1
        • Deep Impact Kicks Off Fourth of July With Deep Space Fireworks
        • NASA Releases Images of Man-Made Crater on Comet
      • Halley's Comet
      • Shoemaker-Levy 9 Background
      • Shoemaker-Levy 9 Impact
      • Comet LINEAR
        • Hubble Discovers Missing Pieces of Comet Linear
        • A Taste for Comet Water
      • Comet P/Wild-2
    • Hale-Bopp Fails Emission Tests but Reveals Comet Origin
    • Comet Tutorial
    • Educator's Make a Comet Nucleus
    • Chronology of Comet Space Exploration
  • The Kuiper Belt
    • Quaoar an Icy World Far Beyond Pluto
    • Hubble Hunts Down Binary Objects at the Fringe of Our Solar System
    • Hubble Detects Long-Sought Comet Population Beyond Neptune
  • The Oort Cloud
    • Sedna, a Planet-Like Body Discovered at Fringes of Our Solar System
  • Meteoroids and Meteorites
    • Meteoroid and Meteorite Introduction
    • The Tunguska Event--100 Years Later
    • Educator's Guide to Impact Craters
    • Educator's Guide to Micrometeorites
    • Meteoroids and Space Debris Activity

• History of Space Exploration
  • Space History
    • Introduction
    • Rocket History
    • Early Astronauts
    • Automated Spacecraft
    • Hypothetical Planets
  • Chronology of Space Exploration
    • By Date
    • By Planetary Body
      • Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Asteroids, Comets
    • Chronology of Solar System Discovery
  • Spacecraft Mission Summaries
    • U.S. Missions
    • USSR/Russia Missions
    • European Missions
    • Japanese Missions
  • Spacecraft Home Pages for Current and Future Missions

• Historical Publications
  • The Martian Landscape
  • Viking Orbiter Views of Mars
  • On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet 1958-1978
  • Apollo: Expeditions to the Moon
  • Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft
  • The First Lunar Landing: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft
  • Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions

• Lesson Plans & Activities
  • Comets
  • Convection
  • Meteoroids and Space Debris Activity
  • Impact Craters
  • Eclipses
  • Inverse Square Law
  • Life in the Universe
  • Micrometeorites
  • Moon Phases
  • Robotic Spacecraft
  • Spotting the Shuttle
  • Sunspots
  • Luna and Io - A Comparison Study

• Sun, Planet and Satellite Data
  • Historical Data
  • Orbital Data
  • Physical Data

• Glossary

• People In Astronomy