Solar System
Asteroid Facts: Pallas
The image above shows the somewhat oblate shape of the B-type asteroid designated 2 Pallas, which is the second asteroid to be discovered, and the third most massive, containing about 7% of all the mass …
Solar System
Solar System
Asteroid Facts: Vesta
The asteroid designated 4 Vesta is one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt with a diameter of 525 kilometres (326 miles). Discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on 29 March 1807, and named after …
Solar System
Dwarf Planet Facts: Ceres
Ceres was thought to be an asteroid for many years but is so much bigger than its rocky neighbors that it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. Although Ceres is reasonably easy to …
Solar System
10 Interesting Facts about the Apollo Missions
Landing men on the Moon and bringing them all back safely to Earth was no small feat for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In fact, at the height of the Apollo Program, nearly …
Solar System
10 Interesting Facts about the Voyager 1 Probe
According to some reports, many of the mission scientists working on the Voyager space exploration program are “amazed” that both Voyagers are still functioning after forty years in service. This sentiment becomes clear when one …
Astronomy Lists
10 Interesting Facts about the Mission to Pluto
Pluto (134340 Pluto) was the first Kuiper Belt object to be discovered in 1930, and is the biggest, and second-most massive dwarf planet known to exist in the solar system. It is also the ninth …
Astronomy Lists
10 Interesting Facts about the Missions to Saturn
Saturn has been observed since prehistoric times, with the planet having played a major role in all major ancient cultures and religions throughout history. The ancient Babylonians, for instance, kept records describing detailed observations of …
Astronomy Lists
10 Interesting Facts about the Missions to Jupiter
Even though the true role Jupiter played, and is still playing in how the solar system is arranged today was not known until comparatively recently, the King of the Planets has been in the human …
Astronomy Lists
Top 10 Facts About The Missions to Mars
When it comes to the exploration of the solar system, no planet has spurred the scientific community to greater efforts, whipped up the general public into a greater frenzy of speculation, or resulted in pseudo-experts …
Astronomy Lists
Top 10 Facts About The Missions to Mercury
Since the angular separation of Mercury from the Sun is never more than 28 degrees at maximum elongation, visual observation and study of the planet is fraught with technical difficulty. In fact, the rugged, little …