Planetary Bodies

Mars

Observation Of Mars

Mars has been observed by many ancient civilizations, all which have their own stories to tell about the red planet. In the sky, Mars will appear like a red planet. Depending on the aperture, telescope…


Mars

Mars: A Brief Overview

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, being only larger than Mercury. In English, the planet is named after the Roman god of war and is…


Venus

Venus: Scientific Missions

The table below shows the number of launches of spacecraft that were destined for Venus. There have been many that have passed by and observed Venus as part of their closest passes on the way…


Venus

Observation Of Venus

As one of the brightest objects in the sky, Venus has been a major fixture in human culture for as long as records have existed. It has been made sacred to gods of many cultures, and…


Venus

Venus: A Brief Overview

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and our closest planetary neighbor. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction from most planets. Its thick atmosphere traps heat…



Mercury

Observation Of Mercury

At its brightest, Mercury can reach magnitude -1.9, a little brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. However, it more normally hovers at around magnitude 0, becoming roughly the fifth brightest object in…


Mercury

Mercury: A Brief Overview

Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the Solar System. Its orbit around the Sun takes 87.97 days, the shortest of all the planets in the Solar System. It is named after the Roman…


Jupiter Moon Ploonet

Solar System Moon Facts

In this article, we will be discussing some facts about moons of the solar system, including the number of moons each planet has, the naming convention for the planetary body moons, and which planet reigns…


Rings of Saturn

The Rings Of Saturn

The rings of Saturn are arguably one of the most recognizable features of a planet in the entire solar system, other than Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Amateur astronomers are amazed at the first time that…