Outer Space Universe » Planets

Saturn and Two Moons: Dione and Titan

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:28:34 +0000

You know....NASA's Cassini spacecraft has taken some pretty amazing pictures, but this has to be one of the best. This image, released on December 22, 2011 shows Saturn's largest moon, Titan, almost eclipsing Saturn's fourth-largest moon, Dione. Fantastic!

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5 Notable Planets Located Outside of Solar System with Pictures

Brian - Staff Writer — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:15:34 +0000

The planets located in our own solar system are by far the most well-known planets for the majority of people. Yet, as you might guess, there are many planets located outside of our own solar system. These planets are known as extrasolar planets, or exoplanets. While you might think there are thousands of known exoplanets, scientists have only identified around 650 of them to date. Here are 5 of the more notable planets located outside our own solar system.

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What are the Colors of the 9 Planets in Our Solar System?

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:13:16 +0000

Not only is this a trick question, it's a tricky question to answer. When you think about the colors of the 9 planets in the Solar System, you are actually thinking about the old definition of the Solar System. There are now only 8 planets - 5 years ago (on August 24, 2006) Pluto was demoted to the classification of a dwarf planet. It's a tricky question because each planet has more than one color so it's not easy to describe each planet with only one color.

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April is the Best Month to See Saturn this Year

Greg - Staff Writer — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:46:07 +0000

Saturn will rule the night sky throughout the month of April this year. The Earth is between the Sun and Saturn and Saturn's rings are tilted toward the Earth almost nine degrees. Both of these factors will make for some great viewing.

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Messenger Spacecraft Orbits Planet Mercury

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:56:01 +0000

On March 18, 2011, NASA's Messenger Spacecraft entered into an orbit around the planet Mercury. This is another first for the human race! No other man-made machine has ever pulled off this gravitational balancing act!

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How are Planetary Rings Formed and Which Planets Have Them?

Brian - Staff Writer — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:37:21 +0000

Most of us have seen the pictures of the lone planet out in space with a dusty looking flat ring orbiting all of the way around it. These rings seem both alien and intriguing - why is it that some planets have rings and our own Earth does not, and which planets in our solar system have such rings?

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8 Awesome Pictures of the Surface of Planet Mars

Brian - Staff Writer — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:08:26 +0000

Here are 8 awesome pictures of the surface of planet Mars to give you a better idea of what Mars looks like up close.

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Mercury The First Planet

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 02:16:17 +0000

Mercury is the first planet and I would say the planet that is most often ignored. Is it because it looks like the Moon? Are we only interested in planets with atmospheres (like Venus or Saturn) rather than rocky objects littered with hundreds of thousands of craters?

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Clouds of Jupiter Made of Hydrogen and Helium

Greg - Staff Writer — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:26:24 +0000

The first thing you see when you look at the atmosphere of Jupiter is the bands of dark and light clouds as well as swirls, waves and oval spots. The patterns are mezmerizing! So what causes this complex mixture of colors and shapes?

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The Rings of Planet Saturn: Particles of Water Ice

Greg - Staff Writer — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:26:40 +0000

Saturn has the most extensive and complicated ring system of any planet in our solar system. These beautiful rings are primarily made up of particles of ice ranging in size from micrometers to meters. They also contain dust and other chemicals

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