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Planets & Solar System

Supermoon: What It Really Is, Why It Happens, and When to Catch the Next One

A supermoon is a full moon that lines up with the Moon's closest approach to Earth, making it look a little bigger and noticeably brighter than an ordinary full moon. At its best, a supermoon can appear up to 14% larger and about 30%...

What Is a Constellation? A Beginner’s Guide to the Sky’s 88 Star Patterns

A constellation is a group of stars that forms a recognizable pattern in the night sky, one we've given a name, usually after a mythological figure, animal, or object. There are 88 of them officially recognized, and together they map out the entire sky....
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How Hot Is the Sun? A Layer-by-Layer Look at Our Star’s Blistering Temperatures

How hot is the sun? It depends entirely on which part you mean. The...

What Is the Temperature on Mars? The Highs, the Lows, and Why the Red Planet Is So Cold

The temperature on Mars averages about −60 °C (−80 °F), which makes it far...

What Is a Planet? The Three Simple Rules That Decide, and Why Pluto Failed Them

A planet is a world that orbits the Sun, is round, and has swept...

Planets Ranked by Size: All Eight Worlds From Biggest to Smallest

Here are the planets ranked by size, largest to smallest: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune,...

Meteorite Definition: What a Meteorite Really Is, and How It Differs From a Meteor

Here's the meteorite definition in one line: a meteorite is a piece of rock...

How Many Moons Does Uranus Have: The Ice Giant’s Cast of Literary Worlds

The Short Answer Uranus has 29 known moons. That count only recently ticked up, when...

How Many Moons Does Neptune Have: Meet Triton and the Ice Giant’s Strange Family

The Short Answer Neptune has 16 known moons. That's the current official count from NASA,...

How Far Is the Moon From Earth: The Real Distance and Why It Keeps Changing

The Short Answer On average, the Moon sits about 384,400 kilometres from Earth, which is...

How Many Earths Fit in Jupiter: Sizing Up the Solar System’s Biggest Planet

The Short Answer About 1,300 Earths could fit inside Jupiter. The king of the planets...

Is Pluto a Planet: The Real Story Behind the Solar System’s Most Famous Demotion

The Short Answer No, Pluto is no longer classified as a planet. In 2006 the...

Does Venus Have Moons: Why Earth’s Twin Is a World Without a Single Moon

The Short Answer No, Venus has no moons at all. Zero. Along with Mercury, it's...

Mars Gravity Compared to Earth: What You’d Really Weigh on the Red Planet

Picture yourself stepping off a lander onto the rusty dust of Mars. First thing...

Latest articles

Supermoon: What It Really Is, Why It Happens, and When to Catch the Next One

A supermoon is a full moon that lines up with the Moon's closest approach...

What Is a Constellation? A Beginner’s Guide to the Sky’s 88 Star Patterns

A constellation is a group of stars that forms a recognizable pattern in the...

How Many Planets Are There? The Real Answer Is Bigger Than Eight

There are eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,...

What Is a Galaxy? A Simple Guide to the Great Islands of Stars

A galaxy is an enormous collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter, all...