Astronomy

Watching a meteor shower is very easy. Just go outside and look up. Telescopes and binoculars are of little use. However, some planning is in order. So, what is a meteor you ask? A meteor is the...

Saturn, the planet sixth in order from the Sun, is a giant planet famous for the spectacular series of rings that orbit around it. Saturn possesses an atmosphere that nothing on Earth could...

When early astronomers discovered Saturn, they found a large planet with rings. Modern research has led to some startling facts about one of the solar system's largest planets.

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun in our solar system. It is so distant from the Sun that it has a temperature of minus 361 degrees Fahrenheit at its cloud tops. It takes Neptune nearly...

Of all nine (if you count Pluto) planets in our solar system, Mercury is the one closest to the Sun. It was named by the ancient Romans after their swift messenger, Mercury. Mercury measures 3,032...

Venus, the second planet from the sun and the planet separating Earth from Mercury, is a planet composed mainly of brownish-red colored rocks. Similar to lava rocks on Earth, the rocks that...

A gas giant and the furthest major planet from the sun, Neptune has been found to have very active weather patterns. Its distance from the sun means the atmospheric temperatures can be some of the...

Though humans perceive the sun as yellow when they look directly at it, it is actually white. The sun is made up of a collection of gases, such as helium, hydrogen and other elements, and is so...

Although Neptune's calm blue color may make it seem like a tranquil place, the planet's weather is anything but. Neptune has a huge cyclone called the Great Dark Spot going at all times around the...

Mercury is one of the four rocky planets in this solar system, along with Venus, Earth and Mars. It has an extremely thin atmosphere, which has resulted in numerous craters from collisions with...

Neptune, the eighth planet from the Sun, is known as an ice giant. The earliest information that was known about Neptune was based on mathematical evidence. The orbit of Uranus was affected by...

Sunspots are portions of the sun that are cooler than the surrounding material and look darker even without the aid of a telescope. The cooler temperatures create increased magnetic activity. An...

Uranus is the first planet not known to the Greeks and is very difficult to observe. This distant planet has so much to offer to students not only of science, but also of history and mythology,...

Earth is the only planet in the solar system known to harbor life. Our planet's extensive magnetic field and atmosphere shields us from nearly all of the harmful radiation coming from the sun. The...