Discover fascinating facts about the Moon, planets, and the vast cosmos that surrounds us. Journey through space without leaving your home.
Begin ExplorationThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It has a diameter of about 3,474 km, making it the fifth largest moon in the Solar System.
The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides, body tides, and the slight lengthening of the day.
The first human-made object to reach the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 uncrewed spacecraft in 1959.
The United States' Apollo 11 mission in 1969 was the first crewed Moon landing, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first humans to walk on the Moon.
NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon by 2025, with plans to establish a sustainable presence to prepare for missions to Mars.
Several countries and private companies are planning lunar missions, marking a new era of Moon exploration.
The smallest planet in our solar system and closest to the Sun. Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's Moon.
Similar in size to Earth, Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the hottest planet in our solar system.
Our home planet is the only known place in the universe confirmed to host life, with liquid water on its surface.
The Red Planet is a cold desert world with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, and evidence of ancient floods.
More than twice as massive as all other planets combined, Jupiter is a gas giant with a Great Red Spot storm.
Adorned with a dazzling system of icy rings, Saturn is unique among the planets in our solar system.
An ice giant that rotates on its side, Uranus has a unique tilt that causes extreme seasons lasting 20+ years.
The windiest planet with the strongest winds in the solar system, Neptune is dark, cold and whipped by supersonic winds.
The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 cm per year. In about 50 billion years, it will take 47 days to orbit Earth instead of the current 27.3 days.
A day on Venus lasts longer than a year! It takes Venus 243 Earth days to rotate once, but only 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun. Surface temperatures reach 465°C (870°F), hot enough to melt lead.
Saturn is the only planet in our solar system that's less dense than water. If there were a bathtub big enough, Saturn would float!
The fastest winds in the solar system blow on Neptune, reaching speeds of 2,100 km/h (1,300 mph). That's nearly 10 times faster than the strongest hurricanes on Earth.
Olympus Mons on Mars is the tallest volcano in the solar system at 21.9 km (13.6 mi) high, nearly three times taller than Mount Everest.
There's more water in Saturn's rings than on Earth. The ice particles in the rings range from dust-sized to house-sized chunks.
