Facts About Earth - NASA Science
WEB8.350022 minutes. While Earth is only the fifth largest planet in the solar system, it is the only world in our solar system with liquid water on the surface. Just slightly larger than nearby Venus, Earth is the biggest of the four planets closest to the Sun, all of which are made of rock and metal. Earth is the only planet in the solar system ...
Stars - NASA Science
WEBStars form in large clouds of gas and dust called molecular clouds. Molecular clouds range from 1,000 to 10 million times the mass of the Sun and can span as much as hundreds of light-years. Molecular clouds are cold which causes gas to clump, creating high-density pockets. Some of these clumps can collide with each other or collect more matter ...
The Sun - Science@NASA
WEBThe connection and interactions between the Sun and Earth drive the seasons, ocean currents, weather, climate, radiation belts and auroras. Though it is special to us, there are billions of stars like our Sun scattered across the Milky Way galaxy. The Sun has many names in many cultures. The Latin word for Sun is “sol,” which is the main ...
Earth’s Atmosphere: A Multi-layered Cake - Science@NASA
WEBOct 2, 2019 · Earth’s atmosphere has five major and several secondary layers. From lowest to highest, the major layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. Troposphere. Earth’s troposphere extends from Earth’s surface to, on average, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) in height, with its height lower at Earth’s ...
Neptune - NASA Science
WEBNeptune was the first planet located using math. German astronomer Johann Galle was the first to observe the planet in 1846. The planet is named after the Roman god of the sea. Get the Facts. This picture of Neptune was produced from images taken by NASA’s Voyager 2 in the summer of 1989 as it became the first spacecraft to fly by the planet.
Extreme Weather and Climate Change - Science@NASA
WEBAs Earth’s climate changes, it is impacting extreme weather across the planet. Record-breaking heat waves on land and in the ocean, drenching rains, severe floods, years-long droughts, extreme wildfires, and widespread flooding during hurricanes are all becoming more frequent and more intense. Human actions since the Industrial Revolution, …
Moon Galleries - NASA Science
WEBA to Z List of Missions. Upcoming Launches and Landings. Spaceships and Rockets. Communicating with Missions. Artemis. James Webb Space Telescope. Hubble Space Telescope. International Space Station. OSIRIS-REx.
Overview - NASA Science
WEBThe Universe’s History The origin, evolution, and nature of the universe have fascinated and confounded humankind for centuries. New ideas and major discoveries made during the 20th century transformed cosmology – the term for the way we conceptualize and study the universe – although much remains unknown. Here is the history of the universe …
What is a light-year? - NASA Science
WEBKeep Exploring. Light-year is the distance light travels in one year. Light zips through interstellar space at 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second and 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers) per year. We use light-time to measure the vast distances of space. It’s the distance that light travels in a specific period of time.
Where Are They Now? - NASA Science
WEBWhere Are They Now? Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have reached "interstellar space" and each continue their unique journey deeper into the cosmos. In NASA's Eyes on the Solar System app, you can see the actual spacecraft trajectories of the Voyagers updated every five minutes.