planets articles
Did NASA find an ocean on Mars?
The red planet has long captivated researchers, fueled by tantalizing hints of past habitability, and the current consen...
Does Venus have a stronger magnetic field than Earth?
The immediate answer to whether Venus possesses a stronger magnetic field than Earth is definitively no; in fact, Venus ...
What are the main characteristics of Jupiter?
Jupiter stands unrivaled in our solar neighborhood, a behemoth whose very presence shapes the orbits and evolution of th...
How many habitable planets are there in our solar system?
When we gaze up at the night sky from Earth, the question of how many other worlds in our local neighborhood might suppo...
Is Mercury or Venus more habitable?
The comparison between Mercury and Venus regarding habitability often pits one extreme environment against another, both...
Has liquid water ever existed on Mars?
The evidence is overwhelming that Mars was once a far wetter world than the cold, arid planet we see today. Ancient geol...
What evidence is there for ancient shorelines on Mars?
The ongoing investigation into the geological record of Mars frequently circles back to a profound possibility: that the...
How does NASA classify planets?
The standard for classifying a planet within our Solar System is a specific set of rules established by the Internationa...
Why is finding life on other planets important?
The presence of life beyond Earth is a question that has captivated human thought for centuries, moving from the realm o...
Why do planets look like they are flickering?
The visual phenomenon of celestial objects appearing to flicker, or twinkle, is a common sight for anyone who spends tim...
What unit is used to measure planets?
The vastness of space presents an immediate challenge when we try to describe the positions of celestial bodies. Trying ...
How do astronomers measure the size of planets?
Determining the physical dimensions of a planet, whether it orbits our Sun or a star light-years away, requires more tha...
How many images of Venus exist?
The actual count of images taken *of* Venus depends entirely on what counts: the rare, direct photographs from the surfa...
Did ancient beaches found on Mars reveal the Red Planet once had oceans?
The long-standing cosmic question of whether Mars ever hosted vast, life-sustaining bodies of liquid water seems to be f...
Does every solar system have a Goldilocks zone?
The simple answer to whether every star system possesses a Goldilocks Zone is complex, leaning toward "no," depending on...
Why is it highly unlikely that any of the stars in a globular cluster would have planets?
The very idea of a star system existing within a dense globular cluster often feels counterintuitive, given our familiar...
How to tell if it's Jupiter or Venus?
Spotting a brilliant, unwavering light in the twilight sky and wondering if you're looking at Earth's closest neighbor o...
Does Venus appear in the eastern sky?
Venus certainly appears in the eastern sky, but whether you can see it there depends entirely on the time of year and th...
Why is the Goldilocks zone habitable?
The region around a star where a planet could potentially host liquid water on its surface is commonly known as the Habi...
Why does Venus look like its flickering?
That beautiful, brilliant beacon in the evening or morning sky—Venus—sometimes exhibits a curious behavior: it appears t...
What materials are found on Jupiter?
Jupiter, the Solar System’s behemoth, does not present a familiar, solid surface like Earth or Mars; rather, what we obs...
What planets have we crashed satellites into?
The act of sending an artificial object toward another world often culminates in a planned or unplanned collision, a fin...
How many planets have we landed rovers on?
The count for planetary surfaces visited by robotic wheeled vehicles designed to roam is surprisingly small. To date, hu...
What planets have humans landed probes on?
The human endeavor to send robotic envoys beyond Earth has resulted in a surprisingly small number of confirmed *landing...