Planetary Science

  1. Planetary Science

    Mars Encounter

    On Aug. 27, Mars and Earth will be closer to each other than at any other time in the last 50,000 years. Amateur astronomers with small backyard telescopes can already view features such as dust clouds, the southern polar ice cap (because the southern cap is tipped toward Earth), and volcanic terrain. This NASA Web […]

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  2. Planetary Science

    Slowdown on Saturn? Windy doings on the ringed planet

    The winds in Saturn’s upper atmosphere are some of the swiftest in the solar system, but recent findings suggest there’s been a dramatic slowdown.

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  3. Planetary Science

    New view of Earth

    On May 8, 2003, scientists pointed a camera on board the Mars Global Surveyor probe back at Earth and captured the first image from another planet that shows our world as more than a point of light.

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  4. Planetary Science

    Springtime on Neptune: Images hint at seasonal changes on distant planet

    Belying its location in the deep freeze of the outer solar system, Neptune may undergo a change of seasons.

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  5. Planetary Science

    Mars Photo of the Day

    With a stock of more than 120,000 images, the camera team for NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor mission has started daily postings of pictures to showcase the diversity of Martian landscapes. Click on the photo to obtain additional information about what the image reveals. Go to: http://www.msss.com/

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  6. Planetary Science

    Roving on the Red Planet

    NASA last month selected the landing sites for rovers scheduled to begin exploring the Martian surface next January.

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  7. Planetary Science

    Spacecraft reveal Mars’ molten heart

    Tracking the precise motion of a spacecraft orbiting Mars, planetary scientists have deduced that the core of the Red Planet is at least partially liquid.

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  8. Planetary Science

    Red Planet

    The imaging team of NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has doubled the number of Mars pictures available to the public with the release of a new archive of photos. The archive contains all the pictures that were taken by Mars Global Surveyor from September 1999 through February 2000 and includes the images that were taken […]

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  9. Planetary Science

    Planets in Autumn

    On Sept. 22, Earth joined two other worlds in the solar system where it is northern autumn. At this NASA Web site, learn more about Earth’s September equinox and ponder the bizarre seasons of other planets. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast22sep_1.htm?list110076

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  10. Planetary Science

    Martian Gullies: Carved by melting snow?

    Melting snow may have sculpted the recently formed gullies found at midlatitudes on Mars.

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  11. Planetary Science

    Space Class

    If you’re looking for classroom materials tied to recent NASA news reports, such as evidence suggesting the presence of water on Mars, this Web site pulls together a variety of articles, images, and Web links related to any given report. The archive includes topics such as solar storms, meteors, planetary alignments, eclipses, and many others. […]

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  12. Planetary Science

    Forgotten Planet

    Mercury: The solar system's inner frontier.

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