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Directory - NASA Solar System Exploration NASA’s real-time science encyclopedia of deep space exploration Our scientists and far-ranging robots explore the wild frontiers of our solar system
In Depth | Our Solar System – NASA Solar System Exploration The planetary system we call home is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids Beyond our own solar system, there
In Depth | 1P Halley – NASA Solar System Exploration Halley is often called the most famous comet because it marked the first time astronomers understood comets could be repeat visitors to our night skies Astronomers have now linked the comet's appearances to observations dating back more than 2,000 years Halley was last seen in Earth's skies in 1986 and was met in space by an international fleet of spacecraft It will return in 2061 on its
Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud - NASA Solar System Exploration The Kuiper Belt should not be confused with the Oort Cloud, which is a thousand times more distant In 1950, astronomer Jan Oort proposed that certain comets come from a vast, extremely distant spherical shell of icy bodies surrounding the solar system This giant swarm of objects, now named the Oort Cloud, occupies space at a distance between 5,000 and 100,000 astronomical units No objects
In Depth | 2P Encke – NASA Solar System Exploration Discovery Comet 2P Encke was first discovered by Pierre F A Mechain on Jan 17, 1786 Other astronomers located this comet in subsequent passages, but these sightings were not defined as the same comet until Johann Franz Encke calculated its orbit Overview Comet 2P Encke is a small comet Its nucleus measures approximately 2 98 miles (4 8 kilometers) in diameter, which is about a third of
In Depth | Kuiper Belt – NASA Solar System Exploration The Kuiper Belt is a large region in the cold, outer reaches of our solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune It's sometimes called the "third zone" of the solar system Astronomers think there are millions of small, icy objects in this region – including hundreds of thousands that are larger than 60 miles (100 kilometers) wide Some of the objects, including Pluto, are over 600 miles (1,000