Last updated on December 18th, 2023
The asteroid belt
52. According to NASA, more than one million asteroids exist in our solar system. Most of the asteroids in our solar system can be found in the asteroid belt which is a region of space between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. What is quite fascinating is that the asteroid belt separates the inner four planets from the outer planets. The belt was believed to be more populated when it was first formed.
A disk of comets
53. Beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune, there is a disc filled with icy objects known as the Kuiper Belt. This may be the source of comets that travel through our solar system.
More than 3800 comets!
54. Another interesting statistic from NASA is that as of today there are more than 3800 comets in our solar system. According to them, there might be billions more in the asteroid belt orbiting the Sun.
A Unique Visitor
55. To this day, Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft ever to visit both Neptune and Uranus. Interestingly, the craft only flew by these two planets, while observations were made during those brief times. It was first launched in 1977.
Neptune May Drift away!
56. It is possible that Neptune may drift out of its orbit around the Sun at some point in the future. If this happens, it could mean a catastrophe for the balance of the entire solar system. Luckily, this could take millions of years.
Ganymede — a planetary-mass moon
57. The largest Moon in our solar system (bigger than the planet Mercury and dwarf planet Pluto) is known as Ganymede and is about half the size of the Earth.
58. Did you know that Ganymede is the only Moon in our solar system with a magnetic field? This interesting fact was discovered in 1996 by the spacecraft from NASA Galileo. Ganymede has an ocean 60 miles deep, ten times deeper than Earth’s ocean. What this translates to is that there is nearly 40 times more water on this Moon than on the Earth.
59. Since it was formed, the molten core of Mercury has been cooling down. The consequence is that the planet is shrinking and will keep shrinking until it’s completely cooled.
60. Saturn is not the only planet that has rings. Through the years, many planets have been discovered in our solar system with rings; other planets are Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter. The rings around Saturn may seem solid, but they are, in fact, not. These rings are mostly composed of many moving particles, from very tiny to mountain-sized. Spectroscopic evidence also shows that the particles are made up of water ice.
61. It is believed that the rings around Saturn were formed from the remains of comets and asteroids. Some even believe it is pieces of shattered moons that broke up before they reached the planet’s atmosphere. The rings will look white when viewed from above.
62. Not all planets in our solar system are made from rock and other materials. Planets like Saturn and Jupiter are made from gas and are known as gas giants.
Aurora Borealis in space
63. Jupiter is the planet with the largest Aurora Borealis in the solar system. Jupiter’s Aurorae also never stop because the planet gets constantly hammered with charged particles from its volcano moon.
64. Saturn has many rings surrounding the planet in perfect circles. The rings surrounding this planet are made of dust and small pieces of ice.
The Effect of Gravity
65. All the planets, their moons, and the Sun are round balls. That is because of the gravitational force and the spin of these solar bodies that pull everything into its center.
66. Venus is, for the most part, close to the Earth when it comes to its gravity and the size of the planet. The gravity on Venus is about 90 percent of that of the Earth and the planet has about 95 percent of the radius of the Earth.
67. Pluto is no longer considered a planet, but it has had dwarf-planet status since 2006. It doesn’t meet the three IAU criteria to make it an entire planet. It is because of Pluto that the third zone of the solar system was discovered. While observing Pluto, scientists discover the icy regions of the solar system known as the Kuyper belt. That is because the planet may be part of the belt.
68. A fun fact is that the Disney character Pluto was named after the then-recently discovered planet. Walt Disney named the cartoon dog after the planet because it was quite popular at that time. At that time, the planet was also just a dot in the sky seen only by telescope.
69. Neptune is dark, very windy, and has a cold atmosphere, and it is made up of a thick soup of methane, ammonia, and water.
70. A combination of white and blue colors is the only way to distinguish the planets Neptune and Uranus from each other. Neptune has a brighter blue and white, while Uranus is a pale blue color because of the excess aerosol haze.
71. The second planet from the Sun, Venus, has a structure similar to that of the Earth. It is also the same size as our planet; the atmosphere and scorching heat are different.
72. When viewed through a telescope, Venus can be seen as a bright yellow-white disc through the lens. Unfortunately, that is also the only thing you will see because the surface is hidden from the viewer due to the dense cloud.
73. The main difference between the atmosphere of Earth and Venus is the carbon dioxide found on the sister planet. Due to the carbon dioxide atmosphere of Venus, it is more like a greenhouse effect on the planet. That is also one of the reasons why Venus is so much warmer than the Earth, at about 860 degrees Fahrenheit. The Earth’s atmosphere consists of 99 percent oxygen and nitrogen.
74. On Mercury, there are extreme differences between the hottest and coldest temperatures. It can range from around -179 degrees Fahrenheit at night to scouring temperatures as high as 801 degrees daily.
75. Highly reflective spots were discovered by telescope in the 1990s in the polar regions of Mercury. It made those who saw it conclude that there might be ice in the polar regions of the planet. Further studies revealed that they are water ice.
Core of Iron
76. About 75 percent of the surface of Mercury consists of an iron ore core. The huge core of the planet contains more iron than any other planet in the solar system. It is still unknown why the core of this planet is that big.
77. Scientists believe that several moons in our solar system have water. Two examples are Enceladus orbiting Saturn and one of Jupiter’s moons, Europe, with liquid oceans covered with thick ice layers.
78. Mars has a hard and rocky surface, which makes this planet very much like Earth. There are also clouds and winds on Mars, like the ones we are used to on Earth. Unfortunately, the temperature on Mars is way below freezing.
79. Scientists believe that Pluto has more water than Earth. According to their studies, Earth is ranked fifth among the places with the most water in our solar system.
80. Comets are rich in water and carbon molecules that may sustain life. Asteroids contain high levels of minerals like iron, gold, nickel, platinum, and many others found on Earth.
81. An asteroid was found in 2013 by scientists that has rings just like Jupiter. Asteroid Chariklo was discovered between Uranus and Saturn, which has large rings, a first of its kind.
82. Did you know that the atmosphere on Saturn is about the same as you find inside a birthday balloon? That means the atmosphere is mainly made from helium and hydrogen. The planet will easily float on water if you can find a big enough body of water.
83. The ammonia and methane gas that form the atmosphere of Saturn give the planet that golden color. The hazy yellow-brown color you see when observing the planet is due to the ammonia particles swirling in the atmosphere, giving it a gold tint.