Gas Giants: Facts About the Outer Planets

A gas giant is a large planet composed mostly of gases, such as hydrogen and helium, with a relatively small rocky core. The gas giants of our solar system are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.  These four large planets reside in the outer part of the solar system past the orbits of Mars and the … Read more

Terrestrial Planets: Definition & facts

Terrestrial planets are Earth-like planets made up of rocks or metals with a hard surface. Terrestrial planets also have a molten heavy-metal core, few moons and topological features such as valleys, volcanoes and craters.  In our solar system, there are four terrestrial planets, which also happen to be the four closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, … Read more

Christmas in space: 10 fun holiday space facts

It’s that magical time of year again. Whether you’re living with the frigid temperatures of the northern hemisphere or the sunny climes south of the equator, right now, lots of us are thinking about Christmas. Christmas is a holiday celebrated by more than 2 billion people globally, so chances are that it’s important to you … Read more

Nicolaus Copernicus biography: Facts & discoveries

Nicolaus Copernicus proposed his theory that the planets revolved around the sun in the 1500s, when most people believed that Earth was the center of the universe. Although his model wasn’t completely correct, it formed a strong foundation for future scientists to build on and improve humanity’s understanding of the motion of heavenly bodies. Indeed, … Read more

Blue Moon lunar lander : Facts about Jeff Bezos’ spacecraft

Since the Apollo lunar lander first delivered humans to the moon, just 12 astronauts have walked on the lunar surface. While nobody has set foot on its surface since 1972, plans are in place to return people to the moon. Some people, including American Entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, are envisaging steps much further ahead– creating a … Read more