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Neptune, the Cold Planet - Solar System 3D Animation for Kids

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What Is a Black Hole? (Grades K - 4) - NASA

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A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space.

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Students can learn about different aircrafts and drones. Play NASA Games.

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Why Do We Explore Space? - Astronomy for Kids!

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Saturn 101 | Planet With Rings | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Mars 101 | Living On Mars | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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All About Jupiter for Children: Astronomy and Space for Kids - FreeSchool

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Telescopes in Space! | How We Study Space | SciShow Kids

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The Planet Earth: Astronomy and Space for Kids - FreeSchool

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The Planet Venus: Astronomy and Space for Kids - FreeSchool

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Uranus 101 | Strangest Planet In The Solar System | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Mercury 101 | Planet Mercury | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Watch Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse on Epic

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Watch Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse on Epic

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Instantly access Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Neptune 101 | Exploring The Ice Giant | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Instantly access Earth plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Instantly access Exploring Black Holes plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Kaizen Debates #21 - Is Space exploration worth the money we spend on it?

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All About Neptune for Kids: Astronomy and Space for Children - FreeSchool

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Venus 101 | Life On Planet Venus | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Mercury kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Space Myths, Busted kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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Leave only moonprints: Nasa’s lunar recycling ambitions

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When astronauts land on the Moon again as part of the Artemis project, they will have to build a place to live in. Nasa wants them to build as much of it they can from used materials.

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Discover facts, quizzes, and videos about the planets of the solar system, the history of space travel, and the names of stars and galaxies in the universe.
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What's It Like to Live in Space? | Compilation

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Revolutionary Space Technologies and Innovations

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From the challenges of providing optimal nutrition to managing the risks posed by microgravity, scientists and engineers from NASA work to predict, assess, and solve the problems that humans encounter in space. Through such research, NASA can develop systems that help humans thrive in space.

What will life be like on missions to deep space?

Take a peek into the lives of crew on a simulated mission to Mars. Confined inside NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), these crew answer questions from students around the world. They share how they maintain their privacy, build strong group dynamics, cope with missing their families, adapt to unexpected circumstances, and more.

Learn about HERA

Discover More Topics From NASA

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From the challenges of providing optimal nutrition to managing the risks posed by microgravity, scientists and engineers from NASA work to predict, assess, and solve the problems that humans encounter in space. Through such research, NASA can develop systems that help humans thrive in space. Learn more about living in space.

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[Timeline] The story of South Korea’s Nuri space rocket in facts and figures

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The International Space Station is a large spacecraft. It orbits around Earth. It is a home where astronauts live. The space station is also a science lab. Many countries worked together to build it. They also work together to use it. The space station is made of many pieces. The pieces were put together in space by astronauts. The space station's orbit is approximately 250 miles above Earth. NASA uses the station to learn about living and working in space. These lessons will help NASA explore space.

How Old Is the Space Station?

The first piece of the International Space Station was launched in 1998. A Russian rocket launched that piece. After that, more pieces were added. Two years later, the station was ready for people. The first crew arrived on November 2, 2000. People have lived on the space station ever since. Over time more pieces have been added. NASA and its partners around the world finished the space station in 2011.

How Big Is the Space Station?

The space station is as big inside as a house with five bedrooms. It has two bathrooms, a gymnasium and a big bay window. Six people are able to live there. It weighs almost a million pounds. It is big enough to cover a football field including the end zones. It has science labs from the United States, Russia, Japan and Europe.

What Are the Parts of the Space Station?

The space station is a home in orbit. People have lived in space every day since the year 2000. The space station's labs are where crew members do research. This research could not be done on Earth.

Scientists study what happens to people when they live in space. NASA has learned how to keep a spacecraft working for a long time. These lessons will be important in the future.

NASA has a plan to send humans deeper into space than ever before. The space station is one of the first steps. NASA will use lessons from the space station to get astronauts ready for the journey ahead.

On the sides of the space station are solar arrays. These arrays collect energy from the sun. They turn sunlight into electricity. Robot arms are attached outside. The robot arms helped to build the space station. They also can move astronauts around outside and control science experiments.

Airlocks on the space station are like doors. Astronauts use them to go outside on spacewalks.

Docking ports are like doors, too. The ports allow visiting spacecraft to connect to the space station. New crews and visitors enter the station through the docking ports. Astronauts fly to the space station on the Russian Soyuz. The crew members use the ports to move supplies onto the station.

Why Is the Space Station Important?

The space station is a home in orbit. People have lived in space every day since the year 2000. The space station's labs are where crew members do research. This research could not be done on Earth.

Scientists study what happens to people when they live in space. NASA has learned how to keep a spacecraft working for a long time. These lessons will be important in the future.

NASA has a plan to send humans deeper into space than ever before. The space station is one of the first steps. NASA will use lessons from the space station to get astronauts ready for the journey ahead.

More About the International Space Station
More to Explore: International Space Station
Kids Zone 3: International Space Station
Now in Space: Who's on the Space Station?
Read What is the International Space Station? (Grades 5-8)

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What Is the International Space Station? (Grades K-4) - NASA

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The International Space Station is a large spacecraft. It orbits around Earth. It is a home where astronauts live. The space station is also a science lab.

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Escape Velocity - A Quick History of Space Exploration

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India successfully launches rocket for moon mission

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The exciting story of Russian space exploration - from Tsiolkovsky's ideas and the first animal and human cosmonauts in the world, to collaboration with other countries on the International Space Station today.

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What are the Mars rovers?

Mars is a fascinating planet. It's icy cold and covered in reddish dust and dirt. Like Earth, it has volcanoes, gullies, and flat plains. Scientists can also see channels that look like they were carved by rivers and streams a long, long time ago. Over the years, we've sent four robotic vehicles, or rovers, to learn more about Mars. And NASA's fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, landed on the Red Planet in February 2021!

Meet the Team:

Click on each card below to find out what we've learned from each Mars rover.

Why are rovers so important?

Since the 1970s, scientists have been sending spacecraft to Mars. Several different types of spacecraft have been sent to the Red Planet over the years, and they all have different specialties. One type, called orbiters, orbit Mars, taking pictures as they zoom around the planet. Other spacecraft, called landers, provide photos and information from their landing spots on the surface of Mars.

Rovers have wheels and specialize in moving around. They land on the surface of Mars and drive around to different spots.

Rovers help scientists in their quest to understand what different parts of the planet are made of. Mars is made up of lots of different types of rocks, and each rock is made up of a mixture of chemicals. A rover can drive around to different areas, studying the different chemicals in each rock. These chemicals can tell scientists something about the environments that changed that rock over time.

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How do rovers help us learn more about the Red Planet?

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Since the late 1950's, space probes have been sent up to explore the solar system.

A space probe is a unmanned robotic spacecraft that does not orbit Earth, but instead, investigates in deep space and transmits their findings back to Earth.

A space probe is about the size of a family car. They are launched from Earth by rocket or space shuttle, to travel to a certain target.

A space probe might also carry a second smaller probe for release into an atmosphere .

Some space probes might often carry a space lander craft. The craft is then released to touchdown on planetary or lunar surfaces.

To date, space probes have investigated all the solar system planets, taken a look at many of the moons, comets, asteroids, and have even studied the Sun.

Every space probe has different missions and collects different data.

Most probes are powered by a combination of batteries and solar panels.

Most probes are not designed to return to Earth. Some have landed on planets and some have just flown past the planets, taking pictures for scientists to investigate. All the information they gather is used to understand the weather and other changes that happens on planets, other than Earth.

The first probe ( satellite) to go up into space was the Sputnik 1. It was launched on Oct 4, 1957, by the former Soviet Union.

The Luna 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1959, was the first man-made object to go into orbit around the Sun.

Space probes do not have astronauts.

There are three different types of space probes. There are lunar (moon) probes, solar (sun) probes, and probes that investigate the rocky surfaces on planets, or the gases on gaseous planets. They all have different missions.

The first probe to land on Mars, and transmit pictures from it's surface back to Earth, was the Luna 9, on February 3rd, 1966.

Probes use radio waves to send information back to Earth, or sometimes to a manned spacecraft.

From 1975-82, Russia had six probes land on the surface of Venus, successfully taking photos in temperatures of 855° Fahrenheit.

The Soviet Union launched the Korabl-Sputnik 5 probe on the 19th of August, 1960, into orbit with 2 dogs, 40 mice, 2 rats, and a variety of plants. One of the dogs later had puppies, one of which was sent to the then First-Lady, Jackie Kennedy.

The Korabl-Sputnik 5 was the first spaceflight to send animals into orbit and return them back safely to Earth. It paved the way for the first human orbital flight.

The Parker Solar Probe was launched by NASA, in August of 2018. It's mission is to get closer to the Sun than any other probe has ever been before. The probe will arrive to the closest point to the Sun by 2024, which will provide scientists with the closest view of the star.

The Parker Solar Probe is named in honor of the physicist Eugene Parker, at a cost of 1.5 billion dollars.

The Soviet Union probe, Luna 15, actually crashed into the surface of the moon, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were still on it.

As compared to crewed flights, automated space missions are far more economical, and of course, less risky to human life.

Billions of dollars worth of facilities, and hundreds of people are involved in following the flight of each space probe, and in intercepting the data it transmits back to Earth.

Up to 160 unmanned space probes have been launched, since the former Soviet Union first launched the first space probe, Sputnik, in 1957.

On July 19th, 2020, the United Arab Emirates launched it's first ever unmanned spacecraft on a mission to Mars, off the southern coast of mainland Japan. The $200 million "Hope Probe" is scheduled to arrive in February 2021, when it will enter into orbit around the Red Planet and begin it's missions, marking the first planetary science mission led by an Arab country.

The space probe HOPE, was the first of three space missions sent towards Mars during July of 2020, with missions also launched by the national space agencies of the U.S.A and China. They are all expected to arrive at Mars in February 2021.

On the 6th December, 2020, a space probe carrying samples from an asteroid called Ryugu was retrieved from the remote Australian outback after a six-year mission. The capsule from the unmanned Hayabusa2, carried the first extensive samples of dust from an asteroid. The capsule's samples could contain clues to the origin of the solar system. The samples which may also contain information about life on our planet, was taking to a research facility owned by the Japan Exploration Agency (JAXA).

On the 9th February, 2021, the United Arab Emirates became the fifth country to ever reach Mars, with its space probe, named Hope. After a seven month flight, it successfully entered into orbit around the red planet. The $200 million satellite aims to provide a picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, and study daily and seasonal changes on the planet. This is hopefully the first of three space missions to reach Mars this month, with China and the U.S. also sending space probes in quick succession.

China became the sixth nation to ever reach Mars, after its Tianwen-1 probe arrived in orbit around the Red Planet on February the 10th, 2021. Following a seven-month flight, the five-ton orbiter with a lander and a solar-powered rover in tow, will attempt to land on the Martian surface in May, and spend up to three Earth months studying the planet's soil and atmosphere.

This milestone by China, sees them join the United States, the Soviet Union, India, the European Space Agency and the United Arab Emirates, who have all successfully sent probes to Mars.

NASA's Perseverance probe landed safely on Mars on Thursday the 18th of February, 2021, after traveling some 300 million miles in nearly seven months. Over the next two years, Percy, as it is nicknamed, will use its 7ft (2 meters) arm to drill into the local rocks, looking for evidence of past life. The six-wheeled vehicle is equipped with a record 25 cameras and two microphones. NASA has describe Percy as the most ambitious of nearly 20 U.S. missions to Mars, dating back to 1965. The total cost of the mission could hit $3 billion.

On April 19th, 2021, NASA made history when the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter successfully lifted off from the Martian surface, flew, and landed safely, opening the door for a new generation of space drones. The 4-pound (1.8kg) drone climbed about 10 feet above the ground and hovered for 30 seconds, showing that rotorcraft technology can work in that kind of harsh environment. The Perseverance rover, which carried Ingenuity to Mars, filmed the successful liftoff from a nearby overlook. Ingenuity is the first craft to achieve controlled, powered flight on a planet beyond Earth.

On May 14th, 2021, China's probe to Mars successfully touched down on the Red Planet. The Tianwen-1 vessel touched down in an icy area of Mars known as Utopia Planitia. It had reached Mars in February and had been in orbit since. The Tianwen-1 mission consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover called "Zhurong", which is about the same size of a small car and comes equipped with six scientific instruments, including a high-resolution topography camera. When the rover rolls of the lander it will join the US' Perseverance and Curiosity rovers to explore the surface of the Red Planet.

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Space Probes - Interesting Facts For Kids/Young Students.

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Space probes use radio waves to send information back to Earth, or sometimes to a manned spacecraft. Read on for more cool facts.

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Read 22nd Century: Future of Space on Epic

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Read 22nd Century: Future of Space on Epic

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Instantly access 22nd Century: Future of Space plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Living in Space kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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Astronaut Tips: How to Wash Your Hair in Space

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Will We Survive Mars? - Glad You Asked S1

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I Tested NASA's New Space Suit (Ft. Axiom Space)

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More on Space X Suits and how they changed the design

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More on Space X Suits and how they changed the design

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How SpaceX Mastered Space Suits - Primal Nebula

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The SpaceX suits use a custom air mixture with a higher percentage of oxygen that can be varied automatically by the onboard life support system.

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Mission Overview: NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover

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black hole, cosmic body of extremely intense gravity from which nothing, not even light, can escape. A black hole can be formed by the death of a massive star. When such a star has exhausted the internal thermonuclear fuels in its core at the end of its life, the core becomes unstable and gravitationally collapses inward upon itself, and the star's outer layers are blown away. The crushing weight of constituent matter falling in from all sides compresses the dying star to a point of zero volume and infinite density called the singularity.

Details of the structure of a black hole are calculated from Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. The singularity constitutes the centre of a black hole and is hidden by the object's "surface," the event horizon. Inside the event horizon the escape velocity (i.e., the velocity required for matter to escape from the gravitational field of a cosmic object) exceeds the speed of light, so that not even rays of light can escape into space. The radius of the event horizon is called the Schwarzschild radius, after the German astronomer Karl Schwarzschild, who in 1916 predicted the existence of collapsed stellar bodies that emit no radiation. The size of the Schwarzschild radius is proportional to the mass of the collapsing star. For a black hole with a mass 10 times as great as that of the Sun, the radius would be 30 km (18.6 miles).

Only the most massive stars-those of more than three solar masses-become black holes at the end of their lives. Stars with a smaller amount of mass evolve into less compressed bodies, either white dwarfs or neutron stars.

Black holes usually cannot be observed directly on account of both their small size and the fact that they emit no light. They can be "observed," however, by the effects of their enormous gravitational fields on nearby matter. For example, if a black hole is a member of a binary star system, matter flowing into it from its companion becomes intensely heated and then radiates X-rays copiously before entering the event horizon of the black hole and disappearing forever. One of the component stars of the binary X-ray system Cygnus X-1 is a black hole. Discovered in 1971 in the constellation Cygnus, this binary consists of a blue supergiant and an invisible companion 14.8 times the mass of the Sun that revolve about one another in a period of 5.6 days.

Some black holes apparently have nonstellar origins. Various astronomers have speculated that large volumes of interstellar gas collect and collapse into supermassive black holes at the centres of quasars and galaxies. A mass of gas falling rapidly into a black hole is estimated to give off more than 100 times as much energy as is released by the identical amount of mass through nuclear fusion. Accordingly, the collapse of millions or billions of solar masses of interstellar gas under gravitational force into a large black hole would account for the enormous energy output of quasars and certain galactic systems.

One such supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, exists at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. Observations of stars orbiting the position of Sagittarius A* demonstrate the presence of a black hole with a mass equivalent to more than 4,000,000 Suns. (For these observations, American astronomer Andrea Ghez and German astronomer Reinhard Genzel were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics.) Supermassive black holes have been detected in other galaxies as well. In 2017 the Event Horizon Telescope obtained an image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the M87 galaxy. That black hole has a mass equal to six and a half billion Suns but is only 38 billion km (24 billion miles) across. It was the first black hole to be imaged directly. The existence of even larger black holes, each with a mass equal to 10 billion Suns, can be inferred from the energetic effects on gas swirling at extremely high velocities around the centre of NGC 3842 and NGC 4889, galaxies near the Milky Way.

The existence of another kind of nonstellar black hole was proposed by the British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. According to Hawking's theory, numerous tiny primordial black holes, possibly with a mass equal to or less than that of an asteroid, might have been created during the big bang, a state of extremely high temperatures and density in which the universe originated 13.8 billion years ago. These so-called mini black holes, like the more massive variety, lose mass over time through Hawking radiation and disappear. If certain theories of the universe that require extra dimensions are correct, the Large Hadron Collider could produce significant numbers of mini black holes.

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Black hole | Definition, Formation, Types, Pictures, & Facts

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Black hole, cosmic body of extremely intense gravity from which nothing, not even light, can escape. It can be formed by the death of a massive star wherein its core gravitationally collapses inward upon itself, compressing to a point of zero volume and infinite density called the singularity.

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At the center of most galaxies is one of the strangest and deadliest things in the universe: a black hole.

Most black holes, regardless of their size, are born when a giant star runs out of energy. The star implodes, and its center collapses under its own weight. This causes an explosion called a supernova. The giant star is eventually squashed into a supersmall dot you can't see.

A black hole's gravity, or attractive force, is so strong that it pulls in anything that gets too close. It can even swallow entire stars. Nothing can move fast enough to escape a black hole's gravity. This includes light, the fastest thing in the universe. That's why we can't see black holes in space-they've gobbled up all the light. Though astronomers can't see black holes, they know they're there by the effect they have on objects that get too close.

Two types of black holes exist. Supermassive black holes are the largest type of black hole. They're up to one million times more massive than our sun. This is the kind of black hole that's at the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way; it's called Sagittarius A*. (A* is scientist-code for "A-star.") The most common type of black holes, stellar black holes, are only up to 20 times more massive than our sun.

The intense gravity near a black hole makes time behave in strange ways. If an astronaut left his spacecraft to explore a black hole up close, he'd see the hands on his watch ticking at normal speed. But if anyone back on the spacecraft could observe the astronaut's watch from far away, they'd see its hands slow down as the spacewalker got closer to the black hole. When the spacewalker returned to the spaceship after an hour-long spacewalk, years would have passed for those aboard the spacecraft.

Someday humans might be able to use black holes to time travel forward. An astronaut could take a short trip near a black hole and return to Earth after years, decades, or even centuries had passed there. A black hole time machine could allow an astronaut to find out what the world will be like in the future. But going back in time? That's a different challenge altogether!

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What if You Fell Into A BLACK HOLE? | Space Video | Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

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Chances are that when you imagine the night sky, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Moon "glowing" in the darkness. The Moon has always held a special place in our imaginations and in daily life.

It's no wonder that we are fascinated. The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and one that we can easily see most nights.

What makes the Moon glow?

The Moon does not shine with its own light. It simply reflects light coming from the Sun.

Why does it look like the Moon is changing shape?

From Earth, it might look like the Moon is changing shape each night - from a tiny sliver to a half moon to a full moon and back again. What's actually happening is that from our spot on Earth, we see different parts of the Moon lit up by the Sun as the Moon travels in its orbit.

Is there actually a "dark side" of the Moon?

No. The Moon rotates on its own axis at the same rate that it orbits around Earth. That means we always see the same side of the Moon from our position on Earth. The side we don't see gets just as much light, so a more accurate name for that part of the Moon is the "far side."

How did the Moon form?

Scientists believe that the Moon formed early in the solar system's history after Earth and an object about the size of Mars smashed into each other. The impact sent chunks of Earth and the impactor into space that were pulled together by gravity, creating the Moon.

How do we study the Moon?

Even thousands of years ago, humans drew pictures to track the changes of the Moon. Later, people used their observations of the Moon to create calendars.

Today, we study the Moon using telescopes and spacecraft. For example, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the Moon and sending back measurements since 2009.

The Moon is the only other planetary body that humans have visited. On July 20, 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to set foot on the dusty surface of the Moon. Ten other American astronauts followed. They collected hundreds of pounds of lunar soil and rock samples, conducted experiments and installed equipment for follow-up measurements.

What do we know about the Moon?

Today, we know that the Moon is covered by craters as well as dust and debris from comets, asteroids and meteoroid impacts. We know that the Moon's dark areas, called maria - which is Latin for seas - are not actually seas. Instead, they are craters that lava seeped into billions of years ago. We know that the Moon has almost no atmosphere and only about one-sixth of Earth's gravity. We even know that there is quite a bit of frozen water tucked away in craters near the Moon's poles.

There are still many questions left to answer about the Moon. And the most exciting days of lunar activity may still lie ahead as NASA sends humans on the next missions to the Moon and eventually on to Mars!

For more information visit:
NASA Solar System Exploration

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Calling all budding young space cadets! Join us as we head into the universe to discover ten fascinating facts about the Moon ...

10 facts about the Moon

7) As the Moon travels, it rotates on its own axis, just like our planet. It takes roughly the same amount of time for the Moon to make a full rotation as it does for it to complete its orbit. This means we only ever see around 60% of the Moon's surface from Earth! The part that faces Earth is known as the 'near side' and the other, the 'far side'.

8) The temperature on the Moon varies from super hot to super cold! When the Sun hits its surface, temperatures can reach a scorching 127°C. But when the Sun 'goes down', temperatures can plummet to around -153°C. Brr...

9) Like Earth, the Moon has gravity (the force that pulls things towards the ground). But the Moon's gravity is weaker, only one sixth of the Earth's gravity, in fact. That means you'd weigh much less if you were to stand on the Moon!

10) Scientists aren't entirely sure how the Moon formed. A popular theory is that a Mars-sized rock, named Theia, crashed into Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from the collision clumped together to make what is now... Our Moon!

What do you think of our facts about the Moon? Out of this world, right?! Leave a comment below and let us know...

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Facts about the Moon! - National Geographic Kids

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How big is the moon? What's on the surface of the moon? How strong is the moon's gravity? How and when do scientists think the moon formed? Find out the answers to these questions and more in our ten facts about the moon!

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First thing's first... Is Pluto a planet? In 2006, Pluto was reclassified from a planet... to a dwarf planet. Pluto is now categorized as a dwarf planet along with other objects in the solar system that are similar to Pluto: Ceres, Makemake, Haumea, and Eris.

Which sentence best describes Pluto?

1. Pluto is actually closer to the Sun than Neptune for about 8% of its orbit.

2. Pluto is just one of many icy objects in a distant area of our solar system.

3. Pluto and its large, orbiting moon Charon, are tipped on their sides.

4. Pluto is almost 40 times farther from the Sun than Earth is.

5. All of the above.

Well, just pick the answer you like best, because they are all true!

Pluto is a dwarf planet that lies in the Kuiper [KI-per] Belt. It's an area full of icy bodies and other dwarf planets at the edge of our solar system. Pluto is known as the "King of the Kuiper Belt" - and it's the largest object in the region, even though another object similar in size, called Eris, has a slightly higher mass.

One thing is certain. Pluto and its neighborhood are very peculiar. If scientists could unravel some of their mysteries, we would know more about how our solar system formed.

More fun facts about pluto

1. Pluto is only about half the width of the United States. Charon, one of Pluto's five moons, is about half the size of Pluto. Charon is the largest moon compared to the body it orbits (whether planet or dwarf planet) of any moon in the solar system.

2. Almost all the planets in our solar system travel around the Sun in nearly perfect circles. But Pluto does not. It takes an oval-shaped path with the Sun nowhere near its center. What's more, its path is quite tilted from the nice, orderly plane where most of the planets orbit.

3. Compared to most of the other planets and their moons, Pluto and Charon are tipped on their sides. The only planet that spins on its side like this is Uranus.

4. If you lived on Pluto, you'd have to live 248 Earth years to celebrate your first birthday in Pluto-years.

5. If you lived on Pluto, you would see Charon from only one side of the planet. Charon's orbit around Pluto takes about 6.5 Earth days. Pluto's day (that is, one complete rotation) takes exactly the same amount of time. That means that Charon always "hovers" over the same spot on Pluto's surface, and the same side of Charon always faces Pluto.

6. At Pluto's current distance from the Sun, the temperature on its surface is about 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit! It will get even colder as it moves farther from the Sun. From Pluto, the Sun looks like just a bright dot in the sky, the brightest star visible. The light from the Sun is as bright on Pluto as the light from the full Moon is on Earth.

7. If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh only 7 pounds on Pluto!

8. Pluto orbits in a far-out region of the solar system called the Kuiper (KY-purr) Belt. There are lots of icy, rocky objects out there. But they are so far from the Sun they are really hard to see, even with powerful telescopes.

But why is Pluto not a planet?

A while back, Pluto was the ninth planet from the Sun. It was also the smallest planet.

But not anymore. Poor Pluto. Just how did it get "kicked out" of our family of planets? And who are its "real" family members?

Astronomers have already named four other objects in the solar system that are about the same small size as Pluto. They are Ceres [SEAR-ees], Makemake (MAH-kee-MAH-kee], Haumea (HOW-may-ah], and Eris (AIR-iss]. Eris may be as big as, or even slightly bigger, than Pluto. But, overall, these objects, along with Pluto, are much smaller than the "other" planets.

Ceres orbits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Makemake, like Pluto, is part of the Kuiper Belt, which is a region of trillions of icy objects orbiting beyond Neptune. Eris' orbit is even farther out.

Astronomers have put these objects into a new family called dwarf planets.

A pilgrimage to Pluto!

We finally got to visit Pluto, Charon, and the Kuiper Belt! On January 19, 2006, NASA launched a robot spacecraft on the long journey. This mission is called New Horizons. New Horizons flew by Pluto and its moons on July 14, 2015 and continues to study other objects in the Kuiper Belt to this day.

With New Horizons, we are visiting and learning about the objects at the very edge of our solar system. They may help us understand how our solar system formed.

In early 2019, New Horizons flew past its second major science target - Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored up close. Learn more here!

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Pluto is now categorized as a dwarf planet.

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Easier version of Recycling on the Moon with Korean

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Easier version of Recycling on the Moon with Korean

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“Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way. Even seemingly simple ideas about the nature of our galaxy’s central bar and the spiral arms have been