Solar System Discoveries
Who discovered the planets? For many of the planets in the solar system, we'll never know! Some planets are so bright in the sky that the first observers of these planets are lost in the distant past of early civilizations. Venus was carefully observed in early Mesoamerican cultures. The most distant planets were discovered in the last century, and we're now still discovering Dwarf planets, in our solar system and beyond. Visit the links here to find out more about what we know about the discovery of planets."
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Explore Solar System Discoveries
Discovery of Mercury
Mercury's orbit is so close to the Sun that it is difficult to see by ground-based observers. ...Read more
Discovery of Venus
Venus is one of the brightest objects in the sky, so it is clearly visible to the naked eye. ...Read more
Discovery of Mars
Mars is much like Venus-- it's very bright and therefore easily spotted in the night sky. ...Read more
Discovery of Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It is also one of the brighter objects ...Read more
Discovery of Saturn
Like the inner planets and Jupiter, Saturn is clearly visible in the night sky. The ancient ...Read more
Discovery of Uranus
Astronomer William Herschel is credited with the discovery of Uranus in 1781. He was using ...Read more
Discovery of Neptune
If you had a quiz question in school that asked what year Neptune was discovered, you'd probably ...Read more
Discovery of Pluto
After the discovery of Neptune in 1846, mathematical theory suggested that there still might ...Read more
Discovery of Ceres
Ceres is the largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt. It was classified as a "dwarf ...Read more
Discovery of Haumea
Haumea is a dwarf planet in our Solar System. Haumea is the fifth object officially classified ...Read moreMore about Solar System Discoveries
- Discovery of Makemake
- Discovery of Eris
- What is a Planet
- Exoplanets
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Do you want to build your own custom comet?Do you know what Pluto, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris have in common?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?Quaternary
xQuaternary : The Quaternary is the geologic time period comprising about the last 1.65 million years.
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Research Highlights
Marine Scientists, Students Find Widespread Floating Plastic Debris in North Atlantic Ocean
Despite growing awareness of the problem of plastic pollution in the world's oceans, little solid scientific information has existed about the nature and scope of the issue. This week, a team of researchers...Read more
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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information.
