Planetary Science

Lunar Rover Research Challenge

This competition-based space project launching in Fall 2022 will challenge students to design a lunar rover research mission.

Destination Mars

Discover how space agencies have explored the Red Planet in the past and present and learn about the future of human spaceflight to the red planet.

Meet Our Dwarf Planets

Learn about the dwarf planets in our Solar System.

Jupiter’s atmosphere taken from NASA's Juno spacecraft

The Outer Solar System

Learn about the amazing planets and moons of the outer Solar System.

How can I tell which way is north at night?

Do you like to look at the stars? What can you identify in the night sky? Try finding some important constellations tonight!

Astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques

Space Videos

Artist’s conception of NASA’s Space Launch System

Escape Velocity

Why do a baseball and a rocket need the same launch speed to get from Earth into space? It has to do with physics and gravitational force.

An artist’s impression of a habitable exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star

Searching for exoplanets around the star next door

In planetary science, astronomers have found planets that orbit other stars, just like Earth orbits the Sun. Some of them might even be able to support life.

Where Can We Find Asteroids and Comets?

This backgrounder explains the difference between planets, dwarf planets and small solar system bodies, such as asteroids and comets.

Why is it colder in the winter even though the Earth is closer to the Sun?

Learn why we have seasons in this hands on activity.

What would happen if a meteor hit Earth?

Explore the effects of asteroid impacts in this hands on activity.

What is your weight on another planet?

Do you weigh the same on Jupiter as you do on Earth? Learn to calculate your weight on a different planet.