NASA Solar System

Got something weighing you down? Shake it off (like Curiosity)! The Martian explorer unintentionally picked up a rock while drilling a recent sample, but the team was able to dislodge it by having the rover move its robotic arm and vibrate the drill until the rock fell off.

Searching for life beyond Earth isn’t just about the planet we hope to find life on, it’s about that planet’s star too. Starlight can change a planet’s atmosphere and even mimic signs of life. More from @NASAGoddard's Giada Arney: youtu.be/UCID1eHTLLw?si…

It's a moon. We checked. @NASA's Cassini spacecraft got many close-up views of Saturn's icy moon Mimas, and still managed to escape and send the data home. Take a tour of Mimas and hundreds of other solar system moons at science.nasa.gov/solar-system/m… — and May the Fourth be With You.

Astronauts saw flashes on the Moon. So did volunteers on Earth. Now, it’s your turn. 🌙 If you have a telescope, you can help NASA study lunar impacts… and even future moonquakes: go.nasa.gov/4uaqW1r

NASA is launching a new experiment to track charged particles in a "space doughnut" encircling Earth. 🍩 Installed on the @Space_Station, STORIE will study the ring current — a swarm of particles that can surge when a solar blast hits Earth, disrupting satellites & power grids.

@NASAglenn @NASA It was a *very* good month for NASA photos x.com/NASASolarSyste…

A month full of Moon joy 🌕📸 What’s your favorite @NASA shot from this April?

It’s Citizen Science Month! Citizen scientists, people just like you, have helped @NASA learn more about our universe since the agency began! Ready to do some science? We’ll take you on a tour of some of the projects that have data waiting to be analyzed by volunteers. ⬇️

What's Up in May? Shooting stars before dawn, a brilliant meetup between the Moon and Venus, and a rare blue moon to end the month. go.nasa.gov/4upcuD5

@erenyeagerdtm The photo in this post was taken in Salt Lake City, Utah, by NASA photographer Bill Dunford.

Last full Moon, four humans launched from Earth. A few days later, they looped around the lunar far side and back towards home. We’re not looking at the Moon quite the same way since the Artemis II crew’s journey. Where will you view this week’s full Moon from?

Hello, Moon! 👋 Our @NASAArtemis II astronauts recently returned new imagery of the Moon, adding to the treasure trove of pictures across the spectrum of light. These help us learn its composition, surface conditions, and more.

Have you heard of the Dragonfly mission? It's sending a first-of-its-kind rotorcraft to Saturn's moon Titan.🪐🚁 Learn more at a free @nightskynetwork webinar featuring planetary scientist Dr. Jason W. Barnes. 📅 Tune in TONIGHT at 9 p.m. EDT. youtube.com/watch?v=bYbTyO…

Today marks five years since a human-made object first touched the Sun. On Apr 28, 2021, during its 8th flyby, NASA's Parker Solar Probe entered the Sun's superheated atmosphere—the corona—for the first time, flying 8.1 million miles above the solar surface. To date, Parker has made 27 close approaches to the Sun, each time helping us understand more about our host star and the space weather events it creates.

By "time traveling" in opposite directions on two different sides of Mars, the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers are helping scientists reconstruct key details about the planet’s history.

Another banner year! Today officially marks 36 years of Hubble. The mission is still going strong, with images and discoveries that constantly change the way we understand our universe. Here are just a few examples of what Hubble's been up to in the past year ⬇️

Getting Dragonfly ready for Titan. 🪐 Engineers at @JHUAPL are assembling the rotorcraft lander and preparing it for vibration and load testing. Meanwhile, milestones are taking shape, from successful parachute tests to a chemistry lab built by @NASAGoddard to analyze Titan’s surface. go.nasa.gov/3QjmRcV

🔭 Skywatchers: Today, April 22, around 7:30 p.m., Jupiter will be about 3 degrees from the Moon - about one and a half thumb-widths when you hold your thumb at arm's length. This will be a pretty sight for viewers who look up during twilight after sunset.

This Earth Day, we’re looking back at new views of our home from the Artemis II crew. As they flew around the Moon, the crew was 252,756 miles from Earth at their farthest point. No matter how far we go, we will always remember where we came from. 🌎

Earthshine. Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch captured this video of Earth outside the windows of the Orion spacecraft during the second flight day of the mission. Orion was roughly 33,800 miles (54,500 km) away from Earth when @Astro_Christina took this video.

This #EarthDay we're inviting you to do science with us! 🌍🐾 Join today’s Do NASA Science Live: Earth Day Animal Spot‑a‑Thon! Explore trail camera images and help identify wildlife, supporting real research on how animal populations are changing. 🔗 Register: go.nasa.gov/4sE6BAk