Blog

Gravity shapes the solar system by holding worlds in orbit, driving tides, and controlling how stars, planets, moons, and debris interact.

Learn how planets get moons, from capture and co-formation to giant impacts and disk accretion, with examples across the Solar System.

Learn which planet is farthest from the Sun, how astronomers classify the outer solar system, and why Neptune holds that title.

Explore the methods scientists use to measure solar system distances, from radar ranging and parallax to spacecraft tracking and laser signals.

Discover how planets get their names, from ancient gods to modern naming rules, dwarf planets, and exoplanets.

Learn what objects are classified as dwarf planets, how the IAU defines them, and which Solar System bodies currently qualify.

Learn how asteroids, meteors, and meteorites differ, where each comes from, and why the terms are often confused.

Explore how rocky planets form from dust, collisions, and differentiation, and why some become habitable worlds.

Learn how planets form from dust and gas, from protoplanetary disks to rocky worlds, gas giants, and icy bodies.

Learn how gas giants and ice giants differ in composition, size, atmospheres, and formation, with clear examples from our Solar System.