Neptune, along with its cousin Uranus, is our solar system's least-explored planet, having only been visited by a spacecraft once. Despite this, we've discovered more Neptune-sized planets orbiting other stars than any other type of planet. To understand other solar systems and determine whether ours is unique, we must first learn more about the windy blue world in our own backyard.It's unclear where Neptune came from or how it got its water. The disc of dust and gas that formed...

Mercury is our solar system's smallest planet and the closest to the sun. The tiny planet has no moon and orbits the sun faster than any other planet, which is why the Romans named it after their swift-footed messenger god. Mercury was also known to the Sumerians at least 5,000 years ago. According to a site connected to NASA's MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging) mission, it was frequently associated with Nabu, the god of writing. Mercury was...

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the sixth largest and most massive planet in the solar system. Venus is the closest large body to Earth other than the Moon; at its closest, it is the closest large body to Earth. Venus' orbit is closer to the Sun than Earth's, so the planet is always roughly in the same direction in the sky as the Sun and can only be seen near sunrise or sunset. It is the most brilliant planet in the sky when visible. The planet Venus is represented by the symbol ♀.
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Dwarf planets were introduced to the world in 2006, when Pluto was demoted from planet status and reclassified as a dwarf planet. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) currently recognises Eris and Ceres as dwarf planets. What makes a dwarf planet different from a planet? They are nearly identical in most ways, but there is one significant difference: A dwarf planet has not "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit, which means it does not have gravitational dominance and shares its orbital space with other bodies of similar size. (This definition is being debated by astronomers and other experts.)
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The way people think about the universe, how it works, and how big it is has evolved over time. Humans had little or no understanding of the universe for countless lifetimes. Instead, our forefathers relied on legend to explain the origins of everything. The myths reflect human concerns, hopes, aspirations, or fears, rather than the nature of reality, because they were created by our forefathers. Humans began to apply mathematics, writing, and new investigative principles to the search for knowledge several centuries ago. Those principles, as well as scientific tools, were refined over time, eventually revealing clues about the nature of the universe.
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Look up at the sky if you're on a dark country hill at night. A faint band of light may appear arcing overhead, resembling milk spilled across the sky. The band was named via lacteal by the ancient Romans, which means "milky road" or "milky way."  Of course, the band of light you see isn't milk—a it's galaxy. A galaxy is a large group of stars that are clustered together in space. Our solar system, which consists of the sun, Earth,...