Solar System | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/solar-system/RSS feed for Solar SystemenFri, 22 May 2026 20:14:29 +0000See NASA's Stunning New Images of Mars Captured During an Asteroid-Bound Spacecraft's Strategic Flybyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-nasas-stunning-new-images-of-mars-captured-during-an-asteroid-bound-spacecrafts-strategic-flyby-180988788/The Psyche mission, on its way to study an asteroid of the same name, approached within 2,864 miles of the red planet on May 15Fri, 22 May 2026 20:14:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-nasas-stunning-new-images-of-mars-captured-during-an-asteroid-bound-spacecrafts-strategic-flyby-180988788/Neptune's Moon Nereid Might Be the Sole Intact Survivor of an Ancient Lunar Collisionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neptunes-moon-nereid-might-be-the-sole-intact-survivor-of-an-ancient-lunar-collision-180988785/A study suggests that the ice giant's largest moon, Triton, made a dramatic entrance to the Neptunian system long ago, kicking Nereid outward and destroying the planet's other original lunar companionsThu, 21 May 2026 20:16:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neptunes-moon-nereid-might-be-the-sole-intact-survivor-of-an-ancient-lunar-collision-180988785/NASA's Curiosity Rover Had a Martian Rock Stuck on Its Arm for Days. Watch It Finally Shake the Stubborn Stone Offhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasas-curiosity-rover-had-a-martian-rock-stuck-on-its-arm-for-days-watch-it-successfully-shook-the-stubborn-stone-off-180988708/While drilling has fractured rocks, this is the first time the instrument has ever accidentally pulled a whole chunk from the ground, according to the space agencyMon, 11 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasas-curiosity-rover-had-a-martian-rock-stuck-on-its-arm-for-days-watch-it-successfully-shook-the-stubborn-stone-off-180988708/This Tiny Celestial Body Past Pluto Shouldn't Have an Atmosphere—but Astronomers Say They May Have Detected Onehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/Worlds this small and distant are thought to be too cold and have too little surface gravity to hold onto gases. But the findings suggest that icy, rocky objects in the solar system's outer reaches are more dynamic than we thoughtFri, 08 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-celestial-body-past-pluto-shouldnt-have-an-atmosphere-but-astronomers-say-they-may-have-detected-one-180988690/Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Came From an Extremely Cold, Lonely Region of the Milky Way Galaxy, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-came-from-an-extremely-cold-lonely-region-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-new-research-suggests-180988625/Astronomers analyzed the vapors coming off the comet when it neared the sun and found it had a lot of "heavy" water. That hints it grew up in a frigid planetary system, possibly before its home star formedMon, 27 Apr 2026 19:26:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-came-from-an-extremely-cold-lonely-region-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-new-research-suggests-180988625/To Keep the Voyager 1 Spacecraft on Its Interstellar Journey, NASA Turned Off One of Its Few Remaining Instrumentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-keep-the-voyager-1-spacecraft-on-its-interstellar-journey-nasa-turned-off-one-of-its-few-remaining-instruments-180988608/The probe launched almost 50 years ago and is the farthest human-made object from Earth. Shutting down one of its scientific devices will help it conserve energy and continue traveling toward the edge of the solar systemFri, 24 Apr 2026 18:59:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-keep-the-voyager-1-spacecraft-on-its-interstellar-journey-nasa-turned-off-one-of-its-few-remaining-instruments-180988608/A Mars Rover Found Building Blocks of Life Never Seen on the Red Planet Before, Boosting the Case for Ancient Habitabilityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-mars-rover-found-building-blocks-of-life-never-seen-on-the-red-planet-before-boosting-the-case-for-ancient-habitability-180988610/The organic molecules discovered by NASA’s Curiosity rover could have been formed by life, but they could have also come from geologic processes or meteoritesThu, 23 Apr 2026 20:10:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-mars-rover-found-building-blocks-of-life-never-seen-on-the-red-planet-before-boosting-the-case-for-ancient-habitability-180988610/Astronauts' Memories of Earth's Gravity May Influence How They Move and Hold Objects, Even After Months in Spacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronauts-memories-of-earths-gravity-may-influence-how-they-move-and-hold-objects-even-after-months-in-space-180988586/Examining the fine motor skills of space travelers can help improve safety for future missions, scientists sayTue, 21 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronauts-memories-of-earths-gravity-may-influence-how-they-move-and-hold-objects-even-after-months-in-space-180988586/After Rounding the Moon, Artemis 2 Astronauts Reflect on the Magnitude of the Experience: 'We as Countries and as Humans Did This'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-rounding-the-moon-artemis-2-astronauts-reflect-on-the-enormity-of-the-experience-we-as-countries-and-as-humans-did-this-180988568/In their first press conference since returning from space, the four-person crew described feeling small but united with people on Earth and said the mission was an achievement by all of humanityFri, 17 Apr 2026 15:01:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-rounding-the-moon-artemis-2-astronauts-reflect-on-the-enormity-of-the-experience-we-as-countries-and-as-humans-did-this-180988568/The James Webb Space Telescope and the Parker Solar Probe Changed How We See the Universe. Now, Their Models Have Found a Home at the Smithsonianhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-james-webb-space-telescope-and-the-parker-solar-probe-changed-how-we-see-the-universe-now-their-models-have-found-a-home-at-the-smithsonian-180988524/The National Air and Space Museum’s Virginia location now displays the objects which represent critical leaps forward in technology and exploration by NASAFri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-james-webb-space-telescope-and-the-parker-solar-probe-changed-how-we-see-the-universe-now-their-models-have-found-a-home-at-the-smithsonian-180988524/What Lies Beyond Artemis 2? These Other Missions Are Setting Their Sights on the Moon This Year—and on a Future With Humans in Spacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-lies-beyond-artemis-2-these-other-missions-are-setting-their-sights-on-the-moon-this-yearand-on-a-future-with-humans-in-space-180988517/As the historic lunar flyby comes to a close, space companies and nations around the world are also shooting for the moon. Upcoming landings aim to change the landscape of space explorationThu, 09 Apr 2026 14:02:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-lies-beyond-artemis-2-these-other-missions-are-setting-their-sights-on-the-moon-this-yearand-on-a-future-with-humans-in-space-180988517/See the Awe-Inspiring New Photos of the Moon and Earth Sent Back From the Artemis 2 Missionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-awe-inspiring-new-photos-of-the-moon-and-earth-sent-back-from-the-artemis-2-mission-180988498/The astronauts are on their way home after looping around the moon on a historic flyby. Here are the dazzling images they capturedTue, 07 Apr 2026 19:07:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-awe-inspiring-new-photos-of-the-moon-and-earth-sent-back-from-the-artemis-2-mission-180988498/Lightning Strikes on Jupiter Are 100 Times as Powerful as Those on Earth, a New Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lightning-strikes-on-jupiter-are-100-times-as-powerful-as-those-on-earth-a-new-study-suggests-180988455/Scientists finally have a clearer picture of the gas giant's intense stormsMon, 06 Apr 2026 19:04:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lightning-strikes-on-jupiter-are-100-times-as-powerful-as-those-on-earth-a-new-study-suggests-180988455/In a First, an Astronomer May Have Witnessed a Comet Stop Its Spin—Then Reverse Its Rotationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-an-astronomer-may-have-witnessed-a-comet-stop-its-spin-then-reverse-its-rotation-180988469/Archival images snapped by the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the unusual eventThu, 02 Apr 2026 16:56:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-an-astronomer-may-have-witnessed-a-comet-stop-its-spin-then-reverse-its-rotation-180988469/