The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) helps us get a glimpse of the awe-inspiring beauty of our celestial neighbours through varied social media posts. Each year, they share posts that also teach us more about the world that lies beyond our beautiful Blue Planet. As 2023 comes to an end, let us take a look at the jaw-dropping pictures of our solar system that NASA has shared throughout this year.
Sun
Let us start our journey with our solar system’s star – the Sun. The space agency shared this stunning picture on Instagram that shows how the ‘active regions on the Sun combined to look something like a jack-o-lantern’s face’.
“The Sun is surrounded by a plain black background. Bursts of light from active regions create the shape of a jack-o-lantern’s face – including glowing golden eyes and a mouth,” wrote NASA to describe the scene captured in the picture.
Mercury
“Mercury doesn’t get enough love. Stay with us. Sure, it’s moonless and devoid of life, but the little planet gets bathed in sunshine. And intense radiation. Ok, it’s inhospitable and it gets super hot and incredibly cold. But it does have fun things going on,” wrote NASA on Insta.
Want to know more about the ‘fun things?’ Read the entire post here:
Venus
Referred as the twin of the Earth, the second planet from the Sun ‘has a thick, toxic atmosphere mainly composed of carbon dioxide and shrouded in clouds of sulfuric acid.’
Want to know more about this neighbour? Check out the post below:
Earth
Our oasis in space, Earth, is home to diverse life forms. From photos of the Blue Planet taken by astronauts to images captured by satellites, NASA keeps sharing pictures of Earth. In this post, the space agency captured amazing auroras dancing in the planet’s atmosphere.
Mars
Mars is often referred to as the Red Planet due to its reddish hue. However, these images shared by NASA show the enigmatic planet in a whole new light.
Don’t believe us? Check for yourself:
Jupiter
“Twice as massive as all the planets in our solar system combined, Jupiter is classified as a gas giant comprised mostly of hydrogen and helium,” wrote NASA as a part of its post while sharing an enthralling image of the planet on Instagram.
Take a look at the entire post here:
Saturn
“A grayscale image of Saturn tilted with its massive rings pointed toward the top right so the north pole is visible. Cloud bands encircle the planet and a prominent hexagonal feature sits at the pole. The background is black,” this is what the space agency wrote to describe an image of Saturn they shared on Instagram.
Uranus
This enigmatic ice giant is made up of a “hot dense fluid of ‘icy’ materials – water, methane, and ammonia – above a small rocky core”. Uranus gets its blue-green colour from methane gas in the atmosphere.
Check out this post by NASA that shows four beautiful images of the planet:
Neptune
“The windiest planet in our solar system, Neptune’s wind speeds top 1,200 mph (2,000 kph), whisking clouds of frozen methane across the ice giant,” shared NASA while posting an amazing picture of the planet on Instagram.
This picture of Neptune is likely to make you say ‘wow’:
Wasn’t that a thrilling ride? Do you want to explore more? Check out these wondrous pictures of the solar system that will make your jaw drop.
About our solar system:
“Our solar system is made up of a star – the Sun – eight planets, 146 moons, a bunch of comets, asteroids and space rocks, ice, and several dwarf planets, such as Pluto. The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Mercury is closest to the Sun. Neptune is the farthest,” describes NASA.
Our solar system can be divided into three regions: the inner solar system, the outer solar system, and the Kuiper Belt. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars make up the inner solar system. Gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, along with ice giants Uranus and Neptune, form the outer solar system.
Beyond Neptune is the home of the dwarf planets. The Kuiper Belt lies beyond the dwarf planet Pluto. There are also several other planets that scientists have discovered over the years that lie beyond our solar system. They are known as exoplanets.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
