NASA Solar System Profile picture
Feb 2, 2022 7 tweets 6 min read Read on X
It's 2/2/22! For this day of 2️⃣s, here are some iconic pairs in our solar system. Some asteroids come in twos, such as Ida & Dactyl, as seen by the Galileo spacecraft. This year, our #DARTMission will perform its test at another pair, Didymos & Dimorphos: go.nasa.gov/3ofmhes an asteroid and its tiny moonlet against the blackness of sp
Two small moons of Saturn, Janus & Epimetheus, share very similar orbits around the planet, and they regularly swap positions. This series of images was captured by Cassini. go.nasa.gov/3giKM6T
Pluto and its largest moon Charon, seen here by the #NewHorizonsMission, are sometimes described as a double planet, since they orbit around the common center of gravity between them. go.nasa.gov/3giWoH0 smaller Charon and larger Pluto in space
Mars has two small moons, Phobos & Deimos ("fear" and "dread" in Greek). These portraits come from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. go.nasa.gov/2OClkMO lumpy, cratered moon, almost round in spacesmaller, potato-shaped moon with a few craters
Much of what we know about the worlds of the solar system comes from our robotic explorers. Sometimes, as with @NASAVoyager 1 & 2 or the @NASAMars rovers Spirit & Opportunity, two spacecraft means more science and less chance of a total mission loss. illustration of voyager spacecraft in space far from the sunillustration of the Opportunity rover superimposed on an act
Sometimes, as in the case of @NASAMoon’s GRAIL mission or @NASAEarth's GRACE missions, a pair of spacecraft flying in precise formation measure gravitational fields with astounding accuracy. go.nasa.gov/2KB6HEB illustration showing two box-shaped spacecraft over the surf
@NASAMoon @NASAEarth Plenty of compelling pairs outside the solar system, too.

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More from @NASASolarSystem

Dec 12
On approach! Right now, the #LucyMission spacecraft is about 264 thousand miles (about 425 thousand kilometers) from Earth and closing as it nears its gravity assist flyby. Closest approach will occur at 11:15 p.m. EST (04:15 GMT on Dec. 13). Follow along: eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-sys…simulated view of the Lucy spacecraft, with its two large circular solar array panels, with the small blue marble of Earth in the distance amid the darkness of space
The maneuver will put Lucy on a course that will carry it through the main asteroid belt, where it will fly past the unexplored asteroid Donaldjohanson, then onto a Trojan asteroid swarm: go.nasa.gov/4iy7zdV
Getting close now! During the gravity assist, the Lucy spacecraft will approach from the direction of the Sun, which means observers on Earth will not be able to see Lucy approaching, as it will be lost in the Sun’s glare. But observers in certain locations may be able to spot it just before or just after closest approach: lucy.swri.edu/SpotTheSpacecr…Image
Read 6 tweets
Jun 8
Happy #WorldOceansDay! Or should we say, World(s) Ocean Day? Did you know Earth isn't the only place in our solar system with an ocean of water? Here's a quick tour of just some of the other ocean worlds 🌊 🧵


Beneath a curving horizon, blue ocean, turquoise shallows near shorelines, and fluffy clouds on Earth, as seen from space.
Saturn's moon Titan seen in a crescent phase, with most of its surface in shadow. In the lit crescent area, the moon has orange clouds and layers of its atmosphere are visible in purple.
A black-and-white image of the curving horizon of a moon against the blackness of space. The moon's surface has a rough, wrinkled texture. From cracks in the surface, plumes of mist can be seeing rising, backlit by sunlight.
The smooth, cracked, curving surface of Jupiter's moon Europa.
Evidence suggests that deep below its surface, Saturn's planet-sized moon Titan hides a global ocean of water. NASA's Dragonfly mission, now in development, will send a rotorcraft to fly through Titan's atmosphere. science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/t…
Saturn's moon Titan seen in a crescent phase, with most of its surface in shadow. In the lit crescent area, the moon has orange clouds and layers of its atmosphere are visible in purple.
Another Saturnian moon, Enceladus, has a global ocean of water beneath its crust as well. NASA's Cassini mission made the surprising discovery that water from that ocean shoots out into space from fissures in the surface, making giant plumes of ice particles. science.nasa.gov/saturn/moons/e…A black-and-white image of a curving horizon of a moon against the blackness of space. The moon's surface is rough. From cracks in the surface, plumes of mist can be seeing rising, backlit by sunlight
Read 5 tweets
Sep 29, 2022
In clear skies, the planet Jupiter will be visible as a brilliant "star" in the east after sunset. With binoculars, the planet's largest moons can be seen as points of light nearby. One of those points is Europa. Within hours, our #JunoMission will be there.🧵 1/6 Jupiter is visible as a bright "star" in a partial
That little dot is actually a complex, intriguing world. Europa is about size of Earth's Moon. Beneath its cold outer shell of ice, scientists think it hides a global ocean of liquid water. The evidence came from several NASA spacecraft that flew by Jupiter over the years... 2/6 cross-crossing cracks on the surface of Europa as seen by VoEuropa appears as a tiny ball floating before the face of JuEuropa rises over the horizon of Jupiter in a New Horizons v
...and one in particular, the Galileo mission, which orbited the planet and observed Europa and its magnetic field up close. solarsystem.nasa.gov/galileo 3/6 Europa with its relatively smooth but cracked surface of strclose-up on some of the grooves, chaotic terrain, and depreseven closer look at multiple linear ridges and grooves, some
Read 7 tweets
Sep 27, 2022
Did you catch bright Jupiter in the eastern sky tonight? If not, don't worry, it will be brilliant for days to come. go.nasa.gov/3QVyxNv
To the naked eye, Jupiter will appear as a very bright "star." Here's what it looked like earlier this week as seen through a skylight in a lava tube at Craters of the Moon National Monument. Jupiter appears as a bright...
With a small telescope, or even binoculars, Jupiter's largest moons are also visible. Learn more about the giant planet at solarsystem.nasa.gov/jupiter Jupiter is seen as a bright...
Read 4 tweets
Nov 24, 2021
Luck favors the prepared! The #DARTMission has lifted off to begin its journey to a double asteroid, where it will test techniques to deflect an asteroid if someday one presents a hazard to Earth. Ride along here and at nasa.gov/dart rocket lifting through clouds, setting them aglow
The #DARTMission spacecraft has separated from the @SpaceX rocket, and is on its way to the Didymos double asteroid system, where it is expected to arrive late next year. video still frame showing spacecraft against the blackness o
@SpaceX More updates will be available here, from @AsteroidWatch, and at nasa.gov/dart

Learn more about DART, asteroids, and the science that is searching out their secrets: solarsystem.nasa.gov
Read 4 tweets
Nov 5, 2021
There was a flurry of activity on the surface of the Sun this week, including large solar flares and storms. Here, @NASASun’s Solar Dynamics Observatory in Earth orbit captured an especially active solar region on Nov. 2.
1/4
The Sun launched multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that sent waves of charged particles toward Earth. The SOHO spacecraft caught one as it blasted out into the solar system.
2/4
When these particles arrived at Earth, its magnetic field directed them toward the north & south poles, where they lit up the atmosphere with auroras. These geomagnetic storms were so powerful that people far from the poles got to see the show. This view was captured in Utah. 3/4
Read 5 tweets

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