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NASA Solar System Profile picture
NASA Solar System
@NASASolarSystem
We are NASA's Planetary Science Division. Ride along with us as we explore the worlds of our solar system.
Dec 12 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
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
Jun 8 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
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.
Sep 29, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
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
Sep 27, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
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...
Feb 2, 2022 • 7 tweets • 6 min read
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
Nov 24, 2021 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
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
Nov 5, 2021 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
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
Jun 7, 2021 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
At this very moment, our #JunoMission is approaching Jupiter’s giant moon Ganymede. Learn more about this historic flyby: missionjuno.swri.edu/news/nasas-jun…

Track Juno’s position in real time with our 3D solar system simulation: go.nasa.gov/3x1a5kU screen shot of app simulati... The Juno spacecraft continues its approach on the night side of Ganymede.

Current distance to Ganymede: about 16,000 miles (26,000 kilometers).

Speed relative to Ganymede: about 41,000 MPH (66,000 kilometers per hour). screenshot of app showing s...
Apr 20, 2021 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Congratulations to the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter team on the first powered flight on another planet!

How far could robotic rotorcraft like Ingenuity take us in space exploration? Far. Very far.

Let’s talk about titans and dragonflies. 1/4 Saturn’s moon Titan is bigger than Mercury! With a soupy atmosphere thicker than Earth's and only 1/7th the gravity, it’s the perfect place to explore with a flying rover. 2/4