More to the point I read that in addition to the Moon, Earth has another four satellite like companions. While very small and actually orbiting the Sun, they stay relatively close to Earth so rating as, well, companions. Most people think the Earth has one natural moon, which is why we call it the Moon. These people are right. But there are four other objects - at least - ... Read full entry

This will calculate the amount of space you need to create a scale model of the Solar System based on the size you'd like the Sun to be. The bigger the Sun, the more room you will require. If you decide to make the Sun just 10 millimetres in diameter, then you should be able to use a standard roll of toilet paper to construct the model on, if the ... Read full entry

Astronomers Neil deGrasse Tyson and Mark Sykes recently debated what it takes for a solar object to be classified as a planet, but failed to reach a consensus. Maybe it could be be put to a popular vote, based on an observation made by Tyson: He added that Americans are much more attached to Pluto than people elsewhere. "If you go to Europe and talk about Pluto they look at ... Read full entry

A collection of retro style posters advertising travel to all the planets of the Solar System. The Midnight Zephyr that does the Earth, Saturn, and Pluto loop looks particularly cool.

And on the subject of outer space... an incredible collection of photos and short animations of Jupiter, and its four major moons. Stunning.

Don't how I missed this, but apparently the Solar System's outermost "member", Pluto, together with co-dwarf planet Eris, have now been deemed "plutoids" rather than planets. I know Pluto lost its status as a fully-fledged planet sometime ago, but it seems I'm not the only one miffed by the new plutoid designation... Last week, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) designated Pluto and its cousin Eris as "plutoids". "It sounds ... Read full entry

Hope dims that Earth will survive Sun's death Hopes that planet Earth may survive the Sun's red giant phase, which will occur in a couple of billion years time (hopefully later rather than sooner), have been dashed by a recent study into the eventuality. In a few billion years, the Sun will fuse the last of its hydrogen into helium, turn into a red giant and expand to 250 times ... Read full entry