The solar system - our Sun's system of planets, moons, asteroids, comets and other small bodies - is humanity's cosmic backyard. And it is in this sprawling, diverse neighborhood that NASA's robotic explorers are currently gaining a better understanding of our solar system, seeking signs of life beyond Earth and clues to our own origins.

The five themes on this page are designed to help formal and informal educators take advantage of these new discoveries and connect students to their neighborhood in the sky.

What We Explore

Resources regarding scale, organization and motion of the planets and bodies in the solar system.

Activities in this section focus on solar science, the rocky worlds of the inner solar system and the gas giants and icy moons of the outer solar system.

Early Solar System

Explore explanations and theories about the formation of our solar system and the role of comets, asteroids and meteorites in the process.

Activities in this area are focused on how these small bodies played a key role in the evolution of our solar system.

Planetary Processes and Weather

Investigate rocks and minerals and the effects of volcanism, impacts, erosion and weather on planetary surfaces.

Activities in this section reveal how geology, weather and other forces have shaped the worlds of our solar system.

Astrobiology

Discuss the expanding definition of life and the places it may exist beyond Earth.

Activities in this area focus on how explorers identify the characteristics needed for life to exist and use that definition to guide the search for life beyond Earth.

How We Explore

Understand the reasons we explore and how the job gets done.

Activities in this area showcase how scientists and engineers work together to build spacecraft tough enough to explore our solar system and answer key science questions.