🪐 Solar System & Comets
The Sun (Sun) — 0 AU
The central G2V yellow dwarf star containing 99.86% of the Solar System's mass, driving space weather and the heliosphere.
- Fuses ~600 million tons of hydrogen into helium every second in its core.
- 11-year solar cycle drives solar flares and CMEs that trigger auroras on Earth.
Mercury (Mercury) — 0.39 AU
The innermost rocky planet closest to the Sun with extreme day-night temperature swings.
- Possesses a massive iron-nickel core accounting for ~85% of the planet's radius.
Venus (Venus) — 0.72 AU
The hottest planet in the Solar System due to its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere and sulfuric acid clouds.
- Rotates retrograde (east to west) with a day longer than its orbital year.
Earth (Earth) — 1 AU
Humanity's home world featuring liquid oceans, a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, and a protective magnetosphere.
- Real-time cloud, typhoon, and ocean imagery can be received for free via GK-2A, Himawari-9, METEOR-M N2-4, and NOAA-20/21 satellites.
Mars (Mars) — 1.52 AU
The Red Planet covered in iron oxide dust, home to Olympus Mons (21.9km volcano) and Valles Marineris.
- Explored continuously by Perseverance and Curiosity rovers searching for ancient biosignatures.
Jupiter (Jupiter) — 5.2 AU
The largest gas giant in the Solar System, featuring the Great Red Spot storm and 95 moons.
- Rotates in just 9h 55m, acting as a gravitational shield protecting Earth from comets.
Saturn (Saturn) — 9.58 AU
Iconic gas giant encircled by a magnificent ring system of pure water ice and rock particles.
- Hosts 146 moons including Titan (methane seas) and Enceladus (subsurface ocean plumes).
Uranus (Uranus) — 19.22 AU
Cyan-colored ice giant tilted 97.8 degrees on its side due to an ancient giant impact.
- Composed of water, ammonia, and methane ices above a rocky core.
Neptune (Neptune) — 30.05 AU
The outermost deep-blue ice giant swept by supersonic winds reaching 2,100 km/h.
- First planet discovered through mathematical orbital perturbation predictions.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) (C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)) — 0.39 AU
The Great Comet of 2024 that passed within Mercury's orbit (0.39 AU) with a brilliant dust tail and anti-tail, now cruising outbound in outer-system deep space in 2026.
Purple Mountain Observatory & ATLAS (2023) / Perihelion Sep 27, 2024 (0.39 AU) · 2026 Outbound Deep Space
- Retrograde orbit with 139.1° inclination.
- Solar wind sculpted its glowing blue ion tail, golden dust tail, and rare sunward anti-tail.
2P/Encke (Comet Encke · 2026-2027 Return) (2P/Encke) — 0.336 AU
The second periodic comet ever identified ('2P') with the shortest orbital period (3.30 years) of any bright comet, rapidly brightening for its late 2026 / early 2027 binocular return (~mag 6).
Johann Franz Encke (2nd Official Periodic Comet) / Period 3.30 yrs (Next Perihelion Return: Late 2026 / Early 2027!)
- Parent body of the Taurid meteor showers known for bright Halloween fireballs.
161P/Hartley-IRAS (2026 Return Comet) (161P/Hartley-IRAS) — 1.27 AU
A Halley-type periodic comet co-discovered by Malcolm Hartley and the IRAS infrared space telescope in 1983, returning to the inner Solar System in 2026 after 21.5 years.
Malcolm Hartley & IRAS Space Telescope (1983) / Period 21.5 yrs (Returning to Perihelion in 2026!)
- Travels on a steep 95.7° nearly polar perpendicular orbit across the ecliptic plane.
- Prime 2026 target for astrophotographers and medium-aperture telescopes.
1P/Halley (Halley's Comet) (1P/Halley) — 0.586 AU
The most famous periodic comet in history ('1P'). After passing its 35.1 AU aphelion in December 2023, it is now officially accelerating back toward the Sun in 2026.
Edmond Halley (1st Official Periodic Comet) / Period 75.3 yrs (Passed Aphelion Dec 2023 → Inbound for Jul 28, 2061)
- Peanut-shaped nucleus (15km × 8km), parent body of the Eta Aquariid and Orionid meteor showers.
12P/Pons-Brooks ('Devil Comet') (12P/Pons-Brooks) — 0.78 AU
Known as the 'Devil Comet' due to cryovolcanic eruptions that create a distinctive two-horned coma.
Jean-Louis Pons (1812) & William R. Brooks (1883) / Period 71.3 yrs (Passed Apr 2024 Perihelion · Next Return 2095)
- Diatomic carbon (C2) and cyanide gases glow bright emerald green under solar UV.
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko) — 1.24 AU
Historic comet visited by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft and the Philae lander, which made the first touchdown on a comet nucleus.
Klim Churyumov & Svetlana Gerasimenko (1969) / Period 6.42 yrs (Jupiter-family Comet · Next Perihelion 2028)
- Contact binary 'rubber duck' shape where amino acids (glycine) were detected.