Mysteries of Our Solar System

Contrary to common illustrations, planets are vastly spread out. The distance from the Sun to Neptune is over 30 times further than from the Sun to Earth, illustrating the immense scale of our solar system.

While Saturn is famous for its rings, Jupiter also possesses a faint ring system, made up of dust particles from its moons. These rings were a surprise discovery by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979.

Venus rotates on its axis very slowly and in the opposite direction to most planets, making its day longer than its year. A Venusian day lasts 243 Earth days, while its year is 225 Earth days.

Olympus Mons on Mars is the largest volcano in the solar system, standing at 21 km high. It's about two and a half times Mount Everest's height, and its base is the size of Arizona.

Neptune has the wildest weather, with winds reaching speeds of up to 2,100 kilometers per hour (1,300 mph). These supersonic winds are faster than any other planet's, and the reason behind them remains a mystery.

Despite being the closest planet to the Sun, Mercury harbors ice in its shadowed craters. Permanently shielded from the Sun's heat, these craters maintain temperatures below minus 173 degrees Celsius (minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit).

Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, ejects plumes of water into space from its subsurface ocean, suggesting it may have the conditions necessary to support life. The Cassini spacecraft sampled these plumes, finding organic compounds.

Uranus rotates on its side, with an axial tilt of 98 degrees. This unique orientation gives it extreme seasonal variations unlike any other planet in the solar system.