solar system

Amazing what a mere collection of water and ice and a few rocks can turn into. Saturn's rings are one of the most incredible sights in the night sky, and in space overall. Though their make up is unremarkable, since the 1970s when the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft visited the system and gave us our first close-up look. 

What's more amazing is that unlike many other celestial bodies in our universe, that we need to physically reach in order to get a clear picture of, Saturn is close enough that we can get images like those below.

One internet artist gave us a real perspective at what the planets would look like if they were as close as the moon. Can you imagine taking a selfie with Saturn in the background? Or taking a SpaceX weekend ride to Pluto? Whatever the case these visuals are simply incredible.

Though downgraded to dwarf planet status, Pluto has been on the comeback trail of late. Many issues arose with the reclassification in 2006, including that only 424 of the 9000 members of the international organization in charge of making such decisions voted. In addition, immediately after the resolution, hundreds of planetary scientists petitioned against the changed classification. The problem began when the body changed the definition of what constitutes a planet, and due to Pluto lacking several of these features, it was demoted.

A recent mission to Pluto by NASA called New Horizons, recently gave us our closest and clearest look of Pluto and the surrounding planetary bodies in its area and orbit. 

Extra extra read all about it. Europa, one of Jupiter's and the solar system's most iconic celestial bodies, has been examined by NASA scientists, and the results are pretty astounding. Though in recent times Mars and exploration of the "Red Planet" has taken the spotlight and held it in the public eye. But Europa is trying to change all that.