Amateur astronomers and space lovers of all types will delight in this new tool released by NASA that lets you track the current location of space objects, moons, comets and satellites in real time.
You can basically zoom into any planet in our solar system (even search for one directly!) and learn all about it. The website will highlight top research related to each subject, plus pretty in-depth data that you might not even fully comprehend but still looks cool.
"This snapshot of our solar system focuses on active NASA planetary science missions and select ESA missions," reads the website's official description. "Showcasing the entire operating NASA fleet is too much of a data wallop at the moment—but we're working on it."
Given all the focus on Mars these past few months, we suggest using the tool to actually take a virtual tour of the Red Planet, even focusing in on the Perseverance rover currently making its way through space and set to land on Mars on February 18, 2021.
But if your predilections take you beyond popular Mars, feel free to inspect Venus (the hottest planet in our solar system), the dark and cold Neptune, Mercury (the fastest planet) and our very own planet Earth—the only one in the solar system with liquid water on the surface. The interactive tool is just as nifty as this awesome time-lapse video of comet NEOWISE that a NASA astronaut took and made public last month. Can you tell we love space?
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