The largest of Pluto's five moons, Charon, was discovered on June 22, 1978, by James Christy and Robert Harrington at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Read the story: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/charon-at-40-four-decades-of-discovery-on-pluto-s-largest-moon Charon was discovered only about six miles from where Pluto itself was discovered at Lowell Observatory. They weren't even looking for satellites of Pluto – Christy, examining a series of grainy telescope images, trying to refine Pluto's orbit around the Sun. Christy and others tell the story of this amazing scientific find, which fueled Pluto’s transformation from a telescopic dot into an actual planetary system – and a source of many discoveries to come.

There's a lot we still don't know about this mysterious little dwarf planet, but for a fuzzy blob, Pluto has sent Hubble some fascinating clues. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible. Get More National Geographic: Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta What We Know About Pluto | Mission Pluto https://youtu.be/4NY63IYN-UM National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/natgeo

Using actual New Horizons data and digital elevation models of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, mission scientists have created flyover movies that offer spectacular new perspectives of the many unusual features that were discovered and which have reshaped our views of the Pluto system – from a vantage point even closer than the spacecraft itself. This dramatic Pluto flyover begins over the highlands to the southwest of the great expanse of nitrogen ice plain informally named Sputnik Planitia. The viewer first passes over the western margin of Sputnik, where it borders the dark, cratered terrain of Cthulhu Macula, with the blocky mountain ranges located within the plains seen on the right. The tour moves north past the rugged and fractured highlands of Voyager Terra and then turns southward over Pioneer Terra -- which exhibits deep and wide pits -- before concluding over the bladed terrain of Tartarus Dorsa in the far east of the encounter hemisphere. Digital mapping and rendering were performed by Paul Schenk and John Blackwell of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.

During its K2 campaign, NASA's Kepler spacecraft observed the eighth planet in our solar system, Neptune. Kepler detected small changes in Neptune's brightness caused by the planet's daily rotation, the movement of clouds, and even seismic waves from the sun itself. Originally designed to search for exoplanets (planets around other stars), Kepler's observations of Neptune pave the way for future studies of weather and climate beyond our solar system. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center /Dan Gallagher Music Credits: "Lost Contact" and "Processing Thoughts" from Killer Tracks This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4559 If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/NASAExplorer Or subscribe to NASA’s Goddard Shorts HD Podcast: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center · Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC · Twitter http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard · Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/ · Instagram http://www.instagram.com/nasagoddard/ · Google+ http://plus.google.com/+NASAGoddard/posts

Neptune will be at opposition in September, providing sky watchers and astronomers the opportunity to observe this planet that is invisible to the naked eye, but that scientists would love to see more clearly. Stay up to date with NASA Science: https://science.nasa.gov/?utm_source=science&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=2026

Neptune is the most distant of the solar system's eight planets. Find out about the blue world's orbit, which of Neptune's moons is the largest, and how the planet is home to the most severe weather in the solar system. ➡ Subscribe: https://on.natgeo.com/4p5A0D6 #NationalGeographic #Neptune #Educational About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for critically acclaimed storytelling around science and exploration. Discover amazing wildlife, ancient civilizations, hidden worlds, and the incredible wonders of our Earth. Through world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo inspires fans of all ages to connect with, explore, and care about the world. Get More National Geographic: Official Site: https://nationalgeographic.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/natgeo Facebook: https://facebook.com/natgeo Threads: https://threads.com/@natgeo X: https://x.com/NatGeo LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/national-geographic TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@natgeo Reddit: https://reddit.com/user/nationalgeographic Read more in "Neptune, explained" https://on.natgeo.com/2I3M5Xc Neptune 101 | National Geographic https://youtu.be/NStn7zZKXfE National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/natgeo

Uranus is a planet beyond convention. Find out why it boasts the coldest temperatures in the solar system, what phenomena caused the unique tilt of its axis, and the curious origin of the planet's name. ➡ Subscribe: https://on.natgeo.com/4p5A0D6 #NationalGeographic #Uranus #Educational About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for critically acclaimed storytelling around science and exploration. Discover amazing wildlife, ancient civilizations, hidden worlds, and the incredible wonders of our Earth. Through world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo inspires fans of all ages to connect with, explore, and care about the world. Get More National Geographic: Official Site: https://nationalgeographic.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/natgeo Facebook: https://facebook.com/natgeo Threads: https://threads.com/@natgeo X: https://x.com/NatGeo LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/national-geographic TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@natgeo Reddit: https://reddit.com/user/nationalgeographic Read more in "Planet Uranus, explained" https://on.natgeo.com/2FymTFI Uranus 101 | National Geographic https://youtu.be/m4NXbFOiOGk National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/natgeo

Earth is not the only place in the solar system with rain, rivers, lakes and seas. Saturn’s moon Titan has them, too — not of water, but of liquid methane and ethane. This Earth-like world even hides an ocean of liquid water deep beneath its surface! Find out what you need to know about Titan.