Planets and minor bodies / Planetas y cuerpos menores

Eight planets dominate the Solar System, but perhaps millions of minor planets, asteroids and comets make up our celestial neighborhood around the Sun. Some are perennial and predictable, others come and go unexpectedly.


Ocho planetas dominan el Sistema Solar, pero quizás millones de planetas menores, asteroides y cometas conforman nuestro vecindario celestial alrededor del Sol. Algunos son perennes y predecibles, otros van y vienen inesperadamente.

  • Saturn

    Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System, here photographed as seen close to opposition in 2020.

  • Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF

    Comet c/2022 E3 (ZTF) in the early morning of January 30 approaching its closest point to Earth. Image composed from 70 40-second exposures.. Away from the city lights, the comet was barely visible to the naked eye. In this image, 46 minutes of exposures are stacked to view its tail and characteristic green color.

  • The planet mars

    Mars

    Seen at the 2020 favorable opposition, the surface features of the planet and small polar casket can be seen.

  • Venus

    Venus at 70% illumination shines at magnitude -4, which makes it the third brightest object in the sky, after the Sun and the Moon. Being closer to the Sun, Venus has phases like the moon. / Venus, iluminada al 70% brillando a magnitud -4, lo que la hace el tercer objeto celeste más brillante después del sol y la luna. Venus, al estar más cerca del sol que la tierra, tiene fases, como la luna.