This shows a hypothetical spiral galaxy seen from an oblique angle. A red dwarf star has been ejected by the galaxy at high speeds and will wander the void between galaxies. Such objects are known as free-floating stars. ...Read more.

Diagram comparing the Sun with Stephenson 2-18. The latter is the current contender for the largest known star, a red hypergiant some 2150 times the diameter of the Sun. The Sun can fit into it 10 billion times! ...Read more.

Animation showing blimps and a habitat in the temperate zone within Venus' atmosphere. Although the surface of Venus is hellish, with crushing pressures and searing heat, at an altitude of 50 km (31 miles) the conditions are much milder, comparable to those at the surface of the Earth. This region w ...Read more.

Artwork showing blimps and a habitat in the temperate zone within Venus' atmosphere. Although the surface of Venus is hellish, with crushing pressures and searing heat, at an altitude of 50 km (31 miles) the conditions are much milder, comparable to those at the surface of the Earth. This region wou ...Read more.

An impression of the green ice giant planet, Uranus, seen from an ice cave on its innermost substantial moon, Ariel. Uranus is the seventh planet in order of distance from the Sun, orbiting at an average distance of 2.85 billion km. It is unusual in that it has a very pale, almost featureless atmosp ...Read more.

An impression of the green ice giant planet, Uranus, seen from the surface of its innermost substantial moon, the fractured Miranda. Uranus is the seventh planet in order of distance from the Sun, orbiting at an average distance of 2.85 billion km. It is unusual in that it has a very pale, almost fe ...Read more.

In this animation, we see Mars in its present form, transitioning to a water world in its ancient past, billions of years ago. There is now overwhelming evidence that Mars once had large bodies of water - possibly even before the Earth did. ...Read more.

An impression of Mars in the past, when it was watery and probably volcanic. ...Read more.

Animation of erupting volcanoes, lava flows and storms on the primordial Earth. The Moon is seen in the sky. At this early stage, the Moon was far closer to Earth than it is now. During the Archaean epoch of the Earth's past, between 2.5-4 billion years ago, volcanic activity was much more pronounce ...Read more.