Landscapes of the Solar System: Deeper Dive
Landscapes aren’t limited to Earth! Investigate the natural wonders of our home planet and the other worlds in our solar system by exploring the links and resources below.
Landscapes of the Solar System is a live, 15-minute, family-friendly program hosted by Morrison Planetarium presenters in Hohfeld Hall. Showtimes are Monday-Friday at 1:40 pm, and Saturday-Sunday at 11:40 am, 1:40 pm, and 3:40 pm.
Mountains on Earth
In this show we trek to some of the tallest mountains on Earth. Learn more about how the Himalayas and other mountain ranges form from tectonic activity.
Explore the Himalayas (via pbs.org)Types of tectonic plate boundaries
Missions to the Moon
The Apollo missions taught us about all sorts of land features on the Moon. Learn more about the Apollo 15 mission, which visited the Apennine mountain range, and NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission, which will send people back to the Moon—including the first woman to ever visit it!
The Apollo 15 mission (via nasa.gov)The new Artemis mission (via nasa.gov)
Explore the Grand Canyon
Did you know the Grand Canyon is larger than the state of Rhode Island? Learn more via the links below.
Grand Canyon facts (via nationalparks.org)Grand Canyon FAQs (via nps.gov)
Mars' Mariner Valley
The Grand Canyon is big, but Mars' Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the entire Solar System! Learn more about this epic landform, as well as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which is helping us study it.
About Valles Marineris (via nasa.gov)About the MRO (via nasa.gov)
Explore Hawai'i
The Hawaiian Islands are a volcanic archipelago, home to active volcanoes and dramatic landscapes.
Hawai'i's volcanic history (via usgs.gov)Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (via nps.gov)
Info on Io
Io, one of Jupiter's moons, is the most volcanically active object in the entire Solar System. Learn more about Io and its many volcanoes below.
Io in depth (via nasa.gov)Io Volcano Observer (via nasa.gov)Io's weird volcanoes (via nasa.gov)
More on glaciers
Enormous, incredibly slow-moving bodies of ice, glaciers define polar and high-altitude regions of Earth. Explore Alaska's glaciers below.
Why do scientists study glaciers? (via alaska.edu)Glaciers in Alaska's national parks (via nps.gov)
Explore Pluto
Despite being reclassified to a dwarf planet, Pluto is still a beloved—and fascinating—part of the Solar System. See what we've discovered below.
Pluto's possibly slushy ocean10 cool things about Pluto (via jhu.edu)
Explore more of the Universe
You can fly around with the same software we use in the planetarium at home using the free, open-source planetarium software OpenSpace!
