Solar Tour Pit Stop #7: Interplanetary Space

The Space Between

Hello from interplanetary space!

This solar tour stop may seem empty, but there’s more than meets the eye. 


Empty space, full of plasma

If you look closely, the space between the planets is filled with dust, particles, magnetic fields and a mysterious substance called plasma. Hear from scientists Doug Rowland and Don Gurnett as we journey through this mysterious and electrifying substance. 


Weird space

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know space is weird. But just how weird might surprise you. Space is dominated by invisible electromagnetic forces that we typically don’t feel. It’s also full of a bizarre state of matter that we don’t usually experience on Earth.

Here are five unearthly things that happen in outer space. 


Kickin’ up dust

Just as dust gathers in corners and along bookshelves in our homes, dust piles up in interplanetary space, too. 

Dust is dispersed throughout the entire solar system, but it collects in rings around the orbits of Earth and Venus. By studying this dust, scientists seek clues to understanding the birth of planets and the composition of all that we see in the solar system.

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