These planetary bodies are of great interest to scientists because they are debris left over from the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Their makeup has changed little during this time, and by studying them scientists expect to learn how the solar system was formed and what its original building materials were. Deep Space 1 flew by the relatively tiny asteroid Braille in July, 1999. Travel through the solar system and Universe with The Starchild and watch for comets, asteroids, and other space debris. This page has Quicktime(tm) movie animations, and two levels of information directed at children between the ages of 6-14.

An extensive photo album of images of Comet Hale-Bopp, which was visible in our skies in early 1997, is available at the site, as is a conversation with its discoverers, Alan Hale and Tom Bopp. Find out about the new tail that has been discovered on the comet.

Another comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9, slammed into Jupiter in July 1994. Through amazing luck, NASA's Galileo spacecraft was in the neighborhood and took pictures of this spectacular event. This was the first time in the history of humankind that we were able to witness such a phenomenon.