2015 Event Scientists announce discovery of a planet in the Kepler-452 solar system that closely resembles Earth in size and orbit; the planet, Kepler 452-b, has a diameter 60% larger than Earth's but an orbit that is 385 days, close to Earth's 365 days 2015 Event NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft ends its three-year orbit around Mercury with a planned crash into the planet's surface; originally, the probe was to orbit and collect data for one year, but fuel saving efforts extended its mission for two more years 2014 Event The NASA Mars rover Curiosity has returned images from the red planet's Gale Crater showing evidence of sediment deposits, suggesting that lakes and rivers potentially existed across the planet millions of years ago 2014 Event NASA awakens its New Horizons craft from hibernation for the last time; the vessel was launched 9 years ago to travel over 3 billion miles to Pluto and will be within range to begin data collection on the planet in January 2015 2014 Event India has successfully launched a space probe into orbit around Mars on its first attempt, making it the first Asian country to orbit the planet; at $74 million, the spacecraft cost about 11% of the U.S. Maven, which reached Mars orbit two days prior 2014 Event NASA Mars probe MAVEN is on track to enter the planet's orbit after a 10-month journey; the probe will collect data for a year on the upper Martian atmosphere to potentially answer questions about climate change on the planet 2014 Event A second dwarf planet is discovered between the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt, an area previously considered a no-man's land; the planet, 2012 VP-113, measures about 280 miles across; the first, Sedna, about 600 miles across, was discovered in 2003 2014 Event Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Opportunity rover landing on Mars; NASA announces the rover has discovered clay minerals indicating water flowed on Mars early in the planet's history 2014 Event Water vapor on the minor planet Ceres, the largest asteroid and the only dwarf planet in the inner Solar System, is detected by European Space Agency researchers 2013 Event Planet Pluto receives names for its fourth and fifth moons; the International Astronomical Union names them Kerberos and Styx 2013 Event Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, two planets resembling planet Earth are discovered revolving around the star Kepler-62 in the habitable zone, an area around the stars whose atmospheric pressure can suport liquid water at the surface 2013 Event Northwest Africa 7325, a green meteorite found in Morocco, 2012, may have originated on planet Mercury; if scientists are correct, this will be the first known meteorite from Mercury 2012 Event New findings from MESSENGER, NASA's space probe, indicate almost definitively, that the north pole of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, has water ice buried beneath the surface 2012 Event Scientists discover the closest known rogue planet to Earth, known as CFBDSIR 2149-0403, the planet is about 100+ light years away 2012 Event Astronomers have identified the nearest planet outside of our Solar System, Alpha Centauri B, which circles its star much closer than Mercury orbits our Sun 2012 Event Curiosity, the Mars rover, broadcasts its first audio recording of a human voice from the surface of another planet 2012 Event The planet Venus makes its last transit of the 21st century beginning at 22:09 UTC June 5, and ending 4:49 UTC June 6 2011 Event NASA scientists announce the discovery of a circumbinary planet - a planet the orbits two stars instead of one 2011 Event Neptune completes its first orbit of the sun since the planet was discovered in 1846 2010 Event HIP 13044 b, a planet that was formed in another galaxy, is discovered in the Helmi Stream 2010 Event The brightest object in the night sky next to the Moon is the planet Jupiter, as it makes its closest approach to Earth since 1963 2006 Death John M. Ford, author, science fiction and fantasy, poet, game designer, wrote, 'The Final Reflection', 'How Much Just for the Planet?', dies of natural causes, at age 49 2006 Event Pluto is demoted to a 'dwarf planet' 2002 Death Jack Haldeman, science fiction writer, Perry's Planet, dies at 60 1999 Event Pluto again becomes outermost planet 1998 Death Roddy McDowall, actor/photographer, Planet of the Apes, dies at 70 1991 Event University of Manchester scientist announce finding a planet outside of solar system 1991 Event Daily Planet fires cub reporter Jimmy Olson (Superman character) 1989 Event Voyager 2 begins a flyby of planet Neptune 1986 Death Manly Wade Wellman, sci-fi author (Devil's Planet), dies at 82 1985 Event Japan launches Planet A, a probe to Halley's comet 1984 Event 1st planet outside our solar system discovered 1984 Death Walter Pidgeon, actor (Forbidden Planet), dies of strokes at 87 1984 Death Walter Pidgeon, actor (Forbidden Planet, Mrs. Miniver), dies at 87 1983 Death D Mack Reynolds, U.S. writer (Amazon Planet, Once Departed), dies 1979 Event Neptune becomes outermost planet (Pluto moves closer) 1977 Death Edmond [Moore] Hamilton, U.S., sci-fi author (Danger Planet), dies at 72 1975 Event Venera 9, 1st craft to orbit planet Venus launched 1973 Event Pioneer 10 passes Jupiter (1st fly-by of an outer planet) 1973 Event U.S.S.R. launches Mars 4 for fly-by (2600 km) of red planet 1972 Event "Hot Rod Lincoln," by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen hits #9 1971 Death Walter Sande, actor (Red Planet Mars), dies of heart attack at 65 1971 Event Mariner 9, 1st to orbit another planet, Mars 1970 Event Soviet Venera 7 is 1st spacecraft to land on another planet (Venus) 1969 Event U.S.S.R. Venera 5 launched for 1st successful planet landing (Venus) 1968 Death C Montague Shaw, actor (Buck Rogers, Planet Outlaws), dies at 85 1966 Event Venera 3 becomes 1st man-made object to impact on a planet (Venus) 1965 Event Venera 3 launched, 1st to land on another planet (crashes into Venus) 1964 Death H[enry] Beam Piper, U.S., sci-fi author (4 Day Planet), dies at 60 1962 Event Mariner 2 makes 1st U.S. fly-by of another planet (Venus) 1962 Birthday Patrica Morrison, rocker, Sisters of Mercy-Walk Away, Black Planet 1960 Birthday Chuck D, born in Roosevelt, New York, rapper, author, leader, Public Enemy, created politically, socially conscious rap music, focused on hip hop genre, albums include, 'Yo! Bum Rush the Show', 'Fear of a Black Planet' 1959 Birthday Andrew Eldritch, rocker, Sisters of Mercy-Walk Away, Black Planet 1959 Event U.S. Pioneer IV misses Moon and becomes 2nd (U.S. 1st) artificial planet 1957 Birthday John M. Ford, born in East Chicago, Indiana, author, science fiction and fantasy, poet, game designer, wrote, 'The Final Reflection', 'How Much Just for the Planet?' 1950 Birthday John Sayles, born in Schenetady, New York, actor, Brother from Another Planet 1948 Birthday Bill Kirchen, singer/guitarist, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet 1948 Birthday Bill Kirchen, singer/guitarist, Commander Cody and Lost Planet Airmen 1945 Birthday Linda Harrison, born in Berlin, Maryland, actress, Bracken's World, Planet of Apes 1944 Birthday Commander Cody, singer/pianist, Commander Cody and Lost Planet Airmen 1940 Birthday Paul Williams, born in Omaha, Nebraska, singer/composer/actor, Planet of the Apes 1935 Birthday Alex Harvey, rocker, Just Visiting This Planet 1935 Birthday Robert Silverberg, U.S., sci-fi author, Hugo, Regan's Planet 1935 Birthday Ron Harper, Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, actor, Wendy and Me, Planet of the Apes 1930 Birthday Anne Francis, born in Ossining, New York, actress, Honey West, Forbidden Planet 1930 Event Planet Pluto named 1930 Event Clyde Tombaugh photographs planet Pluto 1928 Birthday Roddy McDowall, London England, actor, Planet of Apes, Lord Love a Duck 1922 Birthday Kim Hunter, Janet Cole, Det, Michigan, actress, Planet of the Apes, Lilith 1922 Birthday Leslie Nielsen, Regina Sask, actor, Forbidden Planet, Naked Gun 1918 Birthday Ted Post, Director, Peacemaker, Beneath the Planet of the Apes 1916 Birthday Robert [Augustine] W[ard] Lowndes, U.S., sci-fi author, Puzzle Planet 1916 Birthday David Brown, born in New York City, director, Jaws, Planet of the Apes 1916 Birthday Mort Abrahams, producer, Dr. Doolittle, Planet Of Apes 1915 Birthday Saul Bellow, born in Lachine, Quebec, author, Mr Sammler's Planet, Nobel 1976 1914 Birthday Saul Bellow, born in Quebec, novelist, Nobel 1976-Mr Samler's Planet 1913 Birthday Les Tremayne, London, actor, Angry Red Planet, War of the Worlds 1907 Birthday Robert A[nson] Heinlein, U.S., sci-fi author, 4 Hugos, Red Planet 1904 Birthday Edmond [Moore] Hamilton, U.S., sci-fi author, Danger Planet 1903 Birthday Manly Wade Wellman, Angola, sci-fi author, After Dark, Devil's Planet 1880 Event 1st commercial hydroelectric power planet begins, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1859 Event 1st sighting of Vulcan, a planet thought to orbit inside Mercury 1841 Event John Couch Adams decides to determine position of an unknown planet by irregularities it causes in the motion of Uranus 1613 Event Galileo may have unknowingly viewed undiscovered planet Neptune
