... Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, remains the most mysterious of the Solar System's inner planets. ... Japan launched its first mission to orbit Mars, Nozomi (Hope), on July 3rd from the Kagoshima Space Center on the island of Kyushu. ... A solar storm overtook the Earth on August 26th. ... Red stars are cool, around 3,000 kelvins (K), while blue stars are hotter and can have temperatures over 30,000 K. Our own lovely yellow Sun's temperature is a comforting 6,000 K. Hydrogen Trifid . ...