The outer reaches of our solar system represent a true frontier for space exploration. Dominated by the colossal ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune, the region also plays host to diverse icy worlds and remnants from the formation of the Solar System. This class will examine the dynamic atmospheres, unique compositions, bizarre magnetic fields, and faint ring systems of both ice giant planets as well as explore the array of fascinating moons in orbit around them. While neither planet has been explored directly by spacecraft since the late 1980’s, the James Webb Space Telescope’s incredibly sensitive infrared instruments are allowing scientists to study both planets and their moons in unprecedented detail from afar. Not surprisingly, these observations provide stunning new insights into these distant worlds. Venturing further out we will discuss how the New Horizons mission transformed our understanding of the dwarf planet Pluto from that of a presumed “dead” ice ball into the remarkably complex and geologically active world that it actually surveyed from space. Finally, we’ll examine the icy world of Arrokoth located in the vast Kuiper Belt which offers a pristine snapshot of the materials present in the outermost, coldest regions of the solar nebula when the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago.