Articles

Emily Lakdawalla

As part of a big, ongoing project to make a comparison chart of the dimensions and physical properties of solar system objects I've spent the morning tackling the difficult problem of summarizing the physical characteristics of the biggest things that are out there beyond Neptune.

Emily Lakdawalla

The Kepler exoplanet hunting mission has made news today with a report of

Emily Lakdawalla

Stardust is healthy after performing a

Emily Lakdawalla

Two spacecraft that keep their ever-watchful eyes on the Sun -- NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and JAXA's Hinode -- were doing their thing, when something large wandered past: the Moon.

Emily Lakdawalla

There are two intriguing possibilities being discussed in the Japanese media for what to do with Akatsuki, a space probe in orbit near Venus with a fully functional, highly capable suite of cameras but a damaged main engine.

Emily Lakdawalla

These two movies were posted to the JPL website a couple of weeks ago, and they are just amazing.

Marc Rayman

Dawn finishes 2010 much as it began the year, thrusting with its ion propulsion system in steady pursuit of a distant world.

Emily Lakdawalla

I was browsing JPL's Planetary Photojournal today and noticed that they've posted an updated artist's concept of the Juno spacecraft, which is set to launch in August for a 2016 arrival at Jupiter.

Emily Lakdawalla

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has just snapped another photo of Opportunity sitting on the ground on Mars. These pictures never get old.

Emily Lakdawalla

While I was writing yesterday's blog entry on Mars Express' Phobos flybys I realized that I didn't understand Mars Express' orbit very well. So I sent an inquiry to the Mars Express blog, which they answered in a blog entry today.

Emily Lakdawalla

The Mars Express blog has been reactivated today, as a new series of Phobos flybys is already underway.

Emily Lakdawalla

Welcome 2011! I can't wait for what this year has in store. The prize for all of you who have enjoyed opening each door in the Planetary Society's 2010 advent calendar is one of the best views we can get of one of the biggest objects in the asteroid belt, Vesta.

Emily Lakdawalla

Time to open the thirty-first (and next-to-last) door in the advent calendar. Where in the solar system are these dark-rimmed craters?

Emily Lakdawalla

This week is the end for Kodachrome film. It's a casualty of the digital revolution.

A.J.S. Rayl

The Mars Exploration Rovers are wrapping up another year of exploring their seventh -- having experienced both the best of times and the worst of times: Spirit continued a 10-month struggle to endure its coldest, harshest Martian winter yet; Opportunity set a new record for driving despite an arthritic front wheel and a broken shoulder, putting more miles on her rocker bogie in 2010 than in any other single year.

Emily Lakdawalla

Time to open the thirtieth door in the advent calendar. Where in the solar system is this ridged crater?

Emily Lakdawalla

I've just posted my annual roundup of significant images from planetary exploration in 2010.

Emily Lakdawalla

Ready for the New Year? It's going to be an exciting one.

Emily Lakdawalla

Time to open the twenty-ninth door in the advent calendar. Where in the solar system is this fractured flowing ice?

Emily Lakdawalla

Did you know that before Bill Nye was the Planetary Guy or even the Science Guy he was an aerospace engineer, designing components for the Boeing 747?