Articles

Kate Howells

Your guide to the phases of the Moon, their names, and why they happen.

The Downlink

Meet the Solar System’s five official dwarf planets, celebrate two major launches, and find out why planets sometimes seem to go backwards across the sky.

Jason Davis

The test flight succeeded in its goal of having the two vehicles clear the launch tower, although they exploded before reaching orbit.

Casey Dreier

The Planetary Society's all-virtual advocacy event was a success, with more than 1,500 advocacy actions taken.

Kate Howells

"Mercury in retrograde" is one of the most searched terms relating to the planet. Astrological interpretations aside, apparent retrograde motion is an interesting phenomenon that has to do with orbital speeds and observer perspective.

Jason Davis

The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.

The Downlink

Detailed Mars maps, insights into the Venusian surface, and views of Uranian rings all have one thing in common: they don’t happen without public support for space.

Jason Davis

The spacecraft will explore Jupiter's moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, all three of which may harbor subsurface oceans.

Casey Dreier

The changing fortunes of planetary defense.

Kate Howells

With extreme heat and crushing atmospheric pressure, the surface of Venus is one of the most deadly environments in the Solar System. Here’s what it would be like to be there.

The Downlink

VERITAS would peer through Venus’ clouds to study its surface like never before, but it needs your help.

Jason Davis

Juice is ready to launch on a mission to uncover the secrets of Jupiter's icy moons.

Casey Dreier

NASA's first mission to Venus in decades is in danger. This is why VERITAS is worth saving.

Casey Dreier

In a joint effort led by The Planetary Society, major organizations and academic institutions are calling on Congress to save the Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission by establishing a 2029 launch date, a 2-year delay from the original baseline schedule.

The Downlink

A planet shows its pole, another shows possible volcanic activity, and the Moon keeps surprising us with more water.

The Downlink

New discoveries from Ryugu, material heading our way from Bennu, and anticipation for a mission to Psyche.

Kate Howells

When searching for extraterrestrial life, we have to base our hunt on what we know about life on our own planet. This may seem limiting, but there's a lot we can learn from the astonishingly diverse lifeforms we have here on Earth.

Mat Kaplan

Announcing a new space book club, where Planetary Society members can discuss great books and connect directly with authors and other experts.

The Downlink

Learn all about the possible volcanic activity found on Venus, the facts about a hyped-up near-Earth asteroid, Jupiter’s newest moons, and what space images sound like.

Casey Dreier

The requested $27.2 billion would keep all major human and robotic initiatives going forward, though most of it would be offset by inflation.