Articles

Stories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.

How JWST confirmed its first exoplanet and opened a new frontier

JWST's observations of the exoplanet LHS 475 b have demonstrated the space telescope's abilities in the realm of rocky exoplanet research.

I spy with my technologically enhanced eye

Seeing more with infrared cameras, radar telescopes, and good old-fashioned artistic instincts.

Ending a year, looking to the future

This year has been great for space exploration. With your support, we’ll make sure the future is even better.

A long night, and “so long!” to InSight

Celebrate the December solstice, be thankful you’re not on Triton, and say goodbye to the InSight Mars lander.

A deep dive into the Neptune system with JWST

A closer look at the science JWST has already done at Neptune, and what's coming next.

Capturing the Cosmos

This week we have images snapped the old-fashioned and cutting-edge ways, creative ways of thinking about exploration, and artwork that expresses the beauty of it all.

NEO Surveyor is confirmed

After nearly two decades of consideration, NASA made a formal commitment to NEO Surveyor, an asteroid-hunting space telescope.

The year in pictures: 2022

With JWST up and running, it’s one of our best Year in Pictures issues yet.

Out-of-this-world astronauts (literally)

Celebrating 50 years of Apollo 17, the last crewed mission to the Moon.

Best space pictures of the month: November 2022

NASA's chief of exploration mission planning Nujoud Merancy walks us through a picture from the Orion spacecraft.

Gifts from above

The Cosmos has so many gifts to give us, from awe-inspiring images to fascinating discoveries. We’ve got our own set of gifts to recommend too.

Best space pictures of the month: October 2022

Stunning views of Europa and the Eagle Nebula headline our roundup of space images released last month.

Creepy Cosmos! Scary space! Petrifying planets!

An especially spooky Halloween edition of The Downlink.

New wonders to behold

New stars are being born, new missions are being conceived, and new discoveries are being made all the time.

Good omens

The future is looking brighter thanks to a proven asteroid deflection technique and an array of visionary ideas for space exploration innovation.

How JWST will reveal our Solar System beyond Neptune

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will soon give us valuable data on the dozens of distant objects found beyond the orbit of Neptune in a region known as the Kuiper belt.