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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Hard-working spacecraft and even harder-working microbes
The Soyuz spacecraft have been helping humans get to and from space for decades, but that’s nothing compared to the billions of years that microorganisms have been making life on Earth possible.
Moonshadow, Moonshadow
The Moon casts shadows on itself and on Earth, environmental concerns overshadow a test launch’s success, and exoplanets are awesome (beyond a shadow of a doubt).
Rocket flight and the five dwarfs
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.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, April 2023
The changing fortunes of planetary defense.
Asteroids worth getting psyched about
New discoveries from Ryugu, material heading our way from Bennu, and anticipation for a mission to Psyche.
Volcanic Venus, myriad moons, and space sonification
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.
Spectacularly crepuscular!
Curiosity captures crepuscular rays on Mars, a new member community launches, and solar sailing takes exploration into the future.
Never let a rock sneak up on you
Finding asteroids before they hit Earth not only protects us from harm, it can also yield beautiful photos.
Red hot space
This week’s roundup of space news and exploration inspiration will leave you seeing red (in the best way possible).
What was the Chelyabinsk meteor event?
When an asteroid exploded in the atmosphere above Chelyabinsk, Russia on Feb. 15, 2013, it made history and underscored the importance of planetary defense.
A year in review and a reddish hue
Get ready for a total lunar eclipse and pick your favorites from this year in space.
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.
NASA says DART's asteroid impact was a huge success
On Tuesday, Oct. 11, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that early observations indicate NASA's DART mission successfully moved asteroid moonlet Dimorphos.
See DART’s final images before it smashed into an asteroid
NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft intentionally crashed into Dimorphos, the moon of an asteroid named Didymos.
Your impact: September equinox 2022
We’re pleased to report a very active summer back to you.
Comets: big, beautiful, and surprisingly smelly
Get ready for one of the year’s best meteor showers, caused by one of the many intriguing comets of our Solar System.
Planetary accessorizing
Planets are beautiful and fascinating enough on their own, but there’s no denying that moons and rings add a little something special.
Defend your planet
With so many asteroids out there, it’s up to us to defend our planet from impacts. Find out how you can make a difference.
Updates from our Shoemaker NEO Grant winners
Brief updates on what the latest Shoemaker NEO grant winners have been working on.