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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Dawn Journal: 9th Anniversary
Nine years ago today, Dawn set sail on an epic journey of discovery and adventure. The intrepid explorer has sailed the cosmic seas and collected treasures that far exceeded anything anticipated or even hoped for.
Rosetta end-of-mission event schedule
A schedule of what to expect during Rosetta's final hours September 29 and 30, and how you can follow online.
New Findings are Conclusive: Europa is crying out for exploration
New scientific findings add to the evidence that Europa is spouting its liquid ocean into space. NASA has a mission to Europa in the works, but it wouldn't launch for at least a decade. Congress can make it faster, but it all depends on whether they can pass a budget this year.
Juno and Marble Movie update at Apojove 1
Juno is on its second of two long orbits around Jupiter, reaching apojove (its farthest distance from the planet) today.
Some beautiful new (old) views of Neptune and Triton
Beautiful new amateur work with 27-year-old Voyager data.
One year remains in the Cassini mission
Cassini ends a year from today, which is sad. But the final year of the mission is going to be awesome.
Gaia's first galaxy map
The astronomy world is abuzz today because of ESA's announcement of the first release of data from the Gaia mission. Gaia is a five-year mission that will eventually measure the positions and motions of billions of stars; this first data release includes positions for 1.1 billion of them, and proper motions for 2 million.
A deep dive into the highest-resolution Voyager Jupiter data
A few weeks before the first Juno high resolution imaging, I decided to take a look at Voyager color images at various resolutions, with particular attention to high-resolution mosaics.
Cassini's camera views of Titan's polar lakes in summer, processed into pseudocolor
Titan's north polar lakes are well-lit by summer sun in these recent Cassini images. Image processing enthusiast Ian Regan shares his recipe for processing the longer-wavelength Titan images into visually pleasing
Field Report From Mars: Sol 4482 - September 2, 2016
Opportunity is about to leave Marathon Valley for good and head south into the next valley, marking the beginning of the current extended mission plan.
Rosetta end-of-mission update
The European Space Agency has shared plans for the end of the Rosetta mission scheduled for September 30, just three weeks from now. The landing site will be located on the
OSIRIS-REx blazes into evening sky, starting journey to asteroid Bennu
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is safely en route to asteroid Bennu following an evening liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Carrying names of 440,000 well-wishers, OSIRIS-REx ready for journey to Bennu and back
OSIRIS-REx is ready to begin its journey to Bennu and back. The asteroid was named by a Planetary Society contest winner, and the spacecraft bears the names of 440,000 well-wishers.
Philae spotted on the surface of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Ever since its landing, Philae has been elusive. It went silent just three days later and never returned any more science data, though it made brief contact with the orbiter last summer. Now, just a month until the planned end of the Rosetta mission, the orbiter has finally located the lander in a stunning high-resolution view of the surface.
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Gets in the Groove, Wraps Science Marathon Valley
Opportunity got in the groove at Endeavour Crater in August finishing the last of her science assignments in Marathon Valley.
Juno's instruments return riches from first perijove
On August 27, Juno soared across Jupiter's cloud tops from pole to pole, with all instruments operating. NASA posted some terrific first results from several of the instruments today. And the JunoCam team released all 28 raw images taken during the close encounter.
OSIRIS-REx is on the launch pad, ready for the big day
The OSIRIS-REx mission passed its flight readiness review yesterday, clearing the way for the spacecraft to launch on Thursday, September 8. Here's a schedule of next week's NASA TV briefings and a photo album of the launch preparations.
Dawn Journal: Diving Low
Following the conclusion of Dawn's ambitious 8.8-year prime mission on June 30, the spacecraft has been gathering a wealth of data with all sensors in its extended mission as it orbits closer to Ceres than the International Space Station is to Earth.
What's up in the solar system, September 2016 edition: OSIRIS-REx launches, Rosetta ends
The month of September begins with an annular solar eclipse visible from much of Africa on September 1. On or after September 8, we'll see OSIRIS-REx launch into a two-year cruise toward a rendezvous with asteroid Bennu. But September will close, sadly, with the end of the wonderful Rosetta mission.
Will Juno’s Instruments Observe the Moons of Jupiter?
It is not easy to observe Jupiter’s moons as more than points of light with Juno, because Juno will never get very close to any of the moons, but as its orbit shifts there will be opportunities to collect data on some of the moons.