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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
A cosmic bowling ball spinning through space
Jupiter is a world of extremes, and Venus hints at some mysteries. You can take action to help learn more about these worlds and others.
Are the Universe's Smallest Stars Promising Places for Life?
Red dwarf stars are more common than our Sun. What are the prospects for life on exoplanets that orbit them?
Seeing, feeling, and imagining the cosmos
Explore space art created by members of The Planetary Society’s community, and learn about a possible alien signal.
Aliens at Proxima Centauri? A New Radio Signal Raises the Question
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so here are the reasons why there may or may not be aliens in our cosmic backyard.
Planetary Society Reacts to Loss of Arecibo Observatory Radio Telescope
Arecibo helped us explore the cosmos and our solar system, search for life, and defend Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids.
Atmospheres that intrigue, protect, and obscure
Catch up on the week’s space news and consider planetary atmospheres from a few thought-provoking perspectives.
A dwarf planet, a rogue planet, and a glow-in-the-dark moon
All the wonders that the cosmos offered up this week, plus news about NASA’s leadership and an exciting launch.
Carl Sagan’s wisdom and vision, and how far we’ve come since his time
Even Sagan would be amazed by multitudes we now know our cosmos may hold. Learn more, plus get your scoop on the week’s space news.
A devil on Mars and defenders of Earth
From dust devils and craters on the Martian surface to spots on the Sun, we’re taking a look at everything new and exciting in space science and exploration this week.
Missions to Mars, and exoplanets caught on camera
Everything you need to know about two missions en route to Mars and another gearing up for launch, plus the rest of the week’s space news.
Mars in all its glory, and a planet as hot as a star
Dive into Mars mania and catch up on this week’s space exploration updates.
The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth
A group of researchers, backed by NASA funding, wants to use solar sails and the Sun's gravity to capture an image of an exoplanet so sharp we can see continents, oceans, and clouds.
Not a Heart of Ice
Mark Marley explains what planetary scientists mean when they say the word
The Skies of Mini-Neptunes
A GREAT QUEST is underway to discover Earthsize worlds in their stars’ habitable zones. Along the way, astronomers have been surprised to learn that the most typical size of planet in our galaxy is one with no counterpart in our own solar system.
Farewell, Kepler
NASA's Kepler space telescope helped us find our place in the cosmos.
A WIYN-win partnership
NASA and the National Science Foundation are teaming up to observe exoplanets discovered by Kepler and TESS.
An update on the potential habitability of TRAPPIST-1
One year ago, Franck Marchis wrote an article about the remarkable discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system. Here's an update.
Creating a guidebook for Earth's hypothetical twin
Early Earth's atmosphere wasn't a place for humans. Yet the planet had microbial life—something we should keep in mind for exoplanets.
This newly discovered Earth-sized planet could harbor life
And it's only 11 light-years away.
This giant, flower-shaped starshade creates an artificial eclipse to see distant exoplanets
Starshade is a proposed flower-shaped spacecraft that can create an artificial eclipse, allowing space telescopes to spot planets orbiting distant stars.