Articles

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

NASA’s Lucy mission: an odyssey to the Trojan asteroids

On October 16, NASA's Lucy spacecraft is expected to depart for the Trojan asteroids — rocky bodies that share an orbit with Jupiter.

Some good old-fashioned space mysteries

Exploration is teaching us a lot about the cosmos, and a lot about how much we still don’t know.

Hubble Space Telescope picture of Jupiter, 2020

The shape of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is changing. Here’s why.

A new study says the winds within the famous Great Red Spot are speeding up in some places and slowing down in others.

Dunes and doppelgangers

What can we learn from patterns in the Martian sands? And what’s that Earth-like planet over there?

Perseverance Autonomous Drive Tracks on Mars

Planetary protection: How to explore Mars and other worlds responsibly

Planetary protection means protecting other worlds from Earthly microbes and containing possible microbes that sample return missions might bring back to Earth.

Proximity and distance

Looking at planets and moons from near and far, and figuring out how to get all the way out there.

Jaw-Dropping Jupiter

10 years after launching, Juno is still showing us Jupiter’s stunning beauty.

Cyclones and Storms and Flares, Oh My!

Jupiter’s cyclones are beautiful, and the Sun’s storms and flares are a little bit scary.

Venusian Probes and UFOs

Venus is an intimidating destination for spacecraft, and we’re pretty sure Earth hasn’t yet been a destination for aliens.

Eclipses: It’s All About Perspective

Look at eclipses from the perspective of Earth, the Moon, and beyond. Plus catch up on the week’s space news.

Io's shadow on Jupiter during perijove 22 (closeup)

The best Jupiter pictures from NASA’s Juno mission

As the spacecraft prepares to embark on its extended mission, here are some of the most captivating images of Jupiter from NASA's Juno probe so far.

Solar Plasma and Europan Magma

From solar storms to underwater volcanoes and asteroid close calls, catch up on what’s scary and beautiful this week in space.

Saving the World One Asteroid at a Time

Don’t leave it up to cosmic fate; take action right now to defend our planet from dangerous impacts.

Why lightning on Jupiter is a planetary unsolved mystery

As NASA's Juno spacecraft prepares for its extended mission, it’s worth taking a look back at why Jupiter’s lightning remains one of the planet's most fascinating enigmas.