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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Another smoking gun in the search for life in Enceladus’ ocean
NASA's Cassini spacecraft sniffed out molecular hydrogen spewing from Enceladus' subsurface ocean. The discovery means Saturn's moon has all the basic ingredients needed to support life.
Cassini, with only a half-year to go at Saturn, just keeps dropping awesome images
Our latest roundup of Cassini goodies from Saturn includes Pan, a ravioli-shaped moon that orbits inside the planet's ring system.
Did Voyager 1 capture an image of Enceladus' plumes erupting?
Amateur image processor Ted Stryk revisited Voyager 1 data of Enceladus and came across a surprise.
Saturn's Ring Particles
Artist and astrophotographer Judy Schmidt brings us a view from within the rings of Saturn.
A week in the solar system
A roundup of pretty pictures and news from our robotic ambassadors around the solar system, from November 4 through 8.
Oppositions, conjunctions, seasons, and ring plane crossings of the giant planets
When are the solstices and equinoxes on the giant planets, and when are they best positioned for view from Earth? I ask these questions a lot as I write about Earth photos of giant planets, and I finally decided to gather the answers to those questions in a single post.
Three bright planets: Portraits from the Pyrenees
It's a great time to go outdoors and look at planets. I have three glorious planetary portraits to share today, sent to me by amateur astronomer Jean-Luc Dauvergne.
New work with 35-year-old data: Voyagers at Ganymede and Saturn
The Voyager data set is a gift to Earth that keeps on giving. This week, I've seen three great new images processed from this old data set.
Watch the entire Cassini mission image catalog as a movie
If you were to download the entire catalog of photos taken at Saturn to date by Cassini and then animate them like a flipbook, how long would it take to watch them all pass by? The Wall Street Journal's Visual Correspondent Jon Keegan has your answer: nearly four hours.
Flawed Beauties
More examples of imperfect--but tantalizing--images from deep space.
Riding With Cassini Through 2014
Video: see some of the sights Cassini saw this year.
A (Difficult) Day in the Solar System
After a bad day on the launch pad, some perspective.
Cassini's awesomeness fully funded through mission's dramatic end in 2017
Last year, rumors swirled that NASA may be so pinched for dollars that the agency might end the Cassini mission early. Today, Cassini received the welcome news that it has formally been funded through the planned end of its extended-extended mission in 2017. A huge congratulations to the Cassini mission!
A close look at Saturn's closest moons
A new composite image of the eight named moons that orbit closest to Saturn, and a list of all the best Cassini observations of these moons.
Of Rings and Resolution
Seeing Saturn before and after Cassini.
Another Day in the Solar System
One day, five worlds.
Dancing With Saturn
Cassini images in motion.
Through a Glass, Darkly
When sent from deep space, even imperfect images can inform and amaze.
Polar vortices across the solar system
Earth's polar vortex has been in the American news all week. But we're not the only planet that has one; basically every world that has an atmosphere has a polar vortex. Here are lots of pretty pictures and animations of polar vortices.
Cosmos with Cosmos Episode 6: Travellers' Tales
The Voyager mission may be the ultimate expression of our desire to explore, but why does that will exist in the first place? Why is it unique to humans?