Articles

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

Want more space? Speak up!

Detailed Mars maps, insights into the Venusian surface, and views of Uranian rings all have one thing in common: they don’t happen without public support for space.

The Space Advocate Newsletter, April 2023

The changing fortunes of planetary defense.

A mission to pull back the shroud

VERITAS would peer through Venus’ clouds to study its surface like never before, but it needs your help.

Unusual Uranus! Moist Moon! Volcanic Venus!

A planet shows its pole, another shows possible volcanic activity, and the Moon keeps surprising us with more water.

Asteroids worth getting psyched about

New discoveries from Ryugu, material heading our way from Bennu, and anticipation for a mission to Psyche.

What the search for aliens can learn from life on Earth

When searching for extraterrestrial life, we have to base our hunt on what we know about life on our own planet. This may seem limiting, but there's a lot we can learn from the astonishingly diverse lifeforms we have here on Earth.

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.

The future of solar sailing

An exciting future for solar sailing is on the horizon.

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).

Weaving together a picture of the Cosmos

When we combine data sources, collaborate with each other, and invite artistic perspectives, we can better understand the Universe we live in.

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.

What does a bear have in common with a megatsunami?

An old image of Mars drives scientific questions today, moons and mini asteroids fuel fascination, and an unexpected ursine figure shows itself.

By Jove! (Literally)

Jupiter’s moons have always been exciting to explore, and a new era of Jovian moon research is about to begin.

I spy with my technologically enhanced eye

Seeing more with infrared cameras, radar telescopes, and good old-fashioned artistic instincts.

Tianwen-2: China’s Near-Earth asteroid and comet double-header

China is gearing up for an ambitious combined mission to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid, deliver the material to Earth, and then head off back into deep space to study a comet.