Articles

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

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.

Spectacularly crepuscular!

Curiosity captures crepuscular rays on Mars, a new member community launches, and solar sailing takes exploration into the future.

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.

Why we need the NEO Surveyor space telescope

A space-based solution like NEO Surveyor will find more asteroids, more quickly, than any ground-based alternative. Combined with deflection technology, this gives humanity a chance to alter its fate should a threatening asteroid be found early enough.

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 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.

More worlds, anyone?

The more we search, the more we find. From exoplanets to moons to asteroids, the list of worlds just keeps growing.

Best space pictures of the month: January 2023

A sample depot on Mars and a stunning green comet top this month's space highlights.

By Jove! (Literally)

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

How JWST confirmed its first exoplanet and opened a new frontier

JWST's observations of the exoplanet LHS 475 b have demonstrated the space telescope's abilities in the realm of rocky exoplanet research.

I spy with my technologically enhanced eye

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

Ending a year, looking to the future

This year has been great for space exploration. With your support, we’ll make sure the future is even better.

A long night, and “so long!” to InSight

Celebrate the December solstice, be thankful you’re not on Triton, and say goodbye to the InSight Mars lander.

A deep dive into the Neptune system with JWST

A closer look at the science JWST has already done at Neptune, and what's coming next.

Capturing the Cosmos

This week we have images snapped the old-fashioned and cutting-edge ways, creative ways of thinking about exploration, and artwork that expresses the beauty of it all.