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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
So long, 2020, and thanks for all the space
Look back on the year’s accomplishments and enjoy the beauty of the cosmos.
The great conjunction! (And how it functions)
Everything you need to know about Saturn and Jupiter’s upcoming conjunction, and more from this week in space exploration.
Wish upon a shooting star (or a descending asteroid sample)
Hayabusa2 brings its sample safely to Earth, and the Geminids meteor shower approaches.
Adapting an iPhone for Astrophotography
The sky is the limit, providing you’re willing to invest a little time for what is a surprisingly low-budget, hands-on project.
Approaching Mars on Spaceship Earth
One of the great things about space exploration is how it can shift your perspective. And you don't even need to leave home.
A new storm on Saturn!
On March 29, vigilant astronomer Maciel Bassani Sparrenberger discovered that a new bright spot had broken out in Saturn's high northern latitudes.
Saturn and Titan in the Milky Way
An unusual photo of Saturn by astrophotographer Damian Peach shows the planet and its largest moon nestled among the star-filled lane of the Milky Way.
Our asteroid hunters are trying to save the world. Here’s what they’ve been up to
Here are some recent reports from our NEO Shoemaker Grant program asteroid observers, who are quite literally trying to save the world.
Great whirling Jupiter
Damian Peach's marvelous Jupiter photography, endlessly rotating in GIF form.
WISE Views in Infrared
Amateur image processor Judy Schmidt explains the process of creating gorgeous views of the cosmos from infrared data from the WISE telescope.
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.
Checking in on Uranus and Neptune, September 2015 edition
There are no spacecraft at Uranus or Neptune, and there haven't been for 30 and 25 years, respectively. So we depend on Earth-based astronomers to monitor them, including Damian Peach.
Jupiter's changing face, 2009-2015
Damian Peach's photo-documentation of Jupiter helps us monitor the giant planet's ever-changing patterns of belts, zones, storms, and barges, during a time when no orbiting missions are there to take pictures.
Herschel observations of Comet Siding Spring initiated by an amateur astronomer
The European satellite Herschel acquired images of Comet Siding Spring before its death in 2013 — thanks to an observing proposal from an amateur astronomer!
I've been asteroided! (274860) Emilylakdawalla
What a great piece of news to receive upon returning home from vacation! There is now a small piece of the solar system named for me: asteroid 274860 has been formally named
Pretty Picture: Three Wanderers
With all the excitement happening on missions criscrossing the solar system, I often forget to enjoy the views of our solar system that we can achieve from home. Amateur astronomers don't make the same mistake. Here's a lovely photo that Stuart Atkinson sent me, captured last night from Kendal, England, showing four special wanderers.
Pretty picture: Two crescents: New moon, old Venus
A baby Moon and aging Venus crescents are positioned close in the sky today, and lots of people are taking beautiful photos.
A case of the measles for Jupiter?
Amateur astronomer Christopher Go has found Jupiter to be putting on a fun show for observers: it's sprouting little red spots
Comet ISON Enters the Final Countdown
We're now less than two weeks away from comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) reaching perihelion and, if we’re honest, we are still none the wiser as to how the situation might play out!
Neptune: The new amateur boundary?
Can features on Neptune be observed by amateur astronomers? For years, the Hubble Space Telescope and some professional terrestrial observatories have been revealing incomplete belts and spots on the surface of Neptune. Now, spots have been imaged by amateurs.