Articles

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

The year in pictures

The sights of space from the past 12 months.

The Tianlin Space Telescope

China is in the early stages of planning a huge space observatory to help answer the matter of whether we are alone in the galaxy.

Why the “habitable zone” doesn’t always mean habitable

The habitable zone is a useful concept in astrobiology, but it can sometimes paint an over-simplified picture of planetary habitability.

Meet the superlative exoplanets

Experience the most famous of our exoplanet friends!

The search for Earthlike worlds

Our understanding of exoplanets grows as more tools to peer into space come online.

Far from alone

How exoplanet discoveries reshape the prospect of alien life.

What are planets made of?

A look at the compositions of terrestrial planets, gas giants, and ice giants in our Solar System.

How astronomers search for life on exoplanets

Technologies for studying planets around other stars are advancing all the time. Along with those advancements come new ways to look for possible signs of life on those planets.

Cometary sights and sounds

Discover what causes a comet’s color and what it might be like to listen to one whiz by.

Hasta la vista, baby

Terminators abound this week in space, and we’ll be back to Mars if NASA gets the budget it needs.

Artist's rendition of an exoplanet with a terminator zone

Are exoplanet 'terminator zones' a lead in the search for life?

Exoplanets with terminator zones are unusual worlds that may challenge our traditional understanding of habitability.

Speedy spacecraft and pretty pics

Take a look at some of our favorite recent space images and learn about an express mission to Mars.

Would you like some salty water with your space salad?

Two new grant-winning projects, a collection of awesome space imagery, a mighty plume, and much more this week in space.

Way out there

We’re always learning more about the worlds of the outer Solar System, and even those beyond.

Moonshadow, Moonshadow

The Moon casts shadows on itself and on Earth, environmental concerns overshadow a test launch’s success, and exoplanets are awesome (beyond a shadow of a doubt).