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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Calendar of space events 2025
Space missions, rocket launches, and celestial events are coming our way in 2025.
What are planets made of?
A look at the compositions of terrestrial planets, gas giants, and ice giants in our Solar System.
The hottest and coldest places in the Solar System
The worlds of our Solar System run the gamut of temperatures. Here are some of the hottest and coldest places we know of.
What is Venus' quasi-moon Zoozve?
The story behind the newly-named quasi-satellite of Venus.
The best places to search for life in our Solar System
From Earth's neighboring planets to distant moons, these are the best places to look for alien life.
What to look forward to in space in 2024
A total solar eclipse and the launch of Europa Clipper are on our list of cosmic events to get excited about this year.
Why the true colors of the planets aren't what you think
Cameras on our space probes act as proxies for our own eyes, but what they see isn't necessarily what our eyes would see.
How do we see the surface of Venus from space?
Although Venus is shrouded in a thick atmosphere, several spacecraft have been able to image its surface from space. Future missions will expand and refine the maps we already have.
Hasta la vista, baby
Terminators abound this week in space, and we’ll be back to Mars if NASA gets the budget it needs.
Life on Venus: Your Questions Answered
Is there life on Venus? Was our planetary neighbor ever inhabited? Here are the answers to your most pressing questions about the possibility of alien life on Venus.
Speedy spacecraft and pretty pics
Take a look at some of our favorite recent space images and learn about an express mission to Mars.
Way out there
We’re always learning more about the worlds of the outer Solar System, and even those beyond.
Moon-spying missions and a planetary evil twin
Whether they’re dedicated to it or not, planetary missions can get beautiful and informative glimpses at distant moons. And who’s the evil twin: Venus or Earth?
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.
What would it be like to stand on the surface of Venus?
With extreme heat and crushing atmospheric pressure, the surface of Venus is one of the most deadly environments in the Solar System. Here’s what it would be like to be there.
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.
Why we need VERITAS
NASA's first mission to Venus in decades is in danger. This is why VERITAS is worth saving.
The Planetary Society, American Geophysical Union, and Prominent Academic Institutions Call on Congress to Save VERITAS Mission to Venus
In a joint effort led by The Planetary Society, major organizations and academic institutions are calling on Congress to save the Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission by establishing a 2029 launch date, a 2-year delay from the original baseline schedule.
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.
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.