Articles

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

The Fermi paradox and Drake equation: Where are all the aliens?

Theoretical work in SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, is dominated by two key concepts: the Fermi paradox and the Drake equation.

Risky business: will the world rise to the challenge of asteroid defense?

This November, NASA will launch the world’s first mission to test a method of deflecting an asteroid.

Why NASA Picked SpaceX to Land Humans on the Moon

NASA picked SpaceX's Starship to land humans on the Moon as part of the agency's Artemis program. The decision will help humans land on Mars.

Perseverance Firsts: The Best Moments from NASA's Mars Rover Landing

All the best moments so far from NASA's Perseverance rover, all in one place.

LightSail 2 Image of Typhoon Vamco and the Phillipines

NASA Solar Sails Build on LightSail 2

NEA Scout will visit a near-Earth asteroid and Solar Cruiser will test the largest solar sail yet.

Jupiter and Saturn Great Conjunction Viewing Guide

There's still time to get outside and see Jupiter and Saturn together in the evening sky.

Aliens at Proxima Centauri? A New Radio Signal Raises the Question

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, so here are the reasons why there may or may not be aliens in our cosmic backyard.

Moon Features You Can See From Earth

What can you see on the Moon tonight? This guide from The Planetary Society will help you identify some features.

Planetary Society Reacts to Loss of Arecibo Observatory Radio Telescope

Arecibo helped us explore the cosmos and our solar system, search for life, and defend Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids.

Your Guide to Crew-1, SpaceX’s Second Astronaut Flight

The last time was a test. This time it was for real. SpaceX successfully launched 4 astronauts to the International Space Station on 15 November 2020.

Your Guide to the OSIRIS-REx sample collection

NASA's OSIRIS-REx successfully collected a sample from asteroid Bennu on 20 October 2020.

NASA and JAXA to Send Planetary Society-supported Sample Technology to the Moon and Phobos

PlanetVac, developed by Honeybee Robotics, is designed to be a reliable, flexible, low-cost sample collection technology.

Artist's concept of near-Earth asteroids

Planetary Society Grant Winner Discovers Large Near-Earth Asteroid

The kilometer-wide object won't hit Earth, but would cause global-scale devastation if it did.

Planetary Society Grant Winners Deal with Delays, Hunt Asteroids, and Discover Comet

Every 6 months, we ask our recent Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO Grant winners for a progress report. Here's what they told us.

Here's What We've Learned So Far from LightSail 2

A new paper recaps mission events, discusses solar sail performance, and describes how the spacecraft's orbit has changed.

The Biggest Little Asteroid Observatory

The Center for Solar System Studies, a perennial Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO Grant winner, is a small observatory that makes big contributions to near-Earth asteroid research.