Taking the time to see the light

Space Snapshot

NASA's Perseverance rover captured this view of the small Martian moon Deimos in the wee hours of the morning on March 1, 2025. It took multiple long-exposure images and stacked them to create this image representing an exposure time of about 52 seconds, enough to capture Deimos’ dim light and the landscape in the foreground. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Fact Worth Sharing

The moon Deimos appears faint in Mars’ night skies because it is both very small and far away. The tiny moon is also moving farther away from Mars all the time, and may someday escape Mars’ orbit altogether.

Mission Briefings

JWST has observed weather on Titan. Researchers using the space telescope report detecting methane clouds and seasonal weather patterns on Saturn's moon Titan, including potential methane rain. Pictured: Images of Titan taken by JWST (top row) and the ground-based W.M. Keck Observatories (bottom row) in 2023. They show methane clouds appearing at different altitudes in Titan’s northern hemisphere. Image credit: NASA et al. 

A SETI survey has found unexplained stellar pulses. A multi-year survey of more than 1,300 Sun-like stars has identified two fast identical pulses from a star 100 light-years away that match similar pulses from a different star observed in 2021. The cause of these pulses is unknown, but the lead researcher says that technological origins can’t be ruled out.

China’s Tianwen-2 asteroid sampling mission will launch next week. The mission to collect samples from near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and return them to Earth aims to launch on May 28.

Scientists are advocating for a NASA mission to the asteroid Apophis. The asteroid’s 2029 close pass of Earth will provide a unique opportunity to study an asteroid up close without having to send a spacecraft deep into space. The recent Apophis T-4 Years Workshop yielded recommendations that NASA use an existing pair of smallsats, which were built for asteroid observation but never launched, to fly by Apophis before its closest pass.

Space Advocate Update

We’ve been busy working to save NASA science

On Monday, more than 150 congressional staff, space professionals, and Members of Congress kicked off the Planetary Science Caucus in a reception hosted by The Planetary Society on Capitol Hill. The caucus has led the bipartisan pushback against the drastic cuts proposed to NASA next year. A letter calling for the restoration of $9 billion to NASA science garnered 83 co-signatories from 28 states, both Republicans and Democrats. A companion letter, led by Senator Mark Kelly, is now in circulation in the Senate.

The House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee also recently held a hearing on planetary defense, one of the core areas of interest here at The Planetary Society. We provided a written statement entered into the congressional record which highlighted both the amazing progress made in planetary defense and that this critical activity is funded by NASA Science, which is facing a 47% cut in FY 2026.

Everyone can sign our new petition in support of NASA and space science

The Planetary Society launched an online petition open to anyone in the world who wants to support space science and exploration. Our advocacy team will hand-deliver these signatures to leaders in Congress next month, during the start of budget deliberations. We’re halfway to our goal of 5,000 signatures — can you help put us over the top?

Want to do more?

See our NASA Budget Action Center for more on the latest developments and how you can help.

Pictured: Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye (center) with Planetary Science Caucus co-chairs Don Bacon (R-RE, left) and Judy Chu (D-CA, right) at the kick-off event. Image credit: Office of Rep. Chu.

From The Planetary Society

Mark your calendar for our first live, in-person book club event. Our usually all-virtual book club is taking to the stage next month in Pasadena, CA. Join us on June 25 for a live discussion about the creation of “Mars: Photographs from the NASA Archives,” with three of the book’s authors: former NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green, JPL Emeritus Chief Engineer Rob Manning, and planetary scientist and author Emily Lakdawalla. Tickets are free, and those who can’t make it to the in-person event can join by Zoom. Pictured: A sample page from the book of Mars imagery. Image credit: Taschen America LLC.

If you’ve got questions about the current state of space policy, we’ve got answers. This week on Planetary Radio, we're tackling tough questions about the value of space exploration. Our experts break down the biggest misconceptions about space science, public versus private investment, why exploration still matters in an ever-changing world, and what you can do to speak up in support of space.

Our future in space needs your help! Since our founding 45 years ago, supporters like you have been powerful and effective advocates for NASA’s greatest missions. Now, more than ever, we need your help! Make a gift today to support The Planetary Society’s space advocacy efforts and your gift will also be matched up to $75,000 thanks to a generous Society member.

What's Up

Before sunrise, look for Venus shining super-bright low in the east. Yellowish Saturn shines above it. In the evening, you’ll find very bright Jupiter in the western sky, with reddish Mars higher up. Learn more about what to look for in this month’s night skies.

Join now and save space missions

If you are not already a member, become one TODAY and help shape the future of space science and exploration by fueling mission-critical advocacy efforts. Here’s just one example: The Planetary Society led efforts in Washington to re-establish funding for NASA’s Venus orbiter VERITAS — and we won! This was only possible because of the support of our members. VERITAS will produce the first global, high-resolution topographic and radar images of Venus, revealing the secrets of Earth's twin planet.

Will you join their ranks and help more missions reach the finish line?

Wow of the Week

NASA astronaut Don Pettit was a fan of long exposures when taking pictures from the International Space Station. This one, captured in May 2012, shows streaks of light from below and above as the station passed over Earth beneath the stars. “My star trail images are made by taking a time exposure of about 10 to 15 minutes,” said Pettit. “However, with modern digital cameras, 30 seconds is about the longest exposure possible, due to electronic detector noise effectively snowing out the image. To achieve the longer exposures I do what many amateur astronomers do. I take multiple 30-second exposures, then ‘stack’ them using imaging software, thus producing the longer exposure.” See more of Pettit’s long-exposure ISS photography here.

Send us your artwork!

We love to feature space artwork in the Downlink. If you create any kind of space-related art, we invite you to send it to us by replying to any Downlink email or writing to [email protected]. Please let us know in your email if you’re a Planetary Society member!