Articles

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

LightSail 2 completes mission with atmospheric reentry

The three-and-a-half-year solar sailing mission showed LightSail 2 could change its orbit with sunlight alone.

Artemis I launch guide: What to expect

NASA's Space Launch System rocket is sending the Orion crew capsule to the Moon and back.

Best space pictures of the month: October 2022

Stunning views of Europa and the Eagle Nebula headline our roundup of space images released last month.

Your guide to water on Mars

Mars used to have oceans, lakes, and rivers. Where did the water go, how much is left, and how can we use it for science and exploration?

DART impact: What to expect

Get ready for NASA's demonstration of a planetary defense technique that could deflect a future asteroid on course to hit Earth.

What Cassini continues to reveal about Saturn

Saturn continues to surprise as scientists comb through 13 years of Cassini data.

Patience for Uranus

The road back to Uranus is paved with a complicated mix of science and politics.

Who gets to use JWST and what's it like?

There are only so many hours of telescope time available to unlock the secrets of the Universe.

Equatorial region of Venus from Akatsuki

Life on Venus? New updates on the search

Astronomer Jane Greaves presents new findings that could support of phosphine in the clouds of Venus.

JWST versus Hubble: How are they different?

Unlike Hubble, JWST was primarily designed to see the universe in infrared light, revealing ancient galaxies, peering through nebulae, and uncovering exoplanet atmospheres.

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.

JWST launch guide: Everything you need to know

NASA’s long-awaited, greatly anticipated observatory has blasted off on a mission to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos.

Charlene Anderson at Planteary Society HQ

Catching the passion with Charlene Anderson

An interview with Charlene Anderson, who served as editor of The Planetary Report from 1980 to 2012.

The year in pictures: Planetary exploration in 2021

The past year as seen through the eyes of space missions across the solar system.

DART mission resources for space fans and the press

Exclusive Planetary Society materials to help space fans tell the world about NASA's upcoming mission to impact an asteroid.

LightSail 2 sails into Smithsonian

The prestigious Washington, D.C. institution will display two models of LightSail 2, which is continuing to demonstrate flight by light in Earth orbit.