Articles

Jason Davis

A total solar eclipse and the launch of Europa Clipper are on our list of cosmic events to get excited about this year.

The Planetary Society

An edited transcript of an interview with Orlando Figueroa, chair of the independent review team that evaluated NASA's Mars Sample Return program.

Jason Davis

Distant, icy Uranus has puzzled scientists for decades. From its sideways spin to its mysterious magnetic field, the oddball world has many secrets waiting to be revealed.

The Downlink

We might not know what color the planets really are, but we know a whole lot of other fascinating things about them.

Kate Howells

A handy guide to help tease apart the differences between asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids. e

The Downlink

Sometimes the Solar System offers up a planetary pair for our viewing enjoyment. Japan has a pair of missions in the news. And the Sun and Moon will pair up to create an eclipse in just 12 weeks.

Jason Davis

Cameras on our space probes act as proxies for our own eyes, but what they see isn't necessarily what our eyes would see.

Kate Howells

An explainer on planetary conjunctions, and what it means when a planet is at conjunction or at opposition.

The Planetary Society

Announcing the first in a new series of kids books from The Planetary Society and Lerner Publishing Group.

The Downlink

Getting to the Moon — or any moon — isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. That’s why we speak up in support of the hard work that it’ll take to get there.

Emily Lakdawalla

Here's a simple and safe way to observe solar eclipses that's appropriate for young children, with no eclipse glasses or other special equipment needed.

The Downlink

See our neighboring planet in radar and in artwork, and catch up on the week’s space news.

The Downlink

There’s lots to celebrate this week, from the New Year to perihelion and everything we’ve accomplished together during the last orbit.

Kate Howells

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.

Kate Howells

An introduction to Jupiter's moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

The Downlink

Learn why NASA got a cat to chase a laser pointer, see the Uranus system like never before, and catch up on this week’s space news.

Andrew Jones

A Callisto impactor, a Uranus flyby, and a dedicated ice giant orbiter could be on China’s planetary exploration horizon.

Jason Davis

Earth's water may have been on our planet since its formation, or could have been brought here by impactors early in our planet's history. Here's a look at the leading theories about where Earth's water came from.

The Downlink

From mythology to technology, clouds can’t keep us from seeing what lies beneath.

The Planetary Society

Space advocacy ramps up in Washington.