Articles

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

Shoemaker-Levy 9 Fragment D and G Impact Scars on Jupiter

Does Jupiter protect Earth from asteroids and comets?

Jupiter has often been thought to protect the inner Solar System from asteroids and comets, but new research has shown that the giant planet may actually increase the risk of an impact.

Why does Jupiter spin so fast?

The gas giant is the Solar System's largest planet. Here's why it's also the fastest-spinning planet.

What are planets made of?

A look at the compositions of terrestrial planets, gas giants, and ice giants in our Solar System.

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.

What are Jupiter’s Galilean moons?

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

Looking for long waves

Why JWST observes in the infrared.

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?

Juice launches on mission to explore Jupiter's icy moons

The spacecraft will explore Jupiter's moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, all three of which may harbor subsurface oceans.

Juice launch and mission preview: What to expect

Juice is ready to launch on a mission to uncover the secrets of Jupiter's icy moons.

Volcanic Venus, myriad moons, and space sonification

Learn all about the possible volcanic activity found on Venus, the facts about a hyped-up near-Earth asteroid, Jupiter’s newest moons, and what space images sound like.

Hubble Space Telescope picture of Jupiter, 2020

The secrets of Jupiter’s tiny new moons

Jupiter's 92 confirmed moons can teach us how the giant planets formed, and what conditions were like in the early Solar System.

The year in pictures: 2022

With JWST up and running, it’s one of our best Year in Pictures issues yet.

Your guide to rings of the Solar System

Tour the rings of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, plus asteroids, a dwarf planet, and an exoplanet.

Best space pictures of the month: November 2022

NASA's chief of exploration mission planning Nujoud Merancy walks us through a picture from the Orion spacecraft.

Look and see

New views of Europa, favorite sights from JWST, looking at the Cosmos from the air, and other ways to visually soak up our Universe.

It’s a team effort

Robots, scientists, citizens, and artists team up to explore the Cosmos in this week’s Downlink.

A space smorgasbord

Sample the best tidbits from space exploration this week, including news from across the Solar System and beyond, and personal insights from leaders of exploration.