The Planetary Society’s online courses are accessible exclusively within our members-only online community.

Gain access to all our courses for just $4/month. Membership benefits include our member T-shirt, The Planetary Report quarterly member magazine, and exclusive access to our member community featuring live events, a monthly book club, and much more. Your membership supports our mission to advance space science and exploration.

Available courses

Stargazing 101

Learn how to explore the night sky and discover the wonders waiting to be seen overhead.

Discover the wonders waiting to be seen overhead with our new guide to backyard astronomy. No matter where you live or whether you own a telescope, this how-to guide will transform the stars overhead into a clear view of the Universe. You’ll learn practical skills for parsing the night sky, get tips on how to see the best possible views, and hear the latest from professional astronomy communicators on how to help others fall in love with stargazing. Everyone from newbies to space nerds welcome.

The search for life

Learn about the search for life beyond Earth and how you can contribute to it.

Explore the Search for Life beyond Earth and learn how you can actively contribute to efforts to discover life elsewhere in the Universe. Featuring leading scientists and NASA experts, this course will take you on a tour of the galaxy to uncover how humanity is working to answer the age-old question: Are we alone? Along the way, you’ll hear about everything from Earth-like worlds and icy moons to Mars missions and UAP. 

Solar and lunar eclipses

Everything you need to know about eclipses to appreciate and share them with others

This course, taught by The Planetary Society’s Senior Communications Adviser, Mat Kaplan, will teach you about all the different kinds of solar and lunar eclipses, how they work, why they’re scientifically interesting, and how you can best enjoy and appreciate them. Quizzes and assignments throughout the course will help you become more confident sharing your eclipse knowledge with others.
 

Space Advocacy 101

Learn how to be a top-performing space advocate

This course, taught by The Planetary Society’s Chief of Space Policy, Casey Dreier, will help you become a top-performing space advocate. Through videos, written content, quizzes, and assignments, you will learn about the internal workings of NASA, how Congress develops major space legislation, and the best communication strategies for engaging with your elected officials in support of space science and exploration.

Asteroid Defense 101

An introduction to asteroids, impacts, and what we can do to prevent them

This course, taught by The Planetary Society’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Bruce Betts, will introduce you to the threat of asteroid impacts, the history of asteroid impacts on Earth, asteroids and comets in general, and The Planetary Society's five-step plan to prevent impacts. At the end of the course you'll be presented with resources to learn more, and encouraged to share what you've learned with others.