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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
What to look forward to in space in 2024
A total solar eclipse and the launch of Europa Clipper are on our list of cosmic events to get excited about this year.
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.
Why aren't there more close-up images of Uranus and Neptune?
There aren't many close-up, high-resolution images of the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. The reason comes down to distance.
How do humans try to communicate with aliens?
SETI is the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, using various techniques to look for signals from advanced alien civilizations. METI (messaging extraterrestrial intelligence) is when we send out our own signals for aliens to find.
The scientific truth is out there
The real science of aliens, the policy implications of ET, and new views of worlds beyond our own.
Way out there
We’re always learning more about the worlds of the outer Solar System, and even those beyond.
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?
Hard-working spacecraft and even harder-working microbes
The Soyuz spacecraft have been helping humans get to and from space for decades, but that’s nothing compared to the billions of years that microorganisms have been making life on Earth possible.
Moonshadow, Moonshadow
The Moon casts shadows on itself and on Earth, environmental concerns overshadow a test launch’s success, and exoplanets are awesome (beyond a shadow of a doubt).
Have a nice flight!
Flying on Titan is easy, but not as easy as flying on Deimos. Plus, Juice takes off and Ingenuity captures a view from the air.
Rocket flight and the five dwarfs
Meet the Solar System’s five official dwarf planets, celebrate two major launches, and find out why planets sometimes seem to go backwards across the sky.
Want more space? Speak up!
Detailed Mars maps, insights into the Venusian surface, and views of Uranian rings all have one thing in common: they don’t happen without public support for space.
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.
A mission to pull back the shroud
VERITAS would peer through Venus’ clouds to study its surface like never before, but it needs your help.
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.
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.
By Jove! (Literally)
Jupiter’s moons have always been exciting to explore, and a new era of Jovian moon research is about to begin.
Going the distance to get the shot
A brief history of space imaging
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.
Launching and descending
Artemis I is on its way to the Moon, Planetary Academy is here to inspire your kids, and LightSail 2 has come down.