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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Cool and mysterious
A cool moon, a mysterious planet, and a potentially hazardous asteroid feature in this week’s space news roundup.
How layoffs at JPL can be traced to a stalemate in Congress
A battle over the future of Mars Sample Return is taking a toll on NASA’s workforce.
The coolest moons of Jupiter and Saturn you’ve never heard of
Meet the lesser-known moons of our Solar System's gas giants.
Go fetch!
A rover collects samples, future Mars Sample Return missions will retrieve them, and perhaps a robotic dog will play fetch somewhere along the way.
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.
What went wrong with Mars Sample Return
An edited transcript of an interview with Orlando Figueroa, chair of the independent review team that evaluated NASA's Mars Sample Return program.
Uranus' biggest unsolved mysteries
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.
Colorful faults and false colors
We might not know what color the planets really are, but we know a whole lot of other fascinating things about them.
Asteroids vs comets vs meteorites/meteoroids/meteors
A handy guide to help tease apart the differences between asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids. e
Twice as nice
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.
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 is a planetary conjunction?
An explainer on planetary conjunctions, and what it means when a planet is at conjunction or at opposition.
Casting Shadows: Solar and Lunar Eclipses with The Planetary Society
Announcing the first in a new series of kids books from The Planetary Society and Lerner Publishing Group.
Destination: Moon
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.
Sharing an eclipse with kids
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.
Visions of Venus
See our neighboring planet in radar and in artwork, and catch up on the week’s space news.
Happy Perihelion!
There’s lots to celebrate this week, from the New Year to perihelion and everything we’ve accomplished together during the last orbit.
How do we see the surface of Venus from space?
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.
What are Jupiter’s Galilean moons?
An introduction to Jupiter's moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Laser pointer + cat = science
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.