These searing temperatures are caused by Venus’ thick atmosphere, which is composed mainly of carbon dioxide. As we know from its role in climate change on Earth, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. When the Sun’s light heats Venus, the heat can’t …
The key to Pluto’s heart may also dash hopes of a subsurface ocean. The giant heart-shaped feature on Pluto’s surface has been a mystery since it was first observed by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. But an international team of astrophysicists has …
The festival was a place to learn and connect with like-minded people, “to be part of something much, much bigger,” said Adam Romero, an attendee from Folsom, California. “As soon as we noticed The Planetary Society was doing something like this,” he added …
Although governments around the world understand the value of basic science, it can be hard to prioritize its funding given the variety of competing needs within a nation. NASA’s space science programs in 2024 amount to roughly 0.1% of annual U.S. spending …
Eclipse-O-Rama 2024 brought hundreds together for the eclipse. Members from around the world came to Fredericksburg, Texas, to witness totality at The Planetary Society’s eclipse festival. But the eclipse was only part of the experience. Science talks, …
Eclipses are more accessible than you might think. New technologies, projects, and resources aim to make this year’s eclipse more inclusive, helping as many people as possible experience this extraordinary cosmic event. Learn more about how people with …
After the formalization of an agreement between Croatia and ESA, the agency established formal ties to all EU Member States that were not already ESA members. The EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is the EU’s counterpart to ESA, and the two groups …
Bieryla got the idea for LightSound when she was reviewing student lab accessibility as the manager of Harvard’s Astronomy Lab and Clay Telescope in 2017. She had a discussion with Wanda Díaz-Merced, a blind astronomer who uses sonification to study …
Batygin and Brown’s models suggest that Planet Nine may have a mass about 10 times that of Earth and be similar in size to Uranus or Neptune. The predicted orbit is about 20 times farther from our Sun on average than Neptune, taking between 10,000 and 20, …
It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on the Sun (figuratively). Although we don’t recommend looking at the Sun yourself, it’s extremely important that we Earthlings monitor and understand the Sun’s activity. As our star reaches the peak of its activity …
A storm could also cripple the internet. Most of the digital traffic between continents is carried by undersea cables, which use components that might get fried by a big geomagnetic storm. That would limit the internet to mostly function within more local …
Project Artemis has cleared two hurdles that felled prior attempts to return humans to the Moon: the first was surviving a Presidential transition in 2021; the second, in 2024, was securing a congressional budget that grew funding for Artemis despite a …
Other evidence comes from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images that show boulders at the bottom fault scarfs. Weathering from solar radiation gradually darkens material on the lunar surface, and because these boulders are surrounded by brighter material it …
To play its role, Queqiao-2 will be inserted into a specialized 24-hour-period elliptical "frozen orbit" that allows it to maintain a line of sight with both Earth ground stations and the Chang'e-6 mission in the Apollo crater for long …
China has launched a new Moon relay satellite. Missions on the far side of the Moon can’t communicate with Earth without a relay satellite. Queqiao-2 launched this week to provide that relay solution for China’s lunar exploration program. The mission’s …
Five months into the fiscal year under consideration, Congress finally passed a budget for NASA on March 8, 2024. It provided $24.9 billion, a cut of 2% (about half a billion dollars) relative to 2023. This is NASA’s first year-over-year cut since 2013, a …
Great American Eclipse The website greatamericaneclipse.com is run by a team of eclipse experts. It has detailed predictions for how many people will travel to each state. The bottom of each state page has links to events happening in local communities. …
The latest Planetary Report is here. The March Equinox issue of our quarterly member magazine is all about solar eclipses, including the total solar eclipse that will pass over North America on April 8. You’ll read about why solar eclipses are a rare …
Twenty years ago, NASA’s Opportunity rover landed on Mars. Its twin, Spirit, had reached the surface three weeks earlier. The two robotic field geologists would usher in a new era of Mars exploration and confirm liquid water once flowed on the planet’s …
The President's Budget Request for NASA for fiscal year 2025 is $25.4 billion, a modest 2% increase over 2024. The budget proposes flat or diminished funding for most directorates within the agency, a product of strict budget caps placed on federal …
