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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
'Ignition': A new series of NASA initiatives
On March 24, 2026, NASA leadership detailed new plans for the agency, involving lunar missions, Mars, and more.
Beyond the unknown: The coming Kuiper belt revolution
Discoveries about the worlds of the Kuiper belt could revolutionize our understanding of the Solar System and its ancient past.
Messengers of ice and time
Comets are ancient relics from the Solar System's formation that may have delivered water and the building blocks of life to early Earth.
How do you define a planet?
As our ability to study space has improved, our definitions of planets have evolved.
Why do some planets have rings and others don't?
The giant planets of our Solar System all have rings, as do some dwarf planets and even asteroids. So why don’t Mercury, Venus, Earth, or Mars?
What is a "planetary alignment"?
What to expect when multiple planets appear in the sky together.
The Space Advocate Newsletter, Februrary 2026
Musk fought the Moon and the Moon won.
NASA has lost a spacecraft around Mars. Is MAVEN gone for good?
A pioneering spacecraft has gone missing around Mars, and NASA says the mission is probably unrecoverable.
Calendar of space events 2026
Space missions, rocket launches, and celestial events are coming our way in 2026.
Rogue worlds and the boundaries of planethood
Exploring rogue planets, how they form, and how they expand our conception of what counts as a planet.
Which stars could host alien life?
Every star in the Universe creates a different environment for the worlds around it.
“We’re made of starstuff.” What does that mean?
Carl Sagan's famous quote is more than just poetic — it's true.
ESCAPADE launch: What to expect
NASA's ESCAPADE mission will send a pair of twin probes to Mars to study how the solar wind has stripped away the planet’s atmosphere, leaving behind the desolate surface we see today.
Our best proof of life on Mars yet? A deep dive into Cheyava Falls
A strange rock on Mars is different from anything we’ve seen before in the search for life.
What is comet 3I/ATLAS?
A roundup of key facts and surprising discoveries about the third known interstellar object.
A biosignature on Mars? Unpacking Perseverance's Cheyava Falls find
An interview with Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University, New York, one of the lead scientists involved in the discovery of possible biosignatures on Mars.
Where do 3I/ATLAS and other interstellar visitors come from?
Interstellar interlopers like 'Oumuamua and 3I/ATLAS could be our best bet at exploring other stars.
Studying a distant visitor: What we know about Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Key highlights from an interview with Dr. Bryce Bolin, lead author of a study on Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS.
NASA: Perseverance found possible biosignatures in Martian rock
NASA’s Perseverance rover has identified a potential sign of past life on Mars — not a definitive detection, but perhaps the most compelling hint yet.
Other Earths
Astronomers are closing in on planets that might be like our own.