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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
Lucy’s flyby of Dinkinesh: Everything you need to know
On Nov. 1, 2023, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft flew past Dinkinesh, a small asteroid in the main belt, and discovered a binary pair of moonlets in orbit around the asteroid.
Psyche mission successfully launches
The spacecraft has begun its six-year journey to the same-name metal world.
The Psyche launch and its journey to a metal world: What to expect
The Psyche spacecraft is scheduled to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Oct. 13.
The boy who named Bennu is now an aspiring astronaut
The Planetary Society spoke to Mike Puzio, who won our "Name that asteroid!" contest back in 2013.
OSIRIS-REx returns sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth
The sample capsule parachuted to a landing at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range southwest of Salt Lake City.
Cometary sights and sounds
Discover what causes a comet’s color and what it might be like to listen to one whiz by.
How to see newly discovered Comet Nishimura
Comet Nishimura was discovered in August 2023, and is passing close to Earth and the Sun in September. Learn more about it and how to find it.
OSIRIS-REx sample return: What to expect
The spacecraft will drop off its precious samples of asteroid Bennu on Sept. 24, 2023.
What would happen if an asteroid hit the Moon?
If a large asteroid impacted the Moon, would it cause problems for us here on Earth?
Day and night, it’s all about starlight
This week in space: Mars days almost match up with ours, and light and molecules are created by distant stars.
Vladimir Benishek and the mystique of asteroid research
The Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO Grant winner learned from his mother and grandfather, while also forging his own path.
Asteroid samples from another world
The OSIRIS-REx team explains the journey home.
Why did we need OSIRIS-REx?
How OSIRIS-REx’s samples build upon our knowledge of asteroids and the early Solar System.
Way out there
We’re always learning more about the worlds of the outer Solar System, and even those beyond.
Five asteroid deflection techniques to save the Earth
Kinetic impactor or nuclear blast? Here are some ways to defend our planet from a dangerous asteroid.
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.
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.
Meet the Solar System's five official dwarf planets
The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.
Asteroids worth getting psyched about
New discoveries from Ryugu, material heading our way from Bennu, and anticipation for a mission to Psyche.
Volcanic Venus, myriad moons, and space sonification
Learn all about the possible volcanic activity found on Venus, the facts about a hyped-up near-Earth asteroid, Jupiter’s newest moons, and what space images sound like.