Planetary Science Institute
@psi.edu
https://www.psi.edu/
A private nonprofit dedicated to studying the origin, characteristics, and evolution of planetary systems and planets, including the Earth.
A private nonprofit dedicated to studying the origin, characteristics, and evolution of planetary systems and planets, including the Earth.
PSI Co-founder William Hartmann is both a planetary scientist and accomplished space artist, using his scientific understanding to help bring other worlds to life.
Explore some of his visions of the Moon. ⬇️
See some of these pieces in person at PSI 9/19! Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
#SciArt
Explore some of his visions of the Moon. ⬇️
See some of these pieces in person at PSI 9/19! Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
#SciArt
September 18, 2026 at 4:30 PM
PSI Co-founder William Hartmann is both a planetary scientist and accomplished space artist, using his scientific understanding to help bring other worlds to life.
Explore some of his visions of the Moon. ⬇️
See some of these pieces in person at PSI 9/19! Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
#SciArt
Explore some of his visions of the Moon. ⬇️
See some of these pieces in person at PSI 9/19! Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
#SciArt
You don’t have to be a planetary scientist to do planetary science!
PSI’s World Mappers lets anyone help study the Moon by identifying features in real lunar images.
Start mapping: buff.ly/YcKFyQV
Come explore the Moon with us at Tucson HQ on 9/19! 🔭 Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
PSI’s World Mappers lets anyone help study the Moon by identifying features in real lunar images.
Start mapping: buff.ly/YcKFyQV
Come explore the Moon with us at Tucson HQ on 9/19! 🔭 Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
September 17, 2026 at 5:03 PM
You don’t have to be a planetary scientist to do planetary science!
PSI’s World Mappers lets anyone help study the Moon by identifying features in real lunar images.
Start mapping: buff.ly/YcKFyQV
Come explore the Moon with us at Tucson HQ on 9/19! 🔭 Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
PSI’s World Mappers lets anyone help study the Moon by identifying features in real lunar images.
Start mapping: buff.ly/YcKFyQV
Come explore the Moon with us at Tucson HQ on 9/19! 🔭 Details: buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
We’re getting ready for International Observe the Moon Night this Saturday and looking back at the incredible Artemis II journey around the Moon!
📽️ Relive it: buff.ly/l1fN2Hq
Then join us Sept. 19 in Tucson, Denver, or online!
Details ➡️ buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
📽️ Relive it: buff.ly/l1fN2Hq
Then join us Sept. 19 in Tucson, Denver, or online!
Details ➡️ buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
Artemis: To the Moon and back again, with Joy
CosmoQuest's love letter to the Artemis II mission.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:05 Day 1: Launch, Two Outlooks
03:04 Day 2: Translunar Injection
04:13 Day 3: A room with a view
05:03 Day 4:…
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September 15, 2026 at 4:33 PM
We’re getting ready for International Observe the Moon Night this Saturday and looking back at the incredible Artemis II journey around the Moon!
📽️ Relive it: buff.ly/l1fN2Hq
Then join us Sept. 19 in Tucson, Denver, or online!
Details ➡️ buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
📽️ Relive it: buff.ly/l1fN2Hq
Then join us Sept. 19 in Tucson, Denver, or online!
Details ➡️ buff.ly/Jg9CDTw
"Growing up, I was always interested in science. I had a chemistry set, a microscope (but not a telescope!), watched all the science documentaries I could find..." Read the full Q&A with Senior Scientist Henry Hsieh in our Weekly Bulletin! buff.ly/RVQ6Kv3
September 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
"Growing up, I was always interested in science. I had a chemistry set, a microscope (but not a telescope!), watched all the science documentaries I could find..." Read the full Q&A with Senior Scientist Henry Hsieh in our Weekly Bulletin! buff.ly/RVQ6Kv3
This week's #SciArt is wearable! Not only is PSI's Pamela Gay a scientist, researcher & communicator, she's also an artist. This beautiful pendant, Cerulean Stillshot Among the Stars, is just one example of how she interprets the beauty of the universe.
September 11, 2026 at 9:01 PM
This week's #SciArt is wearable! Not only is PSI's Pamela Gay a scientist, researcher & communicator, she's also an artist. This beautiful pendant, Cerulean Stillshot Among the Stars, is just one example of how she interprets the beauty of the universe.
50 years after Viking landed on Mars, what have we learned about the search for life, and where do we go next?
PSI Senior Scientist David Grinspoon joined @CosmoQuest to talk Mars, astrobiology, Venus, and the future of planetary exploration.
🎥 buff.ly/N8GFOIJ
PSI Senior Scientist David Grinspoon joined @CosmoQuest to talk Mars, astrobiology, Venus, and the future of planetary exploration.
🎥 buff.ly/N8GFOIJ
Viking: Chasing Astrobiology then and now with David Grinspoon
In 2026, we are seeing a number of 50 year anniversaries for the Viking 1 and 2 missions to Mars. From their landings in August and September 1976, to the first astrobiology reports in December 1976,…
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September 11, 2026 at 4:19 PM
50 years after Viking landed on Mars, what have we learned about the search for life, and where do we go next?
PSI Senior Scientist David Grinspoon joined @CosmoQuest to talk Mars, astrobiology, Venus, and the future of planetary exploration.
🎥 buff.ly/N8GFOIJ
PSI Senior Scientist David Grinspoon joined @CosmoQuest to talk Mars, astrobiology, Venus, and the future of planetary exploration.
🎥 buff.ly/N8GFOIJ
This #JunoCam image captures the North North North Temperate Belt (N3TB). It was taken on May 23, 2018 at 10:27 pm PDT as the Juno spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. Credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Doran
September 9, 2026 at 5:03 PM
This #JunoCam image captures the North North North Temperate Belt (N3TB). It was taken on May 23, 2018 at 10:27 pm PDT as the Juno spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. Credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Doran
🚀 Join the PSI team!
Want to help make planetary science possible? PSI is hiring for two key positions at our headquarters in Tucson, Arizona:
- Office Manager
- Sponsored Projects Manager
Learn more & apply: buff.ly/qvAqKgS
Want to help make planetary science possible? PSI is hiring for two key positions at our headquarters in Tucson, Arizona:
- Office Manager
- Sponsored Projects Manager
Learn more & apply: buff.ly/qvAqKgS
September 8, 2026 at 10:00 PM
🚀 Join the PSI team!
Want to help make planetary science possible? PSI is hiring for two key positions at our headquarters in Tucson, Arizona:
- Office Manager
- Sponsored Projects Manager
Learn more & apply: buff.ly/qvAqKgS
Want to help make planetary science possible? PSI is hiring for two key positions at our headquarters in Tucson, Arizona:
- Office Manager
- Sponsored Projects Manager
Learn more & apply: buff.ly/qvAqKgS
For 20 years, PSI's Henry Hsieh has studied a hidden population in the asteroid belt: objects with asteroid-like orbits that behave like comets.
Now, new observations from @vrubinobs.bsky.social could transform the field.
Read more: buff.ly/3fnP3uB
Image Credit: NASA/ESA
Now, new observations from @vrubinobs.bsky.social could transform the field.
Read more: buff.ly/3fnP3uB
Image Credit: NASA/ESA
September 8, 2026 at 6:50 PM
For 20 years, PSI's Henry Hsieh has studied a hidden population in the asteroid belt: objects with asteroid-like orbits that behave like comets.
Now, new observations from @vrubinobs.bsky.social could transform the field.
Read more: buff.ly/3fnP3uB
Image Credit: NASA/ESA
Now, new observations from @vrubinobs.bsky.social could transform the field.
Read more: buff.ly/3fnP3uB
Image Credit: NASA/ESA
Did you know PSI Senior Scientist and Senior Education and Communication Specialist Pamela Gay recently had an asteroid named after her? Read our Q&A with her in the Weekly Bulletin! buff.ly/CFyoM5j
September 7, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Did you know PSI Senior Scientist and Senior Education and Communication Specialist Pamela Gay recently had an asteroid named after her? Read our Q&A with her in the Weekly Bulletin! buff.ly/CFyoM5j
TOMORROW - Tune in for @AstronomyCast's 20 years celebration!
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
September 6, 2026 at 6:01 PM
TOMORROW - Tune in for @AstronomyCast's 20 years celebration!
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
This week's #PlanetaryPet is Roxie! Bossy Roxie makes sure to speak up when she wants a snack or wet food. Roxie is what PSI’s Kat Volk describes as “semi-feral.” Kat says Roxie’s favorite hobbies include hissing at Kat and gently smacking Kat’s hand if the food service isn’t quite fast enough.
September 4, 2026 at 5:02 PM
This week's #PlanetaryPet is Roxie! Bossy Roxie makes sure to speak up when she wants a snack or wet food. Roxie is what PSI’s Kat Volk describes as “semi-feral.” Kat says Roxie’s favorite hobbies include hissing at Kat and gently smacking Kat’s hand if the food service isn’t quite fast enough.
PSI Director and CEO Amanda Hendrix spoke with NPR about changes to federal science advisory committees and why they matter.
The committees allowed NASA leaders to “hear almost directly from the community,” Hendrix said.
Read more: buff.ly/LGFkI7O
The committees allowed NASA leaders to “hear almost directly from the community,” Hendrix said.
Read more: buff.ly/LGFkI7O
The U.S. relied on these science advisers. Then the Trump administration cut them
The federal government recruits top experts to volunteer to advise on pressing research issues of the day. Since President Trump took office, hundreds of these experts have been dismissed.
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September 3, 2026 at 3:31 PM
PSI Director and CEO Amanda Hendrix spoke with NPR about changes to federal science advisory committees and why they matter.
The committees allowed NASA leaders to “hear almost directly from the community,” Hendrix said.
Read more: buff.ly/LGFkI7O
The committees allowed NASA leaders to “hear almost directly from the community,” Hendrix said.
Read more: buff.ly/LGFkI7O
@AstronomyCast is celebrating 20 years!
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
Learn more: buff.ly/n0UETdD
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
Learn more: buff.ly/n0UETdD
September 3, 2026 at 12:01 PM
@AstronomyCast is celebrating 20 years!
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
Learn more: buff.ly/n0UETdD
Join PSI Senior Scientist Pamela Gay and Co-Host Fraser Cain LIVE Monday, Sept 7, at 2 pm ET for the recording of episode 800.
Watch live: buff.ly/L11XXIG or Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
Learn more: buff.ly/n0UETdD
This #JunoCam image captures the North Circumpolar Cyclones in false color. It was taken on April 08, 2023 at 12:53 am PDT as the Juno spacecraft performed its 50th close flyby of Jupiter. Credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Navaneeth Krishnan S
September 2, 2026 at 5:02 PM
This #JunoCam image captures the North Circumpolar Cyclones in false color. It was taken on April 08, 2023 at 12:53 am PDT as the Juno spacecraft performed its 50th close flyby of Jupiter. Credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Navaneeth Krishnan S
Don't forget - NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch tomorrow at 7:26 a.m. EDT (4:26 a.m. PDT)!
With a field of view at least 100x larger than Hubble’s, Roman will give scientists an extraordinarily wide view of the universe.
Follow the launch: buff.ly/fF8f1g3
With a field of view at least 100x larger than Hubble’s, Roman will give scientists an extraordinarily wide view of the universe.
Follow the launch: buff.ly/fF8f1g3
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope — Falcon Heavy | RocketLaunch.Live
SpaceX Falcon Heavy launching from Kennedy Space Center. August 30, 2026
www.rocketlaunch.live
August 30, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Don't forget - NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch tomorrow at 7:26 a.m. EDT (4:26 a.m. PDT)!
With a field of view at least 100x larger than Hubble’s, Roman will give scientists an extraordinarily wide view of the universe.
Follow the launch: buff.ly/fF8f1g3
With a field of view at least 100x larger than Hubble’s, Roman will give scientists an extraordinarily wide view of the universe.
Follow the launch: buff.ly/fF8f1g3
TONIGHT: PSI Senior Scientist Jeffrey Kargel is scheduled to join Anderson Cooper at 8pm ET on @CNN.com to discuss the devastating disaster in the Himalayas.
Kargel has spent decades studying glaciers in the region and will outline the science behind this destructive event.
Kargel has spent decades studying glaciers in the region and will outline the science behind this destructive event.
August 27, 2026 at 9:35 PM
TONIGHT: PSI Senior Scientist Jeffrey Kargel is scheduled to join Anderson Cooper at 8pm ET on @CNN.com to discuss the devastating disaster in the Himalayas.
Kargel has spent decades studying glaciers in the region and will outline the science behind this destructive event.
Kargel has spent decades studying glaciers in the region and will outline the science behind this destructive event.
Roman will look deep into the universe. But thousands of objects in our own Solar System will cross its view along the way.
PSI’s Susan Benecchi is helping make sure scientists can study them, potentially revealing new clues about the building blocks of planets.
PSI’s Susan Benecchi is helping make sure scientists can study them, potentially revealing new clues about the building blocks of planets.
A Bigger Picture: How Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Could Transform Our View of the Solar System - Planetary Science Institute
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch August 30th, is designed to tackle some of the biggest questions in astrophysics, from the
www.psi.edu
August 27, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Roman will look deep into the universe. But thousands of objects in our own Solar System will cross its view along the way.
PSI’s Susan Benecchi is helping make sure scientists can study them, potentially revealing new clues about the building blocks of planets.
PSI’s Susan Benecchi is helping make sure scientists can study them, potentially revealing new clues about the building blocks of planets.
Join CosmoQuest, a PSI project, for a livestream of tonight's Partial Lunar Eclipse! Starts 9pm EDT. Details ⬇️
TONIGHT: Partial Lunar Eclipse for Europe, Africa, Americas.
Have bad weather? Not a fan of the outside? We got you. We'll be streaming on
Twitch: twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
YouTube: youtube.com/live/RgVChgL...
Starting 9pm EST / 6pm PST / 1am GMT / 11am+1d AEST
Have bad weather? Not a fan of the outside? We got you. We'll be streaming on
Twitch: twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
YouTube: youtube.com/live/RgVChgL...
Starting 9pm EST / 6pm PST / 1am GMT / 11am+1d AEST
August 27, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Join CosmoQuest, a PSI project, for a livestream of tonight's Partial Lunar Eclipse! Starts 9pm EDT. Details ⬇️
Our thoughts are with all affected by the devastating flooding and debris flows in the Himalayas.
Initial assessments indicate a collapse of rock and ice triggered the destructive flow. PSI Senior Scientist Jeff Kargel briefed the Nepali PM on the science behind the event. More: buff.ly/UtQoHWO
Initial assessments indicate a collapse of rock and ice triggered the destructive flow. PSI Senior Scientist Jeff Kargel briefed the Nepali PM on the science behind the event. More: buff.ly/UtQoHWO
Glacier collapse may have triggered 'almost incomprehensible' Nepal flood
Scientists don't yet know exactly what triggered the Nepal flood, but they suspect a glacier collapse and suggest climate change also played a role.
buff.ly
August 27, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Our thoughts are with all affected by the devastating flooding and debris flows in the Himalayas.
Initial assessments indicate a collapse of rock and ice triggered the destructive flow. PSI Senior Scientist Jeff Kargel briefed the Nepali PM on the science behind the event. More: buff.ly/UtQoHWO
Initial assessments indicate a collapse of rock and ice triggered the destructive flow. PSI Senior Scientist Jeff Kargel briefed the Nepali PM on the science behind the event. More: buff.ly/UtQoHWO
This #JunoCam image is an artistic rendering of Jet S4. It was taken on July 21, 2021 at 1:55 a.m. PDT (4:55 a.m. EDT) as the Juno spacecraft performed its 35th close flyby of Jupiter. Submitted by: raster_master
August 27, 2026 at 12:24 AM
This #JunoCam image is an artistic rendering of Jet S4. It was taken on July 21, 2021 at 1:55 a.m. PDT (4:55 a.m. EDT) as the Juno spacecraft performed its 35th close flyby of Jupiter. Submitted by: raster_master
PSI in the News: Senior Scientist Norbert Schorghofer talks to Scientific America about China's Chang'e 7 mission to the moon's south pole. buff.ly/rZ0HBau
China is about to launch its most ambitious moon mission yet
The country’s latest mission, Chang’e 7, will be the first ever to land directly at the moon’s south pole. Whatever it finds there could radically reshape a new space race
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August 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM
PSI in the News: Senior Scientist Norbert Schorghofer talks to Scientific America about China's Chang'e 7 mission to the moon's south pole. buff.ly/rZ0HBau
PSI’s Isaac Smith has been studying Mars for decades and currently serves as Co-Investigator for SHARAD on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Read more in this week's newsletter! buff.ly/sspGfnR
August 24, 2026 at 5:01 PM
PSI’s Isaac Smith has been studying Mars for decades and currently serves as Co-Investigator for SHARAD on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Read more in this week's newsletter! buff.ly/sspGfnR
This week's #PlanetaryPet is PSI Director Amanda Hendrix's furbaby, May! Sweet May had to wear her little chapeau as she recovered from an ear infection. Doesn’t look like it dampened her spirits, though!
August 21, 2026 at 2:03 PM
This week's #PlanetaryPet is PSI Director Amanda Hendrix's furbaby, May! Sweet May had to wear her little chapeau as she recovered from an ear infection. Doesn’t look like it dampened her spirits, though!
Please join us in welcoming Sam Riestenberg as our new Science Communications Manager and Public Information Officer!
Bringing more than a decade of experience, Sam will partner with PSI scientists to share discoveries and help inspire curiosity about planetary science.
Read more: buff.ly/OkQ86nh
Bringing more than a decade of experience, Sam will partner with PSI scientists to share discoveries and help inspire curiosity about planetary science.
Read more: buff.ly/OkQ86nh
August 20, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Please join us in welcoming Sam Riestenberg as our new Science Communications Manager and Public Information Officer!
Bringing more than a decade of experience, Sam will partner with PSI scientists to share discoveries and help inspire curiosity about planetary science.
Read more: buff.ly/OkQ86nh
Bringing more than a decade of experience, Sam will partner with PSI scientists to share discoveries and help inspire curiosity about planetary science.
Read more: buff.ly/OkQ86nh