Mars is called the red planet, but its actual color may not be so simple. Much of what we know about the colors of worlds beyond Earth comes from spacecraft data, but those don’t map perfectly to what our eyes see. While the true colors of the planets may not be what you think, we have some decent guesses at what each world would look like to our eyes. Pictured: Mars as imaged by the United Arab Emirates Space Agency’s Hope Mars Mission. Image credit: Emirates Mars Mission / EXI / Jason Major.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s an asteroid! Or wait, is that a comet? If a space rock is coming your way, you’re going to want to know what kind it is. We’ve put together a handy guide to help tease apart the differences between asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids.
Bethany Ehlmann is blazing a trail to the Moon. As principal investigator for NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission, the Planetary Society’s president is working to uncover the secrets of the Moon’s water. Bethany Ehlmann spoke about the mission on this week’s Planetary Radio, and will be giving a public lecture about it at Caltech in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 31 as part of their Watson Lecture Series. If you live in the area, be sure to check out the free event. If not, keep an eye on the lecture series’ YouTube channel for a recording of the event.
Our January book club meeting is coming up. On Jan. 30, Planetary Society members can join a live virtual book club meeting to discuss “The Six” with author Loren Grush. The renowned journalist highlights the stories of six exceptional women chosen as astronauts in 1978: Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon. The monthly book club meetings take place in our online member community. Not a member yet? Join today.