The Planetary Society

We want to share an update on the wildfire situation here in Southern California in regards to The Planetary Society. Our headquarters in Pasadena remains safe so far, but many of our staff, members, and supporters in the region have been directly affected. Some have been displaced, and others are facing significant challenges and loss during this difficult time. To prioritize the safety and well-being of our team, we have paused many of our normal operations and will keep our Pasadena office closed until Monday, January 13. We’ll reassess the situation then and share any updates as they come. To everyone impacted by the fires, our thoughts are with you. We know how tough and uncertain these times are, and we urge everyone in the affected areas to stay safe and take care. Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate this together.

Due to ongoing wildfire evacuations, we will be closed until January 12, 2025. Thank you for your concern and support for our colleagues and neighbors during this time.

We’re celebrating 45 years 🚀 Like all great science, our story began with an observation. Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman saw a disconnect: people’s fascination with the Cosmos wasn’t reflected in declining space exploration budgets. To bridge this gap, they decided to found an organization that would unite people worldwide to support space science and exploration. This is how The Planetary Society came to be. Since then, our members have advanced planetary exploration, asteroid defense, and the search for life. We’ve delivered petitions to Congress, funded solar sailing technology, supported planetary science, and brought global researchers together to tackle asteroid threats. Thank you for 45 amazing years—stay tuned for fun throwback content as we celebrate! 📸 1: The founders of The Planetary Society from left to right: Bruce Murray, Lou Friedman, and Carl Sagan.

Congratulations to our CEO, Bill Nye on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor! 🎉 Bill continues to inspire us all with his unwavering dedication to advancing planetary missions, protecting Earth, and championing funding for planetary science research.

It's a party in the night sky too! 🎉 On Dec. 31, 2024, at midnight, look to the night sky for Jupiter and Mars high above, surrounded by a bright star party to celebrate the end of 2024 and the start of 2025. HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥂

NASA’s Voyager 1, the farthest human-made object from Earth, carries a heartfelt message from President Carter, reflecting his compassion and hope for humanity's shared future. Ad astra, President Carter. 🌟

45 years ago, The Planetary Society was founded by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Lou Friedman, with the goal to get everyday citizens involved and interested in space exploration. 🚀 Today, we continue our founders legacy - striving for excellence while keeping our core enterprises in mind. But we couldn’t do it without the support of our community. That’s why we’re asking you to donate today, during our year end matching gift challenge, to help us end the year on a high note. Double your impact for space exploration: https://bit.ly/3OxmgjA

In this week’s episode of Planetary Radio, Sarah Al-Ahmed is joined by Ambre Trujillo, Mat Kaplan, and Asa Stahl, PhD to recap the remarkable space missions of 2024. 🚀

We’re hiring a Chief Financial Officer (CFO)! 🚀 Apply now using the link below, or share this exciting opportunity with your network! https://lnkd.in/gS4i_7fS

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely is your starlight! 🎄✨ We’re unwrapping a refreshed look at the "Christmas Tree Cluster" at just 2,500 light-years away (NGC 2264), it's a twinkling gathering of bright, young stars just beginning to shine. These stellar ornaments are only 1 to 5 million years old — a mere blink of an eye compared to our 5-billion-year-old Sun. Captured using Chandra X-ray Observatory data (shown in festive shades of red, purple, blue, and white) and optical data (green and violet) from astrophotographer Michael Clow’s Arizona-based telescope this past November, this image reveals a dazzling display of starlight. 📸: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Clow, M.; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare and K. Arcand