Planetary Science Institute

Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Jeff Morgenthaler created and oversees PSI’s Io Input/Output observatory (IoIO), a small telescope designed to study how gas from Jupiter’s moon Io moves into and out of the space around ... Read More

When a meteoroid strikes, it generates a wave of energy that moves faster than the speed of sound. When all that energy propagates through material in seconds or less before being quickly cooled and resolidified ... Read More

The Planetary Science Institute has welcomed Erica Jawin as a Research Scientist. Jawin was also recently selected by NASA to be one of ten scientists to help shape a science plan for NASA’s first landed ... Read More

The Planetary Science Institute’s 2026 Betty Pierazzo International Student Travel Award winner Sarah Stewart received her certificate at the Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) on Thursday, May 21 from PSI Associate Research Scientists Sam Courville and ... Read More

One of the great ironies in planetary science is that the best places to put telescopes and do field work are also places where kids may not have access to excellent science education opportunities. Tempering ... Read More

Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Catherine Neish was awarded the 2026 Claudia J. Alexander Prize by the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). This prize recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary research ... Read More

Our Solar System is really good at sharing: meteoroids are constantly coming in through Earth’s atmosphere and landing on the surface as meteorites, pieces of other worlds. PSI Senior Scientist Larry Lebofsky is just as ... Read More

During the week of April 20, Planetary Science Institute members participated in various events in Washington, D.C. to garner Congressional support for space sciences. On Monday, they joined the more than 130 space advocates at ... Read More

Candice Hansen-Koharcheck, a Planetary Science Institute senior scientist since 2010, died on April 11 after a valiant three-year battle with cancer. Her career spanned nearly 50 years, during which she authored more than 300 journal ... Read More

While sorting through images of objects in our galaxy, citizen scientists identified thousands of mysterious objects that have come to be known as “yellowballs.” The images containing yellowballs were then compiled into a catalog by a ... Read More

The Artemis II crew spotted Pierazzo Crater on day five of their round-trip around the Moon, commenting on the brightness of the far side rayed crater, named after our late Planetary Science Institute colleague, Elisabetta “Betty” Pierazzo (1963-2011). The sighting was noted today, just before the crew began their lunar flyby activities. Throughout the mission, NASA has been sharing flight highli…

March 27, 2026, TUCSON, Ariz. – NASA has selected 10 participating scientists to help shape a science plan for astronauts to complete on the lunar surface under the Artemis program, and three of them are Senior Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute: Jamie Molaro, Hanna Sizemore, and Catherine Weitz. The participating scientists will join the first Artemis lunar surface science team, led…

Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist James Lyons studies isotopes – atoms of the same name and chemical properties but with variations in mass – from Earth, Mars, the Sun, the Solar nebula and protoplanetary disks. You could call him an “isotope chaser.” Now, he’s focused his attention on Venus. Specifically, the four isotopes of sulfur in the atmosphere. Lyons is the sole author on a pap…

Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15, was the Tucson Festival of Books, an annual celebration of literature that attracts more than 100,00 visitors. Nestled within the sea of white tents on the green grass of the University of Arizona mall, was Science City, a subsection of the festival dedicated to STEM literacy. The Planetary Science Institute staffed a booth in Science City to engage with the Tucs…

Feb. 16, 2026, TUCSON, Ariz. – In the eastern Utah desert, carbon-dioxide-saturated water bubbles, sprays and foams from the ground. These cold-water geysers, sometimes called ‘soda pop geysers,’ are a new and reliable Earth-based analog for scientists studying plume eruptions of ocean worlds in the outer Solar System, according to new research led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist …

Larry Lebofsky, a Planetary Science Institute senior education and communication specialist, and Rob Lorenz of the Vatican Observatory, recently participated in Mesa Verde Elementary School’s family science night. Over 200 students and their family members attended. PSI participates in family science nights often. Last year alone, Lebofsky attended 15, often accompanied by PSI Senior Scientist an…

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used LED lights to create this rare nighttime view of the Red Planet’s surface on Dec. 6, 2025. The LED lights are part of the Mars Hand Lens Imager, or MAHLI, a camera on ... Read More

Planetary Science Institute’s Samuel Courville recently earned the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior (SEDI) Section Graduate Research Award. Courville completed his doctoral degree in 2025 at Arizona State University, where ... Read More

This story was written by PSI Senior Scientist and Senior Education and Communication Specialist Pamela Gay, the citizen scientist site developer for the project described below.  As humanity prepares for a future that carries humans ... Read More

What a year 2025 has been! After being a senior scientist at PSI for 12 years, I started as Deputy Director at PSI in January of 2025 and then began my term as PSI Director ... Read More