Featured News
Dec. 1, 2025, TUCSON, Ariz. – From Europa to other icy moons, scientists are studying how surface features form and what they might reveal about the potential for life. In a new study published in The Planetary…
On moons in the outer Solar System with oceans between an icy shell and rocky core, geology is driven by the action of water and ice, in some cases creating cracks, ridges, mountains and plains.…
During the week of Nov. 3, six comet experts converged in Tucson, Ariz. for the first international Belton Symposium, hosted by the Planetary Science Institute. The late Michael J.S. Belton (1934-2018) and his wife Anna…
On the evening of Oct. 28, 2025, the Planetary Science Institute hosted a Halloween-themed star party. Attendees were invited to learn more about the Institute and the exciting science conducted here. They were also welcome…
About PSI
The Planetary Science Institute is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to Solar System exploration. It is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, where it was founded in 1972.
PSI scientists are involved in numerous NASA and international missions, the study of Mars and other planets, the Moon, asteroids, comets, interplanetary dust, impact physics, the origin of the Solar System, extra-solar planet formation, dynamics, the rise of life, and other areas of research.
They conduct fieldwork on all continents around the world. They are also actively involved in science education and public outreach through school programs, children’s books, popular science books and art.
PSI scientists are based in 32 states, the District of Columbia and several international locations.
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Sci Art
PSI Research Scientist Peter Buhler was inspired to create this dramatic piece of digital art when he was suddenly caught in a snowstorm and stranded for hours. This piece, Rim of the World, illustrates part of Peter’s trip along the Rim of the World Highway (near Big Bear, CA).
