Stephen Kane

It's hard to say how active the community has been overall. The Planetary Society certainly hosted a great day of action in DC today with lots of support, so that's encouraging!

In ~5 years, we as a species are on track to embark on an incredible era of discovery, unlocking the secrets of the planet Venus. The missions @ESA_Envision, DAVINCI, and VERITAS will reveal Venus as we have never seen her before. But why should YOU care about our sister world?

Dear colleagues, especially those early career, whatever happens over the coming days/weeks, know that many are fighting for you behind the scenes, including organizations such as @aas.org, @agu.org, and @planetarysociety.bsky.social. We believe in the value of @NASA science!

My research group members making fun of me when I have hours left before the Keck deadline ...

Ultimately, these results show that dynamical simulations enabled by precision astrometry can now provide results that connect with RV limits, and can teach us a lot about planet formation in binary systems.

Even though giant planets are excluded, it's not all bad news. The Habitable Zone of the primary star (0.764–1.803 AU) is perfectly stable, and the RV data allow for undetected planets possibly residing there, inviting more extreme precision RV measurements.

We provided additional RVs and performed injection-recovery tests that exclude giant planets out to ~8 AU from the primary star. The improved binary orbit was used to conduct a dynamical analysis that exclude all planetary orbits down to ... you guessed it ... 8 AU!

Eta Cassiopeiae is a bright, well-known binary system consisting of two stars in a 470 year orbit. Recent Gaia data has greatly improved the orbit or the binary, despite its long period. The system has also been monitored via precision RVs for over 30 years.

No Giant Planets in the Eta Cassiopeiae System: Dynamical Implications of a Wide Binary Companion Given the vast number of stars that exist within binary systems, it remains important to explore the effect of binary star environments on the formation and evolution of exoplanetary systems. Nearby b...

I have a fun new paper out that demonstrates the power of combining radial velocities (RVs), astrometry, and dynamical simulations in understanding planetary system demographics. You can access the paper here: arxiv.org/abs/2509.12334

Wow, thank you Steve! In fairness, I do like that song by Europe! But yeah ... those lyrics ...

I showed the poem to my oldest daughter and she said "Did AI write that?". Sigh! AI is cool, but I worry that the originality of my creativity will henceforth be doubted.

Great article by Robin on the future of Earth, and lessons learned from Venus!

Top five Venus mysteries Envision will solve Venus is a Solar System enigma. Similar in size to Earth and orbiting the Sun at a similar distance, it is remarkable how the two planets evolved so differently. While conditions on Earth allowed life...

Venus is a Solar System enigma.

Although Venus is similar in size and distance from the Sun to Earth, it has evolved very differently from our planet.

Our #Envision mission will aim to solve some of the puzzle by thoroughly studying our closest neighbour.
www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭

Accurate.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
- Evelyn Beatrice Hall, "The Friends of Voltaire" (1906).

They're not pets. They're cannon fodder for falling Death Star debris. Oh, and they're also cannibals.

It has a disproportionately large core, likely due to mantle stripping.

Beautifully said Edwin!

There should be more referee reports that contain Monty Python references. Whoever you are, just know that I appreciate you, you magnificent bastard!

In my dreams the sky is burning.
A pressure none has ever known.
Basaltic plains recall their oceans.
Whispers fossilized in stone.
Gold light shining above the land.
That once knew a gentler breeze.
Yet through the acid rain I wonder.
The untold mysteries of ancient seas.

Action Center Whether it's advocating, teaching, inspiring, or learning, you can do something for space, right now. Let's get to work.

More information is available via the Planetary Society (@planetarysociety.bsky.social) including talking points and how to contact your local representatives. www.planetary.org/action-center

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

The space advocacy efforts continue and science remains at risk! This week, the House CJS subcommittee are marking up their CJS bill, and it is critical that NASA funding is restored. Please consider contacting one of the subcommittee members: appropriations.house.gov/subcommittee...

Visiting #NASAGoddard, home to some of the most brilliant people I know and a national treasure. The research and technology work carried out here per dollar spent is astoundingly high, ensures US leadership in space sciences, and should be preserved at all costs.

The Destruction of NASA Would Be a Blow to Our Collective Imagination As NASA grapples with major proposed budget cuts and losing some of its most brilliant minds, America’s willingness to look outward is also at risk.

Really great article in WIRED this morning, about what we're really losing (hope, wonder, the true "greatness" that NASA brings us) by defunding and devaluing science here in 2025.

The Destruction of NASA Would Be a Blow to Our Collective Imagination.

www.wired.com/story/the-de...

Would you like to see the nearest Earth-size planet? Venus is now at its highest point in the pre-dawn sky (the famous "morning star"). Our beautiful twin planet is worth the 5am viewing. And as you stare at its brilliance, remember this: we know surprisingly little about it.

I'm in Riverside, and oh boy did that shake the house!

That moment when you're reading about the earthquake near Russia, only to experience a 4.4 quake near Riverside.
earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

For the past 14 years, I have been maintaining and updating the Habitable Zone Gallery (hzgallery.org), created along with @dawngelino.bsky.social. We now host HZ data and figures for 3897 systems and 5184 planets, 167 of which lie in the HZ.

My mum is visiting from Australia and brought me my Garfield book I read when I was a kid. So of course I 3d printed and painted a 12 inch tall Garfield.