SUNSET: 
New Study Confirms Methane on Mars – But It’s Not Definitive
Independent methane detections in the Martian atmosphere by the Curiosity rover and Mars Express orbiter add confusion to a convoluted story.
April 2019: Critters on the March
The Sky Tour astronomy podcast for April 2019 takes you on a guided tour of the predawn sky and then helps you find a Hunter, a Lion, and a Bear in the evening sky.
Saturn's Rings Built Up Its Tiny, Close-in Moons
A new study of observations from NASA's Cassini sheds light on the tiny moons that orbit within Saturn's vast ring system.
Best View Yet of Baby Giant Exoplanet
Astronomers have taken the best spectrum yet of exoplanet HR 8799e, a gas giant in its infancy.
Quaking Aspen Leaves Inspire Potential Power Source For Mars Rovers
A unique concept could serve as an emergency power backup for future missions.
It's Less Than 100 Days Until the Next Total Solar Eclipse
Here’s everything you need to know about the first of South America's two total solar eclipses within 18 months.
Hayabusa 2 Finds Asteroid Ryugu Is Dark & Dry
Hayabusa 2’s asteroid Ryugu has some unexpected characteristics. In particular, its dry surface could spell trouble for current theories about how Earth obtained its water.
60-Second Astro News: Cannonball Pulsar & Mapping a Star from Afar
In astronomy news this week, scientists found a pulsar racing out of the galaxy and mapped a star's magnetic field from 130 light-years away.
Bumpy Road Ahead For NASA’s Osiris-REX
Asteroid Bennu is turning out to be a hazardous place for the NASA spacecraft to sample: It has uneven, rugged terrain and occasionally even hurls rocks into space.
Amazing Images Capture Giant Fireball Exploding Over the Bering Sea
A powerful fireball exploded over the wilds of eastern Russia last December. Satellites captured the whole thing.
New Results Probe the Origin of "Ultima Thule"
As observations trickle in from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, mission scientists have new insights on how their two-lobed target formed in the Kuiper Belt.
The Milky Way Contains the Mass of 1.5 Trillion Suns
Astronomers are using Gaia and the Hubble Space Telescope to make the most precise measure of the Milky Way’s mass to date. The new result puts our galaxy on par with — if not more massive than — Andromeda.
NASA 2020 Budget Proposal Boosts Exploration, Downplays Science
NASA's Lunar Gateway and a return to the Moon are the big winners in the 2020 budget proposed for the agency; the futures of planetary and Earth science are less clear.
‘Oumuamua "Sped Up" in the Inner Solar System. This Might Be Why.
Astronomers think a jet-powered rocking motion could solve the puzzle.
Mars Insight's "Mole" Hits a Snag
Drilling operations for NASA's Mars Insight Lander have been put on hold as the "mole" has hit unexpected obstacles.
Tracing the Cigar Galaxy's Superwind
NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory has returned a striking far-infrared view of the Cigar Galaxy and its “galactic superwind.”
Inflating a Super-Puff Planet
Super-puffy exoplanets are a problem. They shouldn’t exist — and yet we've detected half a dozen of them. Here's what theory might be getting wrong.
Tilted Exoplanets Could Explain Odd Orbits
Scientists think a significant fraction of exoplanets may be rolling on their sides. If they were, it would explain a longstanding mystery.
March 2019: Spot the Winter Hexagon
The Sky Tour astronomy podcast for March 2019 takes you on a guided tour of the predawn sky and then helps you find the dazzling stars that make the huge Winter Hexagon — including Sirius, the Dog Star.
Pluto and Charon Are Missing Small Craters
Scientists studying New Horizons images of craters on Pluto and its moon Charon have found that the Kuiper Belt must contain fewer small objects than expected — which suggests the outer solar system hasn’t changed much since its earliest days.
