SUNSET: 
Fantastic Year for Geminid Meteor Shower
Mark the date: December 13th. That's the night the Geminid meteor shower peaks. Highlighted by the return of its parent asteroid 3200 Phaethon, this year's show promises to be one of the best ever.
Eye Damage Reported from August's Eclipse
For a young woman who stared too long on August 21st, the partially eclipsed Sun left a lasting impression — on her retinas.
Stars Map Dark Matter in Dwarf Galaxy
A combo of Hubble and Gaia data reveal the distribution of dark matter in a tiny galaxy by tracking the galaxy’s stars.
Most Distant Black Hole Yet
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole scarfing down gas just 690 million years after the Big Bang.
Voyager 1 Fires Dormant Thrusters
NASA engineers directed the historic spacecraft Voyager 1 to fire its backup thrusters for the first time in 37 years.
Infant Stars Huddle near Black Hole
A team of astronomers has found signs of small stars forming within a few light-years of the Milky Way’s central black hole.
Why is Earth Magnetized and Venus Not?
A new analysis reveals that the gigantic impact that led to the Moon's formation might have also switched on Earth's magnetic field.
Tour December's Sky: See 3 Planets at Dawn
As you'll hear in December's astronomy podcast, early risers are treated with views of Jupiter (obvious), Mars (not as easy), and Mercury (timing is everything!).
New Telescope Sees Galaxy Down to Its Atoms
Astronomers have obtained the most detailed radio image of hydrogen gas in a neighboring galaxy, revealing its structures with more precision than ever before.
A Deeper View of Hubble’s Ultra Deep Field
The iconic image of faraway galaxies, and one of the most-observed regions of space, has just received a spectroscopic upgrade.
Asteroid 3200 Phaethon: Geminid Parent at Its Closest and Brightest!
The parent asteroid of next month's Geminid meteor shower, 3200 Phaethon, is about to make a historically close flyby. Get ready to watch it race across the sky.
Analog of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds
A hunt for merging dwarf galaxies has yielded an intriguing result: 180 million light-years away, a galaxy very similar to the Milky Way — with two dwarf-galaxy satellites just like our own Magellanic clouds
Atmosphere, Not Lava Flows, for Exoplanet 55 Cancri e
Previous studies of 55 Cancri e haven’t been able to determine whether this super-Earth hosts an atmosphere. A new study settles the question.
Arecibo Observatory Weathers Funding Uncertainty
The U.S. National Science Foundation will continue to fund the iconic radio dish, though at a much-reduced level, as it seeks partners to share in the facility's operation.
The Lost LED Revolution: Light Pollution Is Increasing
The transition from sodium lights to LEDs, the so-called “lighting revolution”, was supposed to reduce energy consumption and bring back the starry sky, but new satellite data indicate it’s not working out that way.
Invite Ross 128 Over This Thanksgiving
With exoplanet Ross 128b in the news, we pay a visit to the star that sustains this potentially habitable exoplanet.
NASA Joins Japanese Mission to Martian Moons
NASA is developing a key instrument for a mission to the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Meet 'Oumuamua, the Interstellar Cigar
Rapid-response observations by major observatories shows that the first-known interstellar visitor is 10 times longer than it is wide.
Sky-sweeping Telescope Sees First Light
The Zwicky Transient Facility has taken its first image, covering an area equivalent to 247 full Moons in a single shot. This beginning is part of an ongoing sea change in astronomy.
LIGO Sees Smallest Black Hole Binary Yet
LIGO has detected another black hole merger, raising the tally to five.
