SUNSET: 
NASA Completes Parachute Test for Mars 2020 Rover
A suborbital launch from Wallops Flight Facility tested a critical piece of landing hardware for the Mars 2020 rover.
Planet Orbits Quiet Star 11 Light-years Away
Astronomers have discovered a potentially rocky planet around a red dwarf star just 11 light-years away.
Update on `Oumuamua, Our First Interstellar Object
The arrival of an object from beyond the solar system caught astronomers by surprise — but that doesn't mean that they were unprepared to study it.
China's Tiangong 1 Space Station to Burn Up
Early next year, an international team will track the uncontrolled atmospheric reentry of Tiangong 1, China's first prototype space station.
The Star That Wouldn’t Die
Observations of a stellar explosion that refused to fade away have astronomers scratching their heads. What created the blast — and could it explain massive black holes?
An Exquisite Venus–Jupiter Conjunction
Venus bids farewell at dawn, but not before a close encounter with returning Jupiter.
Results from October's Triton Cover-Up
By watching a star’s disappearance, astronomers learned about the state of the ultrathin atmosphere of Triton, Neptune's largest moon.
Astronomers Decode a Black Hole Jet
Two telescopes — one on the ground and one in space — watched a black hole’s jet turn on, enabling astronomers to probe its origin.
Cool Dust — and More Planets? — for Proxima Centauri
Tantalizing new observations hint that there's a lot more going on in the Proxima Centauri system — the one that hosts the exoplanet nearest Earth — than meets the eye.
A Twisted Tail of Martian Magnetism
Observations from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft reveal that the solar wind causes unexpected interactions with the Red Planet's weak magnetism.
Little Eyes on Large Solar Motions
What can we learn from observations made with digital cameras mounted on ~10-cm telescopes? It turns out, a lot about the solar corona.
Comet Heinze (C/2017 T1): A Binocular Comet for the New Year?
Just discovered, Comet Heinze (C/2017 T) will zoom by Earth in January and may just show up in your binoculars.
November Occultations of Aldebaran & Regulus
The Moon occults two 1st-magnitude stars for much of North America just six days apart. The first event happens mostly in early-evening darkness, the second in broad daylight — an extra challenge for the adventurous.
Curiosity Tests Workaround for Balky Drill
Engineers are looking for a way to continue using Curiosity's drill after a 10-month hiatus, but restoring the drill will probably take several more months.
Tour November's Sky: Predawn Planets
As you'll hear in this month's astronomy podcast, Venus and Jupiter are putting on quite a show low in the east before dawn.
Get Moonstruck on International Observe the Moon Night
International Observe the Moon Night gathers people together to observe the Moon and to learn more about it. This year InOMN will be on Saturday, October 28th.
How Bright is the Moon . . . Exactly?
An upcoming study will take the old calibration standard of the Moon's brightness to a new level of precision.
Astronomers Spot First-Known Interstellar "Comet"
Telescopes only picked it up a week ago, but it's likely been traveling through interstellar space for millions of years.
New High-End Search for Lunar Impacts
A professional observatory in Greece has begun recording flashes created when bits of interplanetary debris strike the Moon.
Orionid Meteors Max Out Sunday, Zodiacal Light Returns
See what cosmic dust can do! Head outside this weekend for the peak of the Orionid meteor shower and an eyeful of zodiacal light.
