SUNSET: 
Top 12 Astronomy News Stories of 2016
From the discovery of gravitational waves to the building evidence that a massive planet could exist beyond Pluto, it has been a thrilling year for astronomy research. We recap.
Tour January's Sky: Spot Two Star Clusters
Download our monthly astronomy podcast to spot Venus and Mars in the west — and two star clusters high up — after sunset.
Get Funds for 2017 Eclipse Outreach Projects
Thanks to some timely NSF support, the American Astronomical Society is offering dozens of small grants to U.S. groups that offer outreach programs tied to the 2017 s
The Year 2016 Will Be One Second Longer
Do you think 2016 has seemed unusually long? An international agency has decided to make it even longer.
Catch the Quadrantid Meteors (If You Can)
The Quadrantids, one of the year's best meteor showers, peaks on the morning of January 3rd, is. But be ready for it — most of the action takes place over just a few hours.
Mars Meets Neptune on New Year's Eve
Doing anything on New Year's Eve? Before you start toasting, don't miss an exceptionally close conjunction of Mars and Neptune.
Vera Rubin, “Mother of Dark Matter” (1928–2016)
Astronomer Vera Rubin, known for her revolutionary work confirming the existence of dark matter, died on December 25th. She was 88.
Sky & Telescope's Pluto Globe is Here!
This beautifully detailed 6-inch globe lets you explore the amazing geology revealed by New Horizons during its historic 2015 flyby.
What to See with Your New Telescope During 2016 Holidays
Maybe this gift-giving season you got a shiny new telescope to call your own. Congratulations — you could be on your way to discovering many amazing far things in the night sky. Although most of them are so far and faint that just finding and detecting them is the challenge!…
Did Betelgeuse Swallow Its Companion?
The red supergiant marking Orion's shoulder seems to be spinning too fast. Did it get a boost when merged with a smaller companion star 100,000 years ago?
Dawn Result: Water is Everywhere on Ceres
New results from NASA's Dawn orbiter show that the largest asteroid (and acknowledged dwarf planet) must possess a global layer of water ice that lies just below its dark, dusty surface.
Can You Spot December's Ursid Meteors?
Try your hand at observing the handful of "shooting stars" delivered by this little-known annual meteor shower.
Hubble Images Tangled Web in Nearby Galaxy
A Hubble image of a nearby, massive elliptical galaxy reveals tenuous filaments that appear to be connected to the growth of the galaxy's supermassive black hole.
Telescopes: Guides & Recommendations
How to Choose Your First Telescope
Here's a quick guide to the essential features that you should look for when buying your first telescope.
Curiosity Tracks Mars’s Ancient Habitability
Curiosity scientists have tracked Gale Crater’s changing environment as it became more, then less, acidic over millions of years. Microbial life could have survived in these conditions.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Gets to Work
Welcome to Mars: the European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter sets up shop around the Red Planet.
"Brightest Supernova Ever" or Shredded Star?
An incredible blaze of light discovered more than a year ago still has astronomers baffled as to its cause - and the answer may be contrary to recent headlines.
Watch Resupply Mission Chase Down the International Space Station
Find out how to see a cargo mission headed to the International Space Station this weekend.
"Library Telescope" Program Takes Off
From humble beginnings in 2008, a simple idea — equipping libraries with loaner telescopes — has caught on across the United States.
