SUNSET: 
The Spotless Sun
The Sun has been unusually quiet lately. Since the start of 2017, only a single tiny sunspot has made a brief appearance on the solar disk.
New Mass Estimate for the Milky Way
Astronomers have observed the motion of distant star clusters to measure our galaxy’s mass. The new estimate places the Milky Way in the lightweight class of galaxies.
Voyagers Flying Through Galactic Clouds
Astronomers have combined data from the Voyager spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the stuff between the stars.
NASA's Lucy & Psyche Asteroid Missions
Last week, NASA announced two new missions set to explore the earliest remnants of the solar system: asteroid 16 Psyche and Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.
The “Hidden Figures” Who Helped Win the Space Race
The movie Hidden Figures portrays the untold story of three African-American women who played an important role in the 1960s space race. The film serves to inspire future generations.
Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Throwing Cosmic Spitballs
Every now and then, the Milky Way’s central, supermassive black hole tears apart a star and flings away some of its innards. Now astronomers think they know how to spot these cosmic spitballs.
11-year-old Astronomer Shines at AAS Meeting
Cannan Huey-You, just 11 years old, impressed professional astronomers this week with his research on a massive intergalactic gas cloud.
1,000 Black Holes in Deepest-Ever X-ray Image
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has gazed at a small patch of sky for almost 12 weeks, revealing 1,008 X-ray-emitting sources — most of them supermassive black holes.
Paired Stars in Cygnus En Route to Merger
Astronomers suspect that a binary star system in Cygnus is preparing to make one star of two, erupting in a red nova visible to the naked eye.
Looking Ahead: Space Exploration in 2017
An exciting year lies ahead for spaceflight involving astronomy and planetary science — by NASA and by other spacefaring nations.
Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2017
It won't be a great year for lunar eclipses, with a deep penumbral event on February 11th and a partial on August 7th. But an annular solar eclipse is observable from the Southern Hemisphere on February 26th, and a total solar eclipse crosses the continental U.S. on August 21st.
Fast Radio Burst has a Surprising Source
For the first time, a team of astronomers has placed a fast radio burst on the cosmic map, allowing them to better pinpoint its mysterious origin.
Ultimate Guide to Meteor Showers in 2017
Everyone enjoys the brief and sometimes dazzling streaks of light from meteors, sometimes called "shooting stars." Sky & Telescope predicts that the two best meteor showers in 2017 will be the Quadrantids in early January and the Geminids in mid-December.
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.
