SUNSET: 
No Dark Matter from LUX Experiment
An underground detector reports zero detections of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), the top candidate for mysterious dark matter.
MeerKAT in South Africa Sees First Light
The MeerKAT radio telescope has produced its first light image — even at quarter-strength, it’s already the best of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Dark Streaks on Mars Revisited
New research on seasonal streaks in Martian canyons provides evidence against underground pools of water.
Mars 2020 Rover Construction Moves Ahead
The Mars 2020 rover reached a third crucial milestone this past week on the path to the launch pad.
Antonín Rükl, 1932–2016
A world-renowned lunar cartographer, whose beautiful atlases have become prized possessions, has died at age 83.
See Two Tricky Occultations — Neptune and Lambda (λ) Aqr
Now you see 'em, now you don't. Watch the Moon occult Neptune and nearby Lambda Aquarii on the same night.
Seeing a Black Hole’s Gravitational Vortex
New observations solve a 30-year-old puzzle of mysterious signals from around black holes.
The Making of a “Frankenstein” Galaxy
Astronomers take a second look at UGC 1382 — previously considered a typical elliptical galaxy — and reassess everything they know about its size, age, and formation.
40th Anniversary of Viking's Red Planet Rendezvous
Some 200 of the mission’s surviving scientists and engineers and their families, along with many younger space explorers inspired by the Vikings, gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Viking 1 landing.
Kuiper Belt's Big, New, Far-Out Object
First spied last year, an object designated 2015 RR245 turns out to be one of the largest and most distant objects yet found orbiting the Sun.
A New Look at the Crab Nebula
A new Hubble Space Telescope image shows the very heart of the Crab Nebula, one of the most studied supernova remnants.
Old Radio Telescope Restored for New Uses
Abandoned for 25 years, a 12-meter antenna once used during the Cold War is now introducing astronomy students to the radio universe.
Exoplanet Found in Triple Star System
Astronomers have retracted the discovery of a giant planet with an exceptionally wide orbit in a young system of three suns.
Doomed Hitomi Gazed at Galaxy Cluster
In its first — and final — month of flight, the Hitomi X-ray observatory measured the calm within the bubbling core of the Perseus Cluster.
Giant Planets and Wonky Orbits
Kepler-108 is the first system observed with really wonky orbits, which may be a result of giant planets bumping into each other.
NASA's Juno Probe Reaches Jupiter
After a 5-year-long journey, NASA's latest emissary to the largest planet in the solar system has arrived at its destination.
Newborn Exoplanets Point to Early Chaos
A recent glut of exoplanet research reveals the early chaos that helped shape planetary systems.
Ceres Bright Spot is Salty
Spectral observations by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft reveal that the dwarf planet’s mysterious beacon is made of salt.
Tour July's Sky: Planets on Parade
Sky & Telescope's astronomy podcast takes you on a guided tour of the night sky. In early evening look for Jupiter in the southwest, with Mars and Saturn embedded in Scorpius toward south.
First Chiral Molecule Discovered in Space
The discovery of a chiral molecule in space has the potential to sort out one of the biggest mysteries in the chemistry of life.
