SUNSET: 
Winds on Venus: Getting Stronger
The hurricane-like winds at Venus's cloudtops have steadily become faster since 2006 — and planetary scientists have no idea why it's happening.
Universe's Lithium Problem A Bit Better
Studies of primitive stars suggest the universe has far too little of one form of lithium and far too much of another. But new work shows that the second problem might be nonexistent.
Cat’s Paw Nebula: Nearby Mini-Starburst?
The Cat's Paw Nebula is home to many bright, young stars. But thousands of fainter stars concealed behind dust reveal themselves in a new infrared image.
My Hour in the Stratosphere
The stars were not aligned when one of Sky & Telescope's editors signed up to ride NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy.
June 2013 Assessment of Comet ISON
The “comet of the century” was stuck at 16th magnitude when it hid out for the summer. Still, good prospects remain for December. Expect the next update in early September, when the comet reappears from behind the glare of the Sun.
Surprise Variable Stars
Astronomers have discovered an unexpected class of variable stars in the open cluster NGC 3766. The stars are problematic for current theories of star behavior and raise perplexing questions about why the stars are variable at all.
How to Toast a Planet
A new study suggests that close-in gas giants may heat up electrically like toaster coils plugged in to their host stars via the power lines of the stellar wind — explaning why the planets inflate.
Was our Sun a Feisty Toddler?
Detailed observations of a young, nearby star are giving astronomers a chance to glimpse the Sun’s active youth.
New View of Nearest Galaxies
Spectacular high-resolution images released at the 222nd American Astronomical Society conference in Indianapolis reveal two of the Milky Way’s nearest galactic neighbors in a new light.
Curiosity Readies for a Long Drive
NASA's roving geology lab has been on Mars for 10 months, and scientists are finally preparing to send the rover toward its main objective: a towering mound of layered sediments inside Gale crater.
Trapping Alien Dust
New observations with the powerful ALMA observatory reveal a huge pile-up of dust around a young star. The result could help astronomers solve a long-standing mystery in planet formation.
Radiation Risks for Future Marsonauts
Thanks to a detector carried across interplanetary space aboard NASA's Curiosity rover, researchers now have a much clearer idea of radiation exposure that future astronauts will endure when traveling to and from Mars.
Big Science with Modest Scopes
A recent annual meeting of amateur astronomers in Big Bear, California, proved once again that the amateur community is pursuing impressive science endeavors.
Mars Express — Celebrating 10 Years
Mars Express celebrates a decade of orbital observations of the Red Planet.
Chance to Catch Closest Exoplanet?
In 2014 and 2016, Proxima Centauri will pass in front of two distant stars, potentially revealing details about itself and whether it hosts any planets in the process.
Tour June's Sky! | May 31st, 2013
Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury crowd together low in the west right after sunset, while Saturn is sandwiched high in the south between the constellations Libra and Virgo.
Sequestration's Impact on Astronomy
From international travel to interplanetary probes, the U.S. budget cuts are having impacts on both ground- and space-based astronomy.
Biggish Asteroid 1998 QE2 Pays Earth a Visit
This week's visit by asteroid 1998 QE2 is just a courtesy call, as it passes by on May 31st at 15 times the Moon's distance. A NASA radar team has already discovered that this big space rock has a sizable companion.
Exoplanets After Kepler: What’s next?
In the wake of the apparent loss of the Kepler mission, the exoplanet community salutes one of its legends while pivoting to new ground- and space-based opportunities.
Weird Glitch in a Cosmic Clock
The sudden slowing of pulses coming from a spinning neutron star defy explanation — and might require a rethink of the universe’s most exotic denizens.
