SUNSET: 
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lots of Rocks Hit the Moon and Mars
Thanks to high-definition cameras or orbiting spacecraft, planetary geologists are getting their first reliable stats for the impact rates on our neighbor worlds.
Tour July's Sky! | May 26th, 2013
At dusk, you'll find Venus low in the west, Saturn well up in the south, and a celestial scorpion rising up in the east. Near the Scorpion's stinger is a small star cluster that's observable by eye.
Amateurs Monitor Controversial Variable Star
SS Cygni, one of the most-watched variable stars, lies at a distance that’s hotly disputed. The truth will determine whether we understand how these types of variables work.
No Planet of Alpha Centauri B?
The uncertain tale of our closest exoplanet neighbor — is it there or isn’t it? — may end on a cliffhanger.
