SUNSET: 
Ancient Venus Didn’t Have Oceans After All
Astronomers have poured cold water on the idea that Venus once hosted oceans on its surface, suggesting instead that the planet's interior has been dry for most of its history.
December Podcast: Jupiter Leads the Way
It’s going to be a fun month for planet-watching, and you can count on the month’s Sky Tour episode to tell you where and when to catch the five “wandering stars” that you can see by eye. Even better, this month fetures what is arguably the best meteor show of the year. Listen now!
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 29 – December 8
This Wednesday evening, the crescent Moon will beautifully partner with Venus. And, for these next two weeks we get the earliest sunsets of the year.
Hunting Dwarf Galaxies in the Sooner State
A dark-sky quest leads to encounters with two Milky Way companion galaxies and other dim delectables.
Charting the Cosmic Shoreline: Which Planets Have Atmospheres?
Which of the nearly 6,000 known exoplanets have atmospheres? With help from the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are inching closer to an answer.
Ultra-Energetic Electrons from Our Astronomical Backyard
Scientists have found the highest-energy cosmic-ray electrons yet, and their source might be surprisingly nearby.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 22 – December 1
Last call for Mercury! On the opposite side of the sky, Jupiter and Mars climb up ever earlier. And the waning crescent Moon occults Spica for eastern and central North America.
Unveiled: The Youngest Transiting Exoplanet Ever Detected
A passing star may have warped a veil of dust to expose the embryonic planet.
Icy Rivers May Have Flowed on Ancient Mars
A polar cap of carbon-dioxide ice may have provided the thermal blanket needed for rivers and a huge lake to form in the planet’s southern highlands.
Makemake’s “Hot Spot”: Icy Volcano or Dusty Ring?
Even though it’s nearly 4½ billion miles from the Sun, far-flung Makemake has surprised observers with a warmer-than-expected temperature that is challenging to explain.
A Bubbly Origin for Odd Radio Circles
Discovered in 2019, odd radio circles (ORCs) are among the newest and most mysterious astrophysical phenomena. New research examines how bubbles blown by black hole jets could create these striking features.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 15 – 24
Venus and Mercury continue as a duo in the western twilight this week. The Moon visits Jupiter, then Mars. Saturn shines lonely below the Great Square.
New Views of Vega’s Dusty Disk
High-resolution images reveal the debris disk around Lyra’s brightest star to be exceedingly smooth. If any planets lurk therein, they must be small.
Watch the Moon Occult the Pleiades, Spica too!
The Moon crosses the Pleiades this week, then heads east for the year's most dramatic Spica occultation.
Arecibo’s Powerful Radar May Have Contributed to the Telescope’s Demise
The Arecibo Observatory’s radar system may have produced currents that weakened the zinc sockets holding the cables in place, new report says.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 8 – 17
The stars betray that we've tipped from the season of warm evenings to the cold (or at least crisp). And the Moon this week skims Saturn, then the Pleiades.
A Radio Burst from a Giant "Dead" Galaxy
Exotic magnetars make brief, powerful flashes of radio waves — but a new discovery suggests there may be more than one way to make a magnetar.
Get to Know the Southern Constellation Grus, the Crane
Take a flight through Grus, one of the famous “southern birds” constellations.
Oldest and Largest Impact Crater Found on Venus
Scientists have found possibly the oldest and largest crater on Venus — and it's like none they've ever seen on our sister planet.
Astronomers Map a Dandelion Supernova
Astronomers have, for the first time, mapped the 3D filamentary structure of a famous dandelion-shaped supernova remnant.
