SUNSET: 
Deep Space 1 Spies Comet
Comet Borrelly, which orbits the Sun every 6.8 years, passed through perihelion on September 14th — just 8 days before Deep Space 1 flew past at close range. Georgia amateur Tim Puckett recorded Borrelly's coma and faint tail a half day later with his 30-centimeter telescope. After weeks of concern…
Blue-Ribbon Panel Opposes NASA Control of Ground-based Astronomy
Committee finds that NSF and NASA astronomical funding should not be combined brought under one agency.
Smoking Gun for Milky Way's Black Hole
Astronomers find conclusive evidence for a black hole in the center of the Milky Way
Moon Study Tracks Changes in Earth's Cloud Cover
Scientists are looking to the Moon to learn about Earth's climate change.
Five Planets In a Twilight Sky
Until early April, all five planets that are ever visible to the unaided eye shine at once during dusk.
Astronomers Launch Pro-Am "Registry"
Years in development, a new online service allows experienced amateur observers and willing professionals to collaborate on scientific research projects.
Astro Image in the News:
Venus Transit in a New Light
Hydrogen-alpha light provided a new view of the Venus transit.
Will the June Boötids Return in 2004?
A strong meteor shower may — or may not — return to our skies on the evening of June 23rd.
An "Impossibly" Young Planet?
The Spitzer Space Telescope finds evidence of a planet too young to have formed the expected way.
Cassini Calls on Phoebe
Cassini's first rendezvous with a Saturnian moon was a date to remember.
Venus Has Its Day in the Sun
A fog bank created a natural solar filter for this image of the just-risen Sun over Cambridge, Massachusetts. Venus is clearly visible under the clouds, as seen in this image taken through a 70-millimeter refractor.Courtesy Jessica Dawn Tytell. People all over the world watched Venus pass in front of the…
Astro News Briefs: May 31–June 6
Tiny-tiny galaxies and activity minima in Sun-like stars.
Opportunity Enters Endurance Crater
NASA engineers have decided that driving a Mars rover into a geology-rich crater is worth the risks.
The Transit of Venus: Tales from the 18th and 19th Centuries
Observers and administrators gather at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, in preparation for the American expeditions to the 1874 transit of Venus.Courtesy US Naval Observatory Library. A magnificent rendezvous between the planet of love and the bright orb of the Sun. One of the most celebrated phenomena in…
Nearby Remnant of a Gamma-Ray Burst?
What looks like a supernova remnant on the far side of the Milky Way could be the shattered remains of something bigger.
Seeing the Very First Galaxies
The first stars to light up the universe after the Big Bang did not appear in a simple, expected way.
Amateur Images Venus's Surface
In a first for amateur astronomy, a backyard observer has captured images of the eternally cloud-shrouded surface of Venus.
Astro News Briefs: April 19–25
Second annual National Dark Sky Week celebrated.
Spitzer Exposes Mystery Holes
Taking its deepest-yet look into the infrared sky, the Spitzer Space Telescope pulls some mysterious objects out of hiding.
