SUNSET: 
Astro News Briefs: August 25–August 31
Infrared space telescope launches and Canada's first space scope sees first light.
Mars's Dazzling Sky Show
Late in August the planet Mars passes closer to Earth than it has been in nearly 60,000 years — and the red planet has become a fiery yellow-orange beacon in the evening sky.
Downpours on Ancient Mars?
A new computer model suggests that ancient Mars may have been deluged with rain following every major cratering event.
Finding Waterworld
Could the first Earthlike planet found around another star really be a world made of water?
Astro Image in the News:
SIRTF Sees First Light
NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), launched on August 25, 2003, has captured its first view of stars and galaxies.
Starfest 2003: Dark Skies and Aliens
Solar observing was the order of the day at Starfest. The gathering had record attendance this year and ranks as the largest star party in Canada.Courtesy Andreas Gada and Tony Ward. If you've never been in to a star party, I strongly recommend that you attend one. Even if it's…
Erasing the Ancient Martian Landscape
Hidden below the Martian surface might be ancient streams and many old craters.
Astronomy & Observing News
Astro Image in the News:
Hubble's Closest Look at Mars"}'>
Astro Image in the News:
Hubble's Closest Look at Mars
Astronomy's premier orbiting observatory captures Mars as Earth passes by.
Astro News Briefs: July 28–August 3
Palomar Schmidt Gets Giant CCD Camera July 30, 2003 | The venerable 48-inch Schmidt telescope on Palomar Mountain in California, which took the original Palomar Observatory Sky Survey a half century ago (and is now named the Oschin Schmidt), is getting a giant, 161-megapixel CCD camera for a new generation…
Teaching Telescopes Reach First Light
Mass-produced research telescopes are coming online.
Russia's Astronomy Icon Nears Rebirth
A firsthand report on the renowned Moscow Planetarium's struggles to recover from decay and ruin.
Amateur Discovers Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow
An amateur astronomer in South Africa was the first to beat professional astronomers to the detection of a gamma-ray burst afterglow.
Deciding Hubble's Future
At Congress's request, an independent panel has recommended to NASA how Hubble should spend its final days.
For Hubble, the End Is in Sight
Looking ahead to the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers and NASA managers are fiercely debating how and when to end the mission of its illustrious predecessor.
Columbia Astronauts Memorialized in Space
On August 6th, the seven astronauts killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy were honored with minor planets.
Scrutinizing Supernovae
Astronomers uncover new clues about what happens in the crucial Type Ia variety of exploding star.
Two Fine Western Star Parties
Summer star-party season is in high gear. Among the events held on the weekend of July's dark of the Moon were two premier annual gatherings — one in Washington State and another in British Columbia, Canada.
Exoplanet Baby Boom
Planets may be more common in the galaxy today than in times past, when stars contained fewer heavy elements.
