SUNSET: 
Naming Pluto's Moons
The cast of underworld characters in the outer solar system expanded by two as the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially named Pluto's two smallest moons Nix and Hydra.
Minor Planets Stick Together
In January 2006, astronomers focused the Hubble Space Telescope on an icy rock near the orbit of Uranus — and found twins.
Norway Impact Gentler Than Atomic Bomb
This 212-gram fragment of the Park Forest meteorite fall grazed a yellow fire hydrant as it fell to Earth. News outlets reported last week that a meteorite struck a mountainside in Norway, releasing as much energy as the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Now researchers are reporting the first data from the…
The Amazing Somersaulting Satellite
A rising blob inside Saturn's moon Enceladus might be responsible for many of the satellite's bizarre aspects, including water geysers, an enigmatic "tiger stripe" pattern of warm ribbons, and perhaps even a planetary somersault, two researchers propose in the June 1st Nature. Planetary scientists have known since the Voyager flybys…
Gamma-Ray-Burst Simulations
In the reigning collapsar model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), jets containing small amounts of matter and huge amounts of electromagnetic energy are created when the core of a massive star collapses and produces a black hole. In this computer simulation frame, we see a jet punching through the "surface" of…
The Birth of Carbon Planets?
Exotic planets, dense with diamonds and graphite, might be forming around a nearby star. Astronomers announced this week that the disk around the young star Beta Pictoris is brimming with carbon, raising the possibility that abnormally carbon-rich planets might be forming there. The rocky planets in our solar system are…
Agreement Reached on Yerkes Sale
The Yerkes Observatory has been sold, but the venerable institution will continue operations as a scientific and educational facility. The University of Chicago has reached an $8 million sale agreement with a private developer to preserve the venerable Yerkes Observatory, one of the world's great astronomical landmarks. Under the terms…
Did Ancient Americans Record a Supernova?
Two astronomers have proposed that a rock carving found in the White Tanks Regional Park, north of Phoenix, Arizona, may represent the supernova of AD 1006. If true, the carving would be the oldest known Native American record of a supernova, and the only known record of Supernova 1006 in…
Planets Around Planets?
Astronomers have found disks surrounding planetary-mass objects, as this artist's rendition depicts. Evidence continues to mount that planets can form around very-low-mass objects. In fact, planets might even form around objects that are so low in mass that they themselves could be considered "planets." The latest results, reported at this…
America’s Young Astronomers Honored
The Astronomical League has recognized three more astronomically-minded high-school students.
Black Hole–Galaxy Link Extended
Spiral galaxy M33 has a small, compact stellar nucleus. The masses of such nuclei scale to the mass of the host galaxy. Click to view a larger image.Courtesy Travis Rector / M. Hanna / NOAO / AURA / NSF. Over the past decade, astronomers have established the remarkable fact that…
Hubble Zooms In on Jupiter's New Red Spot
Two teams of astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain our sharpest views of Jupiter's Red Spot Jr.
Big Weekend at Big Bear
Amateur astronomers seeking dark skies and great bargains flocked to the 2006 RTMC Astronomy Expo in California for Memorial Day weekend.
Amateurs Help Discover Transiting Exoplanet
Artist Greg Bacon created this impression of the extrasolar planet XO-1b, recently discovered by a team of professional and amateur astronomers. Click on the image to view a larger version.Courtesy NASA / ESA / Greg Bacon. For the first time, amateur astronomers have made a major contribution to the discovery…
Astronomy & Observing News Saturn's Stunning Beauty"}'>
Astro Image in the News:
Saturn's Stunning Beauty
The Cassini orbiter releases another amazing view of the Saturnian System.
New Hidden Milky Way Satellites
In recent years, astronomers have discovered a handful of dwarf galaxies right next door in the extended halo of the Milky Way, obscured by the gas and dust of our galactic plane. Now, astronomers sifting through data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) have announced the discovery of two sparse, low-luminosity Milky Way neighbors. Both dwarf satellite galaxies are invisible in most telescopes.
Galaxy Merger Movies
A color view from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the Antennae, two spiral galaxies in Corvus in the process of merging. This system gets its nickname from the long tidal tails visible in the accompanying ground-based, black-and-white image. The Antennae give us a sneak preview of what will happen when…
Mars Rovers Hunker Down for Winter
In January 2006 Opportunity imaged these wavy layers within a rock dubbed Overgaard, found near the edge of Erebus Crater in Meridiani Planum. The centimeter-size ripples are festoons — sedimentary features formed when waves lap against a beach.NASA/JPL/Caltech/Cornell Univ. The longevity of NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, is…
Comet To Cross Ring Nebula!
On Sunday night for North America, the brightest piece of Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 goes right over the Ring Nebula in Lyra.
Countdown to Astronomy Day 2006
Mark your calendars! This year's Astronomy Day festivities take place May 6th.
