SUNSET: 
Woo-hoo — The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Coming!
It's time again for the annual August meteor-shower fest, the Perseids. This year's display should be a beauty with only minor moonlight and a special surprise at dawn.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 9 – 18
The Perseid meteor shower peaks late Sunday night August 11th and maybe Monday night too. Jupiter and Mars have a close conjunction on the morning of the 14th, looking radically different in the same telescopic view.
The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, 15 Years Later
Fifteen years ago, the Hubble Space Telescope gazed intently at the infrared glow of galaxies in a tiny fraction of the sky. New research shows how this patch of space has changed since then.
Neutron Stars Might Be Squishy Inside
New data on the brightest pulsar observed with a telescope on the International Space Station suggests neutron star interiors are "squishy."
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 2 – 11
The Perseid meteors ramp up this week to their peak. Saturn is nicely up in the east by late evening. Jupiter and Mars near their conjunction in the morning sky. And there's a story behind Poniatowski's Bull.
Does This Mars Rock Show a "Potential Biosignature"? Or Just "Wet Chemistry"?
"Leopard spots" on a Mars rock could come from life — or they could simply be a sign of a type of chemical reaction that requires water.
August Podcast: Nova Watch in the Northern Crown
Let’s go on a night-sky tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during August. Find a good seat for some great “shooting stars,” watch Saturn climb in the eastern sky in early evening, check out the summer's brightest stars, and start looking for a once-in-your-lifetime star blast.
Reading the Tea Leaves: The Future of the Hubble and Chandra Space Telescopes
Future funding for NASA's remaining Great Observatories — Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope — is still up in the air.
David Crawford, 1931–2024
A professional astronomer turned dark-sky champion, David L. Crawford became synonymous with the fight against light pollution around the world.
Neutron Star Eaten by Small Black Hole (Probably)
Gravitational-wave astronomers have identified ripples in spacetime from the coalescence of a neutron star with what’s likely one of the smallest black holes ever found.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 26 – August 4
Very low in the west in bright twilight, have you picked up Venus yet? Binoculars help. Much tougher will be Mercury and Regulus. Their arrangement changes all week.
Astronomers Find 21 “Dark” Neutron Stars Orbiting Sun-like Stars
New analysis has revealed 21 Sun-like stars in mutual orbit around dark objects of neutron star–like masses — rare systems that have escaped destruction by supernova.
A Closer Look at a Potential "Eyeball Planet"
New James Webb Space Telescope observations of LHS 1140b hint at a temperate water world with a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.
Webb Telescope Sees Morning and Evening on a Hot Saturn
The James Webb Space Telescope has for the first time detected the difference between the morning and evening of a tidally locked gas giant planet.
Star-Mapping Mission Gaia Impacted by Micrometeoroid, Solar Storm
Having survived two recent threats — high-velocity space dust and enhanced solar activity — Gaia is now returning better data than ever.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 19 – 28
Scorpius poses at center stage in the south. The Sagittarius Teapot follows behind it. And Rasalhague, the head star of Ophiuchus. turns the Summer Triangle into a big, upright diamond.
New Exploration of Titan's Seas
A new look at data from NASA's Cassini mission confirms methane cycles on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, just as water cycles on Earth.
Visual Observing vs. Smart Telescopes — Finding Harmony
The latest smartscope astrophotography craze opens the door to some incredible opportunities for both beginners and seasoned observers.
Explore Norma: The right (angle) constellation for July
Little-known Norma, a small constellation in the southern sky, contains several stellar and deep-sky delights.
Dark Matter–Dominated Galaxies in the Early Universe
Small galaxies in the early universe might have had centers dominated by dark matter, according to new research.
