SUNSET: 
Astro News Briefs: May 20–26
A brown dwarf near a star, Europa's deep ocean, and an asteroid impact that may have helped the dinosaurs.
Big Bang Picture Sharpens Up
New, sharper maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation are telling astronomers they're on the right track.
All Eyes on Pluto
July's encounters with two 12th-magnitude stars could rewrite the textbooks on the Pluto-Charon system.
Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursters: One and the Same?
New evidence strengthens the link between the two most stupendous kinds of cosmic explosions.
Tensions Erupt on Mauna Kea
A pending lawsuit could mean disaster for the Keck outrigger project.
Astronomers Flock to New York for NEAF
The 11th annual Northeast Astronomy Forum and Telescope Show was the biggest show yet.
Astro News Briefs: May 13–19
Earth's Space Heat Shield May 17, 2002 | Earth's magnetic field protects us from much of the life-threatening radiation that comes our way. However, while it deflects most of the Earthbound high-energy particles streaming from the Sun, it doesn't do all the work. As recent data from NASA's Imager for…
11 More New Moons for Jupiter
Scientists at the University of Hawaii have discovered 11 new moons for the King of Planets.
Unique Crater Swarm Disputed
The origin of the Rio Cuarto crater chain in Argentina is being hotly debated.
Missing Planetary Ingredient Found
Protoplanetary disks, like this one near Rho Ophiuchi captured with the European Southern Observatory's 8.2-meter Very Large Telescope ANTU, were recently thought to be depleted of sulfur. Not anymore.Courtesy European Southern Observatory Astronomers know how much sulfur should be in protoplanetary disks, the places where planets are forming around other…
Mars Odyssey Support for Visual Ice Flashes?
Spacecraft orbiting Mars may have confirmed that flares detected by amateur observers are due to Martian ices.
2002 National Young Astronomer Award Winners Announced
The Astronomical League has named its 2002 National Young Astronomy Award Winners.
Astro News Briefs: May 6–12
Interstellar Antifreeze May 9, 2002 | Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's 12-Meter Radio Telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona, have discovered ethylene glycol in molecular clouds in Sagittarius. The molecule, according to team members Jan M. Hollis (NASA/Goddard), Frank J. Lovas (University of Illinois), Phillip R. Jewell (National Radio Astronomy…
A Cyclic Universe?
Maybe the Big Bang wasn't the beginning, but only the latest in an endless cycle of destructions and rebirths.
Hubble's New Camera: Picture Perfect
Astronomers are delighted with the first images from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys.
New Hubble Images on the Way
On Tuesday, April 30th, NASA will release the first images from the Advanced Camera for Surveys, which was installed on the Hubble Space Telescope in early March.
Fading White Dwarfs Confirm the Age of the Universe
Observations of cooling white dwarfs in the globular cluster M4 have given astronomers an important clue to determine the age of the universe.
Astro News Briefs: April 22–28
McDonald Observatory Opens New Visitor Center April 25, 2002 | About 130,000 visitors annually come to McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas, to attend the popular star parties and constellation tours and to enjoy some of the darkest night skies in the continental U.S. Unfortunately, the observatory, a research unit…
Making Millisecond Pulsars
A three-hour long burst on a neutron star has confirmed many long-suspected fact about the dense, spinning stars.
Are Dormant Quasars Throwing "Baseballs" at Us?
Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays may come from quasars that were thought to be retired.
