SUNSET: 
Sunspots Visible
After weeks of having a face free of large blemishes, the Sun now sports a Jupiter-sized spot, large enough to be visible without magnification if you use a safe solar filter.
Is the July 31st Full Moon Really "Blue"?
Is July 31st full Moon, the second one in the month, really a Blue Moon?
Astro News Briefs: July 5–11
Mount Graham Fire Stabilizes July 9, 2004 | The wildfire threatening the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) at Mount Graham, Arizona came within 650 meters of the observatory on July 6th, but firefighters halted its progress by carrying out a controlled burn ahead of the fire's path. Now, the worst seems…
Stringy Holes: Hawking Concedes Defeat
The famed British physicist joins the mainstream in believing that black holes preserve information.
Marathon Mystery Explained?
Astronomy historians have re-dated the 26-mile dash in ancient Greece that led to today's sport of marathoning.
Mars Rovers Find More Evidence of Water
As Spirit and Opportunity visit new science targets, they continue to make important discoveries.
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9: A Decade Later
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacting the clouds of Jupiter. Sky & Telescope contributing editor and SL9 codiscoverer David Levy reflects on some of the events surrounding the Great Comet Crash.
2004 Comet Award Winners
Veteran comet hunter William A. Bradfield with one of his comet seekers: a homemade 150-millimeter (6-inch) f/5.5 rich-field refractor on an altazimuth mount. To date, Bradfield has discovered 18 comets.Courtesy Kym Thalassoudis Two Australians will share the sixth annual Edgar Wilson Award for amateur comet discovery. According to IAU Circular…
Hubble Panel Endorses Servicing Mission
A panel of outside experts has told NASA that another Hubble servicing mission is crucial, and that it should be carried out by Space Shuttle astronauts if necessary.
Eta Carinae Plays Purple Haze
Recent studies show that the southern-sky supergiant Eta Carinae isn't just one massive star, it’s two.
Wildfires Threaten Arizona Observatories
A lightning-triggered fire raged up the slopes of Mount Graham and has come within a mile of the unfinished Large Binocular Telescope.
Cassini Peeks at Titan
Even when seen from 340,000 kilometers away, Saturn's giant moon has teased Cassini-Huygens scientists by revealing complex, mysterious surface features.
Saturn's Magnetic Mysteries
The ringed planet has more than a pretty face: early results from Cassini-Huygens have uncovered strange goings-on in the giant elecctromagnetic bubble that surrounds it.
Cassini's Picture-Perfect Arrival
The Cassini orbiter survived its entry into the Saturnian system, and provided stunning up-close images of the rings to prove it.
LINEAR Puts in an Appearance
Comet LINEAR is visible to midnorthern observers until late June, after which it becomes a Southern Hemisphere object.
Two Comets Head North
Early in June midnorthern observers can see Comet NEAT high in the western evening sky at about 4th magnitude and LINEAR emerging low in the west-southwest a little past its prime.
Worldwide Astronomical Community Expresses Sympathy for September 11th Tragedy
Letters from around the globe.
Science Teams Await Leonid Storm
Researchers worldwide are looking forward to the new knowledge that they hope to gain from intensive studies of the Leonids' "last hurrah."
