a fuzzy orb with rainbow stripes of red, yellow, green, and blue, against a dark background with white dots

Galaxies

Astronomers Discover “Invisible” Galaxy

A radio survey has serendipitously uncovered a galaxy with no visible stars.

Exoplanets

Did Webb Detect an Atmosphere on Hot Super-Earth 55 Cancri e?

New Webb data suggests that the hot super-Earth 55 Cancri e has a thick atmosphere, perhaps maintained by the planet's magma ocean.

a blue orb with a red ring at its top on a black background

Exoplanets

Unexplained Auroras Found on a Lonely Brown Dwarf

James Webb Space Telescope observations of a faint, giant world have revealed the signature of aurorae — even though the world has no star.

a dark circle with a spiral galaxy inside of it and spiral arms coming off it; the right side more detailed and colorful than the left

Black Holes

Black Holes in Early Universe Are Too Big

JWST observations of the universe as it was 12 to 13 billion years ago indicate that the black holes at the centers of small, early galaxies were more massive than expected.

Launch

Space Missions

China Launches Einstein X-ray Observatory

China’s Einstein Probe, an X-ray astronomy mission, heads to orbit.

CHARA image of RW Cephei, before and after

Stellar Science

Astronomers Watch Another Giant Star Dim

Turns out, Betelgeuse isn't the only giant star to undergo a "Great Dimming."

Odd Radio Circle (ORC) 1

Galaxies

Odd Radio Circles: The Remnants of Furious Galactic Winds

New evidence suggests extreme starbursts and furious galactic winds are at the heart of odd radio circles (ORCs).

Peregrine Mission On

Space Missions

Peregrine Mission Launches Successfully, But Misses the Moon

The first launch of the United Launch Alliance Vulcan-Centaur rocket attempted to send Peregrine Mission One moonward, but a propulsion problem has likely stymied that goal.

Bright Geminid meteor over Tucson

Celestial News & Events

The Best Meteor Showers in 2024

The beloved Perseid meteor shower of the August vacation season will evade the moonlight in 2024, at least during the best early morning meteor-watching hours. The Lyrids and Geminids aren't so lucky.

Jupiter under Aries, early January 2024

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 5 – 14

How does the Sirius-Procyon balance, newly risen, tilt for you? Depends on your latitude! Meanwhile, Triangulum and Aries teeter in balance on Jupiter.

Europa Clipper

Space Missions

Top Space Missions to Watch for in 2024

Humans' return to cis-lunar space and a flagship spacecraft to Europa are among the missions to come in 2024.

Illustration of Kepler-1625b and moon transiting star

Exoplanets

Doubt Cast on Exomoon Candidates

Exomoon candidates are tantalizing but, according to new research, perhaps unfounded.

Geminids and aurora

Celestial News & Events

Catch Luyten's Star and the Quadrantid Meteor Shower

Relish the slow, steady pace of nearby Luyten's Star then switch things up with speedy meteors from a well-timed shower.

Venus-Mercury-Mars-Moon in January 2024

Night Sky Sights

January Podcast: A Busy Start to 2024

If you’ve resolved to do more stargazing in the New Year, then 2024 will start you off with a bang! As told in this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, you can look forward to some excellent celestial events.

XPoSat

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

First Launch of 2024: India Flies New X-Ray Satellite

ISROs XPoSat will unlock the secrets of the X-ray universe.

Venus, Antares, and Mercury in the eastern dawn, Dec. 30, 2023

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 29 – January 5

Scintillating Sirius rises ever earlier to scintillate in colors. The Quadrantid meteors in the Thursday-morning dark are well timed for Eastern North America. Two triangle constellations stack over Jupiter.

Astronomy & Observing News

Top 10 Astronomy News Stories of 2023

This year, we heard the low hum of gravitational waves criss-crossing the cosmos, observed a "ring of fire" solar eclipse, and applauded the arrival of asteroid samples. Here are Sky & Telescope's picks for the top news stories in astronomy this year.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune in near-infrared

Solar System

The Webb Telescope's Grand Tour of the Solar System

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed galaxies in the early universe, hidden star formation, and sniffed the atmospheres of exoplanets. But it's also exploring closer to home, imaging each of the giant planets in detail. The telescope can see aspects of the planets' compositions in ways that passing satellites…

Moon nearly first quarter

Night Sky Sights

Getting Started with Your New Telescope

How to start successfully with a new telescope — a guide to what you need to know, how to set it up, and things you can start finding with it in tonight's sky.

Gibbous Moon and Jupiter, Dec. 21-22, 2023

Celestial News & Events

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 22 – 31

Christmas week this year puts the late-night Moon at the highest overhead you'll ever see it. High Jupiter lights the evening. Venus is the bright "star" lower in the east at dawn.