SUNSET: 
“Closest Black Hole” Doesn’t Exist, After All
Astronomers combined forces to confirm that a black hole proposed to lie a mere 1,000 light-years away isn’t really there.
Meet Shackleton Crater: Future Moon Landing Site
Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole is a site of future exploration — and you can even see it through your telescope during favorable librations.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Uncovering Secrets of Earth's Shadow
The daily rising and setting of Earth's shadow is a beautiful sight anyone on the planet can view. It's also an opportunity to witness the rapid changes that accompany sunset or sunrise, but at the opposite end of the sky.
Magnetic "Spoon" Feeds Supermassive Black Hole
Astronomers have imaged the magnetic field along which gas flows to a galaxy's central black hole.
March: Sirius in the Spotlight
Whether you’re just getting started in astronomy or simply looking to do some casual sky-watching, our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download the March episode to find and learn about Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
No Signal from Cosmic Dawn
Four years after one experiment found tentative signs of the "cosmic dawn," the era of the first stars, another experiment finds nothing.
These Two Black Hole Behemoths Will Merge in 10,000 Years
Astronomers have discovered a pair of supermassive black holes that whirl around each other every two years.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 25 – March 5
As the winter Milky Way rides high, open star clusters near and far, and from compact to sparse, await your binoculars or telescope, At dawn catch the Venus-Mars pair, and try for the closer Mercury-Saturn pair lower down.
Black Hole Spins Crookedly
Astronomers have found a black hole leaning decidedly askew in its orbit with a star.
Fast Radio Burst's Unlikely Home Puzzles Astronomers
Astronomers have found a fast radio burst — presumably a flash from a young stellar remnant — amongst the ancient stars of a globular cluster, challenging ideas about what produces these enigmatic flashes.
The Parker Solar Probe Captures Surprising Images of Venus Nightside
A visible glow from our sister planet’s nightside sheds new light on a 300-year-old observing enigma dubbed the “ashen light.”
Protostar Companions in Orion
How are stars born? One of the best places to test ideas about stellar birth is in Orion.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 18 – 26
With the Moon gone from the evening sky, trace out Monoceros the Unicorn walking behind Orion. Spot the famous binocular star clusters at his eye and horn-tip, and don't miss M41 under Sirius. Meanwhile, the waning Moon, passes Venus, Mars and Mercury at dawn.
Supermassive Black Hole Hides Behind a Ring of Dust
A high-resolution infrared image has revealed a dust screen obscuring a gas-devouring supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy NGC 1068, confirming 30-year-old predictions.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Reveling in the Winter Milky Way
With the Moon departing the evening sky, now's a good time for a closer look at the northern winter Milky Way and its southern summer counterpart, too. No equipment required!
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Booster Set to Hit the Moon Turns Out to be Chinese Rocket (Updates)
The booster previously identified as SpaceX hardware turns out to be from the Chang’e 5-T1 mission. The timing and site of the impact remain the same.
How Galaxies Lose Their Dark Matter
A careful study of cosmological simulations shows that dark matter–less galaxies aren't impossible — just really rare.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 11 – 19
The Winter Hexagon hosts the Moon. Then Castor and Pollux nail the Moon. Then the Little and Big Dog stars arc gracefully away from it. Meanwhile in early dawn, Mercury, Venus and Mars continue as a triangle low in the southeast.
Solar Tsunami Hit Earth 9,200 Years Ago
Scientists examining ancient ice cores have found radioactive evidence of an extreme solar storm that took place in 7,176 BCE.
Space Storm Knocks Out Latest Batch of Starlink Satellites
A minor space storm took down much of the latest Starlink batch shortly after launch.