SUNSET: 
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
The James Webb Space Telescope Is Headed to Space
Over a generation in the making, the James Webb Space Telescope is finally headed for space.
Getting Started with Your New Telescope
How to start right using 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.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 24 – January 1
Crescent Venus, ever thinner and lower in twilight, dives toward the Sun. Jupiter and Saturn bide their time. The bright winter constellations fill the east after dark. Mars and Antares pair up at dawn.
Venus Farewell, Moonless Skies for the Quadrantids
Venus presents a stunning crescent at dusk before switching over to the morning sky early next month. After dodging the Moon for the Geminids, it's dark skies all around for the Quadrantid meteor shower.
Samples from Asteroid Ryugu Are Most Primitive Material We've Found
The material that the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft returned from asteroid Ryugu is the most pristine sample we've ever gotten our hands on.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 17 – 25
Dramatic Venus is becoming a dramatically thinner, larger crescent the southwestern twilight. A few people can even resolve the crescent naked-eye. Saturn and Jupiter stay lined up behind it. And the bright winter constellations officially come into their own with the turning of the solstice.
What Will the James Webb Space Telescope Uncover?
The soon-to-be-launched James Webb Space Telescope should shed light on exoplanet atmospheres and peer back to the universe's first stars.
“Humanity Has ‘Touched’ the Sun”
On its eighth close pass, NASA’s record-breaking Parker Solar Probe entered our star’s atmosphere and “touched” the surface of the Sun.
Stellar Remnant at the Core of Mysterious Flash Dubbed "The Cow"
Astronomers have identified the origin of a mysterious flash that occurred three years ago.
No Release for the Hubble Tension
New data and analysis show that a long-standing discrepancy in the measurement of the current expansion rate of the universe is real — even as the reason for it remains a mystery.
Precious Hours with the Geminids
At first glance, the annual Geminid meteor shower appears to be on a collision course with a bright Moon. But a closer look reveals a happy window of dark skies.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 10 – 18
Comet Leonard switches from low in the dawn to low in the dusk this week; you'll need those binocs. The Venus-Saturn-Jupiter line slides westward. And the high full moon of December rides across the sky in Taurus, at the top of the ecliptic.
Total Solar Eclipse: Reports from Antarctica
Sky & Telescope and friends report on the total solar eclipse that occurred over Antarctica earlier this week.
NASA Launches New X-ray Explorer
The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer will shed new light on energetic and enigmatic sources such as magnetars, supernovae, and black holes.
Giant Planet Imaged Around Massive Stars
Astronomers have imaged a giant planet around a massive pair of stars, a discovery that challenges our notions of how planets form.
Tiny Galaxy’s Giant Black Hole Throws Astronomers for a Loop
A satellite galaxy dwarfed by the Milky Way has a black hole nearly as massive as the one at the center of our galaxy.
Astronomers Find Confounding Cone Shape in Cluster Collision
Galaxy clusters take eons to collide. Now, astronomers have caught a pair of merging clusters in an in-between stage never seen before.
What's Next After the International Space Station?
NASA will end support for the International Space Station by 2030, transitioning low-Earth orbit to commercial operations.
How Our Largest Dwarf Galaxy Keeps the Others In Line
New research may explain why satellite galaxies align themselves around the Milky Way
See Comet Leonard at its Best
The year's brightest comet is now on display in the predawn sky this week and next. Here's how to find it.
