SUNSET: 
Listen to a Martian Dust Devil
The Perseverance rover on Mars has recorded a dust devil using its microphone, providing unprecedented data about these whirlwinds.
Catch the Geminid Meteor Shower; Plus, Watch RW Cephei Fade
The luminous Geminid meteor shower returns. We also meet a binocular-bright star that may be experiencing Betelgeuse-like convulsions.
Trio of Spacecraft Launch for the Moon
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight, iSpace’s Hakuto R from Japan, and the United Arab Emirates' Rashid rover are all headed to the Moon after launching aboard a SpaceX rocket.
Town Votes to Protect the Holmdel Horn That "Heard" the Big Bang
Redevelopment plans could threaten the site that houses the Holmdel Horn, the instrument responsible for hearing the "hiss" of background radiation from the Big Bang.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 9 – 16
Mars, just past opposition, remains bright as it aligns between Aldebaran and Capella. Jupiter shines highest after dusk. And watch for the Geminid meteors.
Observing Report: Moon Occults Mars
Sky & Telescope editors report their observations of last night's celestial event: Mars grazing or disappearing behind the Moon.
Tsunamis Carried Boulders Across Ancient Martian Ocean
Long-ago impacts tossed up the floors of an ancient ocean on the Red Planet and carried debris to the landing site of NASA’s Viking 1 lander.
Mars Mesmerizes at Opposition
It may not be the closest opposition, but this time around Mars arcs high across the sky where good seeing promises sharp views. That's not all. On December 7th, one night before opposition, the full Moon occults the Red Planet!
Gamma-ray Burst Surprise
Gamma-ray bursts are generally thought to come in two flavors — supernovae or neutron star mergers. But new discoveries are blurring that line.
Apollo 17 in Pictures: “God Willing, as We Shall Return”
On the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17, we look back at iconic photos as well as rarely seen images from the mission.
Status Update: Artemis 1’s CubeSat Missions
Some of the small missions deployed from Artemis 1 will go on to do great things, while others remain silent.
Webb Telescope Surveys a Hot Saturn
A collection of five research studies delve into the atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-39b as astronomers seek to better understand the chemistry of a world beyond the solar system.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 2 – 10
Mars is at opposition this week. And on opposition night December 7-8, Mars is occulted by the perfectly full Moon. Orion enters stage east earlier and earlier, the Summer Triangle sinks west, and Jupiter reigns on high.
New Images Track Clouds on Saturn's Largest Moon
Brand-new images from the James Webb Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawai'i reveal clouds beneath the haze on this enshrouded moon.
December: Mars in the Spotlight
December's solstice means that for many skywatchers the night will be up to 14 hours long — providing lots of time to enjoy the starry sky. This month’s celestial highlights are the close approach of the Moon and Mars (and, for many, a coverup) on December 7th and the Gemind meteor shower on the December 13th. Our fun and factual Sky Tour podcast provides all the details.
Four Stars, Many Eclipses
Stars are most often born as multiples. Now, the TESS telescope has caught one of these multiple systems in a unique setup.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 25 – December 3
Mars is closest to Earth this week, closer and brighter than we'll see it again until 2033. By late evening it's high overhead in excellent telescopic view.
X-rays Offer View Inside the Black Hole-Powered Plasma Guns
Polarized X-rays are helping astronomers take a closer look at blazars’ “plasma guns,” the particle jets powered by supermassive black holes.
A Celebration of Jay Pasachoff (1943–2022)
Jay M. Pasachoff, Chair of the Astronomy Department, Director of the Hopkins Observatory, and Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, succumbed to cancer on Sunday morning, November 20th.
A Supernova Hits a Cosmic Speed Bump
Why did a supernova abruptly change color? A recent study suggests a change in ejecta velocity — a cosmic speed bump — might be the culprit.
