SUNSET: 
Latest News on the Kreutz Sungrazing Comet C/2026 A1 MAPS
As the comet prepares for its perilous perihelion passage, we look at what to expect.
Asteroid Ryugu Also Contains Life’s Building Blocks
Samples returned from Ryugu contain all five nucleobases, just like from asteroid Bennu. The find suggests life’s ingredients could have come from outside Earth.
A Nearby Dwarf Galaxy is Transforming Before Our Eyes
The Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way, is undergoing a complete galactic transformation after a recent collision with its nearest neighbor.
Molten Sulfurous World Blurs Exoplanet Categories
An oddly low-density planet isn't quite rocky or gaseous — instead, it might have a deep ocean of magma and a stinky, sulfurous atmosphere.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 13 – 22
A rare, near perfect young-Moon challenge awaits North Americans after sunset on March 19th. Jupiter rules the evening from on high in central Gemini.
Super-Bright Supernovae Are Birth Cries of Magnetars
The disk of gas that spirals onto a newborn magnetar wobbles, creating "bumps" in the brightness of the supernova that accompanied this object's birth.
The Solar Cycle Leaves Its Fingerprint on the Sun’s Interior
Astronomers have used 40 years’ worth of data to peer inside the Sun, revealing that the solar cycle can leave a distinct fingerprint beneath the visible surface.
Asteroid Didymos's Heliocentric Orbit Altered by Impact on its Moon
Dozens on amateur astronomers helped measure the minuscule difference in Didymos’s trajectory around the Sun, after NASA’s DART mission impacted its moon.
Dwarf Galaxy Has "Too Many" Satellites
While small galaxies are expected to have even smaller satellite galaxies, astronomers have found a surprising number of tiny companions around one dwarf galaxy.
Lunar Impact from Asteroid 2024 YR4 Ruled Out
The latest JWST images, along with archival images taken before the asteroid was even discovered, combine to refine its trajectory.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 6 – 15
Bright Jupiter highlights the Gemini stick-figure twins standing on either side of it. Down below, the Winter Triangle balances on its Sirius point.
Rubin Observatory Sends 800,000 Alerts to Astronomers — Per Night
The Vera Rubin Observatory is seeing 800,000 astronomical alerts per night — and that number will only increase.
AI Reveals New Galaxies in James Webb Space Telescope Images
Known as ASTERIS, the AI network removes noise from images to reveal features a full magnitude fainter than before.
Dawn Delight: Total Lunar Eclipse on March 3rd
March opens with a spectacular total lunar eclipse. Our guide will help you make the most of it.
Largest Image of Its Kind Will Solve Milky Way Mystery
Stars have a hard time forming in the extreme environment around our Milky Way’s black hole. New data promise to explain why.
March Podcast: The Winter Triangle
This month’s episode showcases the stars and planets visible on March evenings. First up: March 3rd’s predawn a total lunar eclipse! Then track down three planets after sunset, and savor the easy-to-spot Winter Triangle of bright stars.
SpaceX Aims to Launch Up to 1 Million AI Data Center Satellites
Experts are concerned that the satellites could ruin dark skies, pollute the atmosphere, and worsen space debris. The public has a limited time to comment.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 27 – March 8
Jupiter forms a T with the Moon, Pollux, and Castor on Friday February 27th. Low in the western twilight, Saturn and Venus close in on each other. And can you catch the total lunar eclipse on the morning of March 3rd?
Astronomers Witness Transformation of One of the Largest Stars
One of the largest known stars — a red supergiant — suddenly shrank and heated up, transforming into a different kind of star.
A Planetary System That Breaks the Rules
The unexpected arrangement of exoplanets around a star more than 100 light-years from Earth might change how we think about planet formation.
