SUNSET: 
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.
New Planet Discovered Around Proxima Centauri, Star Nearest the Sun
A new instrument on a powerful telescope has enabled astronomers to discover another planet around our nearest stellar neighbor.
Meteorite Evidence Suggests Earth’s Water Was Here Before Earth Was
Where did Earth’s water come from? One of the oldest meteorites on Earth is adding new pieces to an old puzzle.
Astronomers Watch the Making of a Super-Earth
Gaseous mini-Neptunes may become rocky super-Earths when they lose their atmospheres. Now, astronomers have caught that process in action.
Citizen Scientists Find 1,000+ Asteroids Photobombing Hubble Images
The combined power of citizen science and machine learning have led to the discovery of more than 1,000 new asteroids in archival images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 4 – 12
This is the part of the month when the evening Moon is at its telescopic best in many skywatchers' opinions, as the terminator sweeps across the middle of the Moon's disk. And in February, the Moon at these phases rides especially high. Jupiter sinks low in evening twilight, and a triangle of planets displays in early dawn.
A Star Where It Shouldn't Be
There’s a massive star in our galaxy’s halo, far away from the usual star-forming haunts. How did it get there?
Astonishing Radio View of the Milky Way’s Heart
A new radio survey reveals a complex and chaotic galactic center teeming with supernova remnants, star-forming regions, and mysterious filaments.
See the Sun from Other Stars
We journey to distant suns to look back at our solar system and see its place among the stars.
February: Orion’s Neighborhood
Our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download February’s episode to explore the colorful constellations that surround Orion, the Hunter.
Exoplanet Hunter Racks up 5,000 “Objects of Interest”
Since its 2018 launch, the unassuming TESS satellite has found 175 confirmed exoplanets (so far) among 5,000 “objects of interest.”
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 28 – February 5
The Winter Triangle, the Goat Star and the Kids, Orion nearing his peak standing on the giant Hare over the difficult Dove... there's plenty to occupy you in the evening even as most of the planets have migrated over to dawn.
Does the Andromeda Galaxy Harbor a Mid-weight Black Hole?
New observations suggest a black hole 100,000 times the mass of the Sun lurks in the center of a globular cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy.
SpaceX Rocket Booster to Hit the Moon on March 4th
A discarded Falcon 9 upper stage rocket booster will impact Hertzsprung Crater on the lunar farside on March 4th.
Evidence Hints at Ancient Life on Mars
Scientists have found a chemical signature that hints at ancient life on Mars. But other possible explanations remain.
Starlink Satellites Not Impacting Science — Yet
A new study of Starlink satellites’ impact on astronomy gives the community cause for both relief and concern.
