
Perseverance Finds Ancient Habitable Conditions on Mars
The mission team has reported results from Perseverance's study of the rocks deposited by the river that once flowed into Jezero Crater.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 16 – 24
The late-night Moon aligns with Mars and Aldebaran. Delta Cephei pulses on high. And constellations all over the sky signal the change from summer to fall.

Lost Moon Could Solve Saturn’s Riddles
An icy moon torn apart in Saturn's gravitational field some 150 million years ago could explain why the planet's rings are so young and a host of other puzzles.

Webb's Dazzling Views of the Orion Nebula
The James Webb Space Telescope has provided its first views of the Orion Nebula, revealing infant stars and the filaments that feed them.

Blazar's Outburst Hid Repeating Signal
Pulses originating almost a billion light-years away hint at extreme physics near a supermassive black hole.

Photographers "Capture the Dark" in Stunning Images
The International Dark-Sky Association celebrates photography's role in the fight against light pollution. Here are this year's contest winners!

Webb Captures an Exoplanet, a Brown Dwarf — and a Giant Tarantula
New Webb images reveal the space telescope's first exoplanet, first brown dwarf, and a stellar nursery teeming with activity.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 9 – 17
As the Moon wanes from full to last quarter, passing Jupiter and Mars along the way, darkness returns to the evening sky for constellation spotters and deep-sly observers.

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
The Hazards of Uncontrolled Reentries from Space
A recent study examines the risk posed to human life by reentering space debris as the number of rocket launches continues to grow.

Explore the Night with Bob King
Vega, the Star at the Center of Everything
While we may quibble about how to pronounce its name, there's no denying that Vega is one of the most fascinating and useful stars in the heavens.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 2 – 10
As the Moon waxes from first quarter to full, watch it cross the southernmost zodiac constellations, then pass Saturn and Jupiter. Along the way it occults a Teapot star.

September: Harvest Moon & More
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and tried to figure out what's what? September’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast will heighten your enjoyment of the bright stars and constellations now overhead.

Bright New Satellites Join a Crowded Sky — Here’s How You Can Help
The imminent launch of a BlueWalker satellite, with a giant phased array antenna, portends a brightening night sky. Amateur astronomers can help record these changes with the goal of mitigating them.

Years of Tensions at Mauna Kea May End with Peaceful Negotiations
New stewardship of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that hosts some of the world's largest telescopes, could change the face of astronomy at the summit.

Webb Reveals Jupiter, Puffy Planet, and Galactic Maelstroms in a New Light
Round out your week with these stunning views of the universe from the James Webb Space telescope.

NASA's InSight Lander Finds Tropical Mars Is Dry
Evidence for water ice exists at the poles of Mars and even at mid-latitudes, but new evidence shows equatorial Mars is dry. The find has implications for past habitability and future human missions to Mars.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, Aug. 26 – Sept. 3
Scorpius lies down after dark and the Moon walks across it. Jupiter shines high in the southeast by midnight just about as big and bright as it can ever get. An hour or two earlier, Saturn reaches a good observing height.

Betelgeuse's Great Dimming: The Aftermath
The Great Dimming occurred when Betelgeuse coughed out a huge chunk of material, and the ejection took a toll on the giant star.

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
First Inter-Venusian Asteroid Hints at a New Population
The discovery of an asteroid inside Venus's orbit might be the first of a new population within the inner solar system.

Observe Vesta — and Own a Piece of It, Too
Vesta's bright and easy to find in binoculars and maybe even with the naked eye in late summer skies. It's also just as easy to acquire a piece of it without a multi-billion dollar space mission.