SUNSET: 
IYA's 24-hour Scope-a-thon
Have you ever wanted to visit a famous observatory perched atop some faraway mountaintop? This weekend you can, thanks to the International Year of Astronomy's "Around the World in 80 Telescopes" — a live, 24-hour webcast.
China Breaks Ground for Giant Radio Dish
In 2014, if construction goes as planned, Chinese astronomers will begin to probe distant cosmic targets with the world's largest single-aperture radio telescope.
Hubble Mission Gets OK for May
NASA managers have decided on a date to dispatch Space Shuttle flight STS 125, the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
New Eyes on the Cosmic-Ray Sky
High on the Argentinian pampa, 1,600 water-filled "eyes" await the arrival of the most powerful high-energy particles in the universe.
Telescope Mirrors from Antifreeze?
Buy a jug of ethylene glycol at the auto-supply store. Add iron-oxide powder and shake vigorously. Pour into a shallow pan, spray on a pinch of powdered silver, and turn on a magnetic field. Voilà! — instant mirror! Can it really be that easy? Not yet, but a promising new technology suggests that, someday, the answer might be "yes."
Big Scope TV Alert!
The National Geographic Channel provides an up-close look at the Very Large Telescope.
Shiny Eye for Airborne Observatory
The main mirror for the world's most advanced flying observatory has been transformed from a carefully shaped and polished piece of glass into a highly reflective optical component ready to study the infrared universe.
VISTA Survey Nears the Starting Line
A giant telescope with a deeply curved mirror is on its way to revolutionizing our view of the infrared sky.
"First Light" for Twin-Eyed Telescope
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona achieved a milestone when both of the telescope's 8.4-meter mirrors pointed toward the spiral galaxy NGC 2770. Last week the LBT folks released the images.
Really Remote Observing
Chances are you've never heard of Dome A. It's 600 miles from the South Pole, and if astronomers are right it could soon prove to be the best observing site on Earth.
UK Restores Gemini Commitment
British astronomers won't have to do without the services of Gemini Observatory. Future funding issues nevertheless remain.
Can Dunlap Obervatory Be Saved?
David Dunlap Observatory, north of Toronto, has many supporters that don't want to see it go.
Friday Movie (and Sing-along)
A rock ballad from the 1970s now has a cosmic twist.
Thirty Meter Telescope Moves Ahead
Thanks to a just-announced commitment of $300 million, astronomers and engineers can get ready to build the Thirty Meter Telescope — far larger than any other telescope on Earth.
The Orion Nebula, Exactly?
Radio astronomers succeed where others have failed to pin down the distance to a great showpiece of the night sky.
Will the UK Bail on Gemini?
Budget woes are forcing the United Kingdom to abandon its share of one of the world's premier observatories.
Dunlap Observatory, RIP
The University of Toronto has announced that the David Dunlap Observatory, situated north of Toronto, Ontario, and the home of Canada's largest optical telescope, is to be closed and sold.
Students To Go Pulsar Hunting
High-school students in West Virginia will sift through data from one of the world's largest radio telescopes to look for pulsars. Astronomers expect that they will find dozens.
Site Picked for Giant Magellan Telescope
Another truly monster telescope of the future has just taken a step closer to reality.
A Galaxy with the Wrong Shape
A newly discovered dwarf galaxy in Hercules isn't like the millions of other "dwarf spheroidals" known in the universe. It's cigar shaped.
