SUNSET: 
Saturn Hasn’t Always Had Rings
Analyses of data from Cassini’s final days suggest the rings are a late addition and use them to solve a Saturnian mystery.
China's Chang'e 4 Lands on the Lunar Farside
China's Chang'e 4 performed a historic first on January 3rd with a soft landing on the farside of the Moon.
New Views of Two-Lobed "Ultima Thule"
Images and other observations taken by the New Horizons spacecraft early on New Year's Day reveal a remarkable (but not unexpected) two-lobed object.
New Horizons Reaches "Ultima Thule"
NASA's outward-bound explorer rings in the new year with the most distant flyby in space-exploration history.
New Horizons: Ultima Thule is Dead Ahead
Ultima Thule, the next target for the New Horizons mission, is getting ever bigger within the spacecraft's sights. Alan Stern brings us the latest update on preparations for the New Year's Day flyby.
60-second Astro News: Most Distant Solar System Object & Saturn's Disappearing Rings
In astronomy news this week, astronomers announce the most distant solar system object discovered to date and estimate the limited lifetime of Saturn's spectacular rings.
Future Planetary Probes Can Learn from Cassini
An unusual water composition at Saturn’s moon Phoebe means that future spacecraft will have to be on the lookout for different water ratios than we are used to on Earth.
Amateurs Help Decide Juno's Path
Ahead of a decision on whether to fly the NASA spacecraft over Jupiter's Great Red Spot, hobbyists back on Earth provided crucial intel about the effects of an intruding disturbance.
Osiris-REX Finds Hints of Past Water on Asteroid Bennu
The NASA spacecraft detected signs of hydrated minerals on Bennu's surface, suggesting that the asteroid's larger parent body once hosted liquid water.
Voyager 2 Enters Interstellar Space
More than 18 billion kilometers from home, Voyager 2 has become the second probe to break through the heliopause, a tenuous boundary between the solar system and the rest of the Galaxy.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen Approaches Earth
On December 16th, the comet will pass within 12 million kilometers of Earth and should brighten to about 3rd magnitude, though the diffuse coma and a nearly full Moon will make observations difficult.
Dust Storm Electricity Might Forge Perchlorates on Mars
Electrostatic discharge in a simulated dusty Martian environment yields perchlorates — a potential energy source for microbial life — at abundances 1,000 times greater than sunlight alone.
Dusk for Dawn: NASA's Groundbreaking Mission Comes to an End
After 11 Years, NASA's Dawn mission to explore Vesta and Ceres is about to come to an end.
Saturn's Moon Dione Has Some Weird Stripes
Long straight parallel lines on the satellite's surface could be droppings from Saturn's rings, one of the moons, or a passing comet, researchers suggest.
Trojan Asteroids Are in a Class of Their Own
Hordes of debris trapped by Jupiter and Neptune have distinct colors that mark them as possibly the last remnants of the material that built the giant planets.
Source for Europa Geysers Missing
A new look at old data suggests there’s something missing from suspected plumes on Europa: a heat source.
MASCOT Deploys from Hayabusa-2, Lands on Ryugu
The boxy robotic lander MASCOT delivered photos and other data from asteroid Ryugu during a brief 17-hour stay on the asteroid's surface.
Four Things We Now Know About Saturn
Cassini gave an epic final show, going where no space probe had gone before. Here are a few interesting things we learned from that finale.
Titan Dust Storms Pose Challenges for Future Spacecraft
Future missions to Saturn's moon Titan may have to contend with blowing particles and higher-than-expected winds from recently discovered dust storms.
New Object Found in Far Outer Solar System
Astronomers have discovered a object—2015 TG387—that could help in the hunt for a hypothesized Planet Nine in the distant reaches of the solar system.
