SUNSET: 
Ceres Bright Spot is Salty
Spectral observations by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft reveal that the dwarf planet’s mysterious beacon is made of salt.
Newfound Object 2016 HO3 Shares Earth's Orbit
A recently discovered asteroid plays leapfrog with Earth as they both orbit around the Sun.
Seeing Sunspots as Early Astronomers Did
Astronomers have reconstructed 18-century telescopes to observe sunspots and better understand solar cycles.
FRIPON: A New All-Sky Meteor Network
An innovative new meteor detection network will engage researchers and the public in a search for space rocks.
Comets Break Up and Make Up
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko appears to have split into two segments that briefly orbited each other and then slowly merged into a new configuration.
VLA Probes Deeply into Jupiter’s Atmosphere
Astronomers have new radio images of Jupiter that allow them to see deep into its atmosphere.
Amateur Astro-imagers Get Ready for Juno
Planetary scientists are counting on amateur observations to enhance the results from NASA's forthcoming Juno mission.
Dwarf Planet 2007 OR10: Big, Dark, and Slow
A Kuiper Belt object discovered nearly a decade ago turns out to be much darker — and thus larger — than thought. It's also an especially slow spinner.
Curiosity Sees Seasonal Trends on Mars
During two Martian years, Curiosity tracks seasonal patterns in atmosphere, temperature, and maybe even methane.
S&T Live Webcast: Transit of Mercury
Join in Monday, May 9th, as tiny Mercury crosses the Sun's disk for the first time since 2006. S&T's exclusive video feeds and expert interviews will air throughout the 7½-hour event.
A Moon for Kuiper Belt's Makemake
Astronomers have been searching for companions to the distant dwarf planet Makemake for years. Finally, they've spotted one.
Saturn Moons Could Be Young
Planetary scientists have increasing reasons to think that some of the ringed giant’s moons are only 100 million years old.
Pluto's Atmosphere Confounds Researchers
Observations by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, combined with new modeling of long-term trends, suggest that Pluto's atmosphere is far more dynamic than anyone imagined.
Mars Gravity Map
By tracking deviations in spacecraft orbits, planetary scientists have created a high-resolution map of the Red Planet's gravitational pull.
The Mystery of Pluto's Floating Hills
Among its other geologic oddities, Pluto has clusters of hills floating in a frozen "sea" dominated by nitrogen ice. These bobbing bumps might hold clues to the plain's depth and evolution.
Making the Case for "Planet Nine"
Does a massive, extremely distant planet orbit the Sun? A new analysis of distant solar-system orbits argues that it should exist.
Martian Gullies: Triggered by Dry Ice?
Are enigmatic gullies seen on many steep Martian slopes caused by liquid water or instead by episodic coatings of frozen carbon dioxide?
NASA Nixes Launch of InSight in March 2016
A mechanical problem in the spacecraft's seismometer can't be fixed before the planned launch date, so NASA managers have postponed the mission until 2018.
NASA's Plans for Putting Humans on Mars
Scientists and engineers gathered together to figure out what would make a good Martian landing site and what hurdles they’ll have to overcome for a 2035 launch.
New Star and Exoplanet Names OK'd by IAU
Following a wildly popular contest, the International Astronomical Union has named 14 stars and 31 planets that orbit them.
