SUNSET: 
Spacecraft Observe Comet Siding Spring
Mars-orbiting spacecraft escaped unscathed by Comet Siding Spring's close approach to the Red Planet — and unique scientific observations are now streaming back to Earth.
NASA's IRIS Finds Solar Tornadoes, Bombs, and More
New IRIS results show a Sun rife with twisting and snapping magnetic fields, data that will elicit clues on what bakes the puzzlingly hot corona.
Targeting Crisis Averted for New Horizons
NASA scientists have found three potential Kuiper belt objects in the nick of time, saving the Pluto-bound probe from missing out on half of its mission.
Comet Siding Spring Skims Past Mars
On October 19th, Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) passes breathtaking close to Mars — as a small army of spacecraft (five of them orbiting the planet) watch.
(Geologically) Recent Volcanoes on the Moon?
Images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show dozens of small, curious features that might be volcanic eruptions in the past 50 to 100 million years. Countless astronomers, both amateur and professional, have spent untold hours scrutinizing the Moon through telescopes for hints of volcanic activity. Numerous claims of "transient lunar…
India's Mars Orbiter Mission Arrives Safely
It's a historic day for India's maturing space program, as its first-ever interplanetary explorer successfully slipped into orbit around the Red Planet.
MAVEN Makes It to Mars
On September 21st, after a 33-minute-long rocket firing, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft slipped into orbit around the Red Planet.
Where Will Philae Land on Comet 67P?
European space officials have decided to drop their Philae lander on November 11th onto the small end of the already-active Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Success is hardly assured.
Curiosity Readies To Climb "Mount Sharp"
Now two years into its exploration of Mars, NASA's big rover has reached the base of the huge mound that scientists hope will reveal the Red Planet's history.
Earthshine, the Moon's Darker Side
Explore the Moon's dark side with the aid of earthshine.
Voyager 2 at Neptune: A Silver Anniversary
On August 25, 1989, a NASA spacecraft made its fourth and final planetary encounter. What it revealed 25 years ago about the Neptunian system is still amazing and still profound.
Happy Times for Comet Watchers
Seize the moment and bookend your next clear night with two fine telescopic comets: Jacques at dusk and Oukaimeden at dawn.
Mars Orbiters Duck for Cover
Mission planners have devised an unusual strategy for protecting orbiting spacecraft when Comet Siding Spring passes the Red Planet in October 2014.
Extreme Volcanoes on Jupiter's Moon Io
Even on Io, a world known for spouting off, the titanic volcanic eruption seen on August 29, 2013, was among the most powerful ever recorded — unleashing an estimated 20 terawatts of energy.
Rosetta Catches Its Comet
On August 6th, the ESA's Rosetta spacecraft finally completed its decade-long voyage to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
NASA Gears Up for Mars 2020 Rover
Six years from now, there will be a new NASA robot heading to the Red Planet: the Mars 2020 rover. On July 31st mission planners unveiled the rover’s seven scientific instruments, which will pave the way for human exploration of Mars.
X-Ray Glow Evidence of Local Hot Bubble
Scientists have confirmed that the soft X-ray glow permeating the sky has two sources: one inside the solar system, one outside.
Rosetta's Comet has a Split Personality
The Rosetta spacecraft is closing in on Comet 67P/C-G, providing astronomers with an ever more detailed view of its structure. Judging by the latest photos, it actually has two components and is shaped like… a rubber ducky?
Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9: 20 years later
David Levy shares his recollections of that amazing day — July 16, 1994 — when the first fragment of a comet he helped discover slammed into Jupiter.
One Year Until New Horizons
New Horizons will reach Pluto a year from today, and the scientific community is abuzz with speculation about what the space probe might see when it gets there. Meanwhile, the New Horizons team scours the skies for a Kuiper Belt Object that New Horizons can visit after its Pluto flyby.
