SUNSET: 
Japan's Akatsuki Goes AWOL
A spacecraft that was supposed to slip into orbit around Venus for a two-year study of its atmosphere has instead flown right by — and won't be back for another 7 years.
Comet Hartley 2: Full of Surprises
During a brief flyby just two weeks ago, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft revealed never-before-seen details about dynamic Comet Hartley 2 that have left mission scientists elated — and confused.
Hayabusa Brings Home Asteroid Dust
It's a fairy-tale ending to an against-all-odds story: Japanese scientists have identified bits of asteroid dust inside the sample canister of a spacecraft that, somehow, made it back to Earth seven years after launch.
Eris Gets Dwarfed (Is Pluto Bigger?)
On November 6th, it only took 76 seconds for astronomers to realize that the distant dwarf planet Eris is substantially smaller than thought — and now might even be a bit smaller than Pluto.
Mr. Hartley's Amazing Comet
For the fifth time, a spacecraft has revealed close-up images of a comet's nucleus. Comet Hartley 2 is perhaps the wildest and most dramatic of them all.
Our "New, Improved" Solar System
Recent computer models suggest a radical yet robust concept: in order to get the Sun's planets and asteroids arranged as they are today, Jupiter must have once been much closer to the Sun.
Crash Scene in the Asteroid Belt
What exactly created the "comet" designated P/2010 A2? Two sets of observations argue that two small asteroids must have collided in early 2009.
Seeing Double, 30 Years Later
On October 10, 1980, two amateur astronomers saw evidence for a satellite around asteroid 216 Kleopatra. Few believed them — but they got the last laugh.
Titan's Hazes: A Rich Brew
With a little help from neighboring Enceladus, Saturn's big moon Titan might well be cooking up an incredible mix of prebiotic molecules in its upper atmosphere.
Last Call for Martian Volcanism
Hopeful geologists have pored over thousands of spacecraft images looking for fresh eruptions on Mars, but they've come up empty.
Sun's Heliopause: A Moving Target
A NASA spacecraft has found the collision of the Sun's magnetic bubble with interstellar space is more varied and dynamic than anyone had imagined.
Phobos: A Chip Off of Mars?
New results from the European spacecraft Mars Express suggest that the Martian moon Phobos has a lot in common with the planet it orbits.
The Moon Through LRO's Eyes
For the past year, the seven instruments on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have mapped the Moon up, down, and sideways — and planetary scientists are reaping the results.
The Dinosaurs Got a Warning Shot
New research shows that eastern Europe took a hit just 2,000 to 5,000 years before the Big One nearly wiped out life on Earth 65 million years ago.
Big Bear's Big New Eye
The "first-light" image from the world's largest solar telescope reveals details in an Earth-size sunspot only 50 miles across.
The Incredible Shrinking Moon
Planetary scientists have long considered the Moon dead, geologically speaking. But new high-resolution views of the lunar surface argue otherwise.
A Lunar Debate: Dry or Wet?
It's been 40 years since Apollo astronauts returned with dusty chunks of the Moon — samples that offer conflicting views of lunar history.
A Solar Tsunami
On August 1st, the Sun let loose with a mighty belch that rippled across its face, sent a torrent of high-energy particles racing into space, and triggered a burst of auroras on Earth.
Bull's-Eye Crater on Mars
Whether caused by two strikes on the same spot or strange layering beneath the Martian surface, this newly imaged crater is a fascinating find.
The Sky is Not Falling
This past week, news surfaced that a sizable asteroid has a roughly 1-in-1,000 chance of whacking Earth sometime in the next two centuries. But don't let the news spoil your summer vacation — the story is being overplayed.
