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.
Troubles Surface for Webb Telescope
Astronomers expect the James Webb Space Telescope to show them amazing things, such as the first galaxies forming. But getting this revolutionary spacecraft to the launch pad is going to cost a lot more and take a year longer than expected.
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.
Why is the Milky Way Blowing Bubbles?
Using gamma-ray eyes on NASA's Fermi spacecraft, astronomers now see that our home galaxy sports a matched pair of enormous and recently formed bubbles. It's a mystery how and why they formed.
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.
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.
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.
A Ghostly Cosmic Pinwheel
Somewhere in Pegasus, a swollen, aging star has begun its death spiral figuratively and literally — throwing off matter that's taken the shape of a delicate yet perfect spiral.
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.
Astro2010: U.S. Astronomy's Crystal Ball
If you had $12 billion to spend on ground- and space-based observatories over the next 10 years, how would decide what to build? A 255-page National Research Council study, just released, provides some answers.
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.
WISE Takes a Look (All) Around
NASA's latest space observatory has just completed a six-month-long sweep of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths.
Strange Twists in Saturn's Rings
Thousands of mysterious, propeller-shaped features have been found in Saturn's A ring. Could these hold the key to the ring system's origin?
Rosetta Visits a Big Space Rock
A European-built comet chaser swept past asteroid 21 Lutetia today, offering glimpses of what might be a largely metallic body that's 100 miles across.
Planck's View of the Universe
A new all-sky map is showing cosmologists both the nearby, current universe and the faint echoes from its creation 13.7 billion years ago.
