SUNSET: 
Planck and Herschel to Probe Inflation and Starbirth
The Herschel Space Observatory and the Planck Surveyor, launched May 14th on a single Ariane 5 rocket, will peer deeply into dust clouds and map the microwave background.
Auroras from "Space Tornadoes"
Another confusing piece of the puzzle has been added to the picture of how the Northern Lights work.
Hubble Telescope's 19th Birthday
The greatest of NASA's Great Observatories rocketed into space 19 years ago. After a rocky start, it fulfilled its promise as Astronomy's Discovery Machine.
What's Going on Inside Enceladus?
One of Saturn's icy moons has a tummy ache, causing it to spew jets of gas and icy particles hundreds of miles into space. Researchers aren't sure of the cause — but they have some interesting guesses!
NASA Readies Hubble Mission — Again
For the second time in six months, a Space Shuttle is perched on a Florida launch pad, awaiting the chance to visit the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope for the last time.
Craters Reveal Ice in the Martian Dust
High-resolution images from orbit reveal tiny craters — created within the past year — surrounded by splashes of water ice dredged up from just below the Martian surface.
(Drops of) Water on Mars?
Last year, as a camera aboard the Phoenix lander looked on, drops of supersalty water grew, merged, and even dripped on one of the spacecraft's landing legs.
Super Sendoff for Planet-Hunting Kepler
After a dramatic and flawless liftoff, NASA's newest space observatory is getting ready to observe a tract of Milky May with a single-minded purpose: find as many alien worlds as it can.
Chinese Craft Whacks the Moon
Chang'e 1, a spacecraft that's been in lunar orbit for 16 months, has been sent crashing into the Moon by its Chinese handlers. The impact site was on the near side, but it's unclear whether anyone on Earth saw it — or was even looking for it.
Earth-and-Sun Diamond Ring
Japan's Kaguya spacecraft, orbiting the Moon, captured this spectacular interplanetary vista as both the Sun and Earth rose over the lunar horizon on February 9th.
Dawn's Fleeting Fling with Mars
An asteroid-bound spacecraft sped past the Red Planet today, picking up speed and giving its instruments a little target practice.
Moon's Puzzling, Thick-Skinned Far Side
Ours is a two-faced Moon. The familiar side is mottled with vast plains of ancient lava. But the unseen far side has a thick, rigid crust that doesn't give up its secrets easily.
Cosmic Collision Over Siberia
Don't get too worked up about the pair of spacecraft that collided in orbit on February 10th.
Hayabusa Heads Home
Crippled by multiple system failures, a Japanese spacecraft continues its against-all-odds struggle to return to Earth after landing on an asteroid 3½ years ago.
A Supermassive Double Black Hole?
A far-off quasar seems to contain two giant black holes hurtling around each other less than a light-year apart. They're doomed to spiral together and join in a literally space-shaking crash — but when?
Hubble: You're in Control!
have you ever wanted to have a say in what the world's most powerful telescope looks at? From now until March 31st, you can!
Our Roving Martian Ambassadors
NASA's long-lived rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have survived five (Earth) years on Mars, far exceeding their planned 90-day missions. How much longer can they last?
Hubble's Replacement Now Taking Shape
Testing has begun on the first of 18 mirror segments for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the gargantuan craft that will join the aging Hubble in space as early as 2013 — and eventually replace it as NASA's premier space observatory.
Martian Mega-Rover Gets a "Time Out"
Plagued by a technical obstacles that could threaten its success, a $2 billion Mars rover has been postponed two years by NASA officials. The Mars Science Laboratory's new launch date is 2011.
Betelgeuse is Making Waves
The famously red supergiant star that marks Orion's shoulder is creating an enormous shock wave as it plows through the interstellar medium. New infrared views from a Japanese space observatory called Akari show what's going on with unprecedented clarity.
