SUNSET: 
(Unofficially) Naming Pluto
Amidst all the excitement of seeing Pluto’s unique features for the first time, NASA researchers have been using unofficial names to talk science until official terms come down the pipeline.
An Inspirational Guide to the Sky
This “Black Friday in July” only, you can save 40% off this book, as well as off most items in our online store.
Astronomers Spot Unusual Five-Star System
Two binary systems and a fifth stellar wheel make for a rare, and so far unique, set of stars.
A Sleeping Black Hole Awakens
On June 15th a quiet black hole, V404 Cygni, suddenly flared for the first time since 1989.
Naming Pluto’s Features
How will planetary scientists decide what to call the features they discover on Pluto and its moons?
Pulsar System to Put On a Show in 2018
Astronomers are looking forward to 2018, when a young pulsar will pass through its binary star companion’s disk.
Glimpsing Pluto’s Curious Equator
Here’s a taste of what New Horizons hopes to resolve when it passes by Pluto next Tuesday, July 14th.
Photos of the Venus-Jupiter Conjunction
For the last few weeks, countless numbers of the world’s 7 billion people watched the western evening sky as the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, edged closer and closer to one another. Last night, June 30th, they reached their least separation: 0.3° apart (at the time of twilight for the Americas).
Witnessing Light Echoes from a Neutron Star
X-ray echoes from binary star system Circinus X-1 are helping astronomers measure its distance from Earth.
Volcanoes on Venus: Active or Not?
Hotspots on Venus might be researchers’ long-sought evidence for active volcanoes.
Searching for Exoplanet Stratospheres
Researchers identify titanium oxide as a potential molecule at work in exoplanet atmospheres.
The Moon’s Mysterious Twilight Dust Clouds
Observations from NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) have rekindled interest in dust clouds seen along the Moon’s day-night terminator.
A Budding Nebula May Hatch a Butterfly
Super-sharp imaging confirms that the nearby red giant star L2 Puppis is forming a tiny bipolar nebula as it comes to the end of its life.
Between Galaxies: Lonely Supernovae
Researchers confirm that three solitary stars have gone supernovae in intergalactic space.
Close-Up of Saturn’s Moon Hyperion
On May 31st, the Cassini spacecraft flew by Saturn’s funky moon Hyperion. The resulting images highlight the moon’s unusually pocked surface.
New Insights From Rosetta's Comet Mission
Rosetta continues to help astronomers better understand the way comets form and how they interact with the universe around them.
Pluto's Perplexing Moons
New data on Pluto’s moons show that the system is more bizarre than previously thought.
An Unusual Star: Wolf-Rayet Nasty 1
Starry cannibalism of Wolf-Rayet Star Nasty 1 may offer clues as to how massive, pre-supernova stars evolve.
The Most Luminous Galaxy
Researchers using NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the most luminous galaxy to date.
The Migrating Stars of Cluster 47 Tucanae
Observations of white dwarfs in a densely populated globular cluster confirm astronomers’ expectations that stars will migrate to a cluster’s outskirts after losing weight.