SUNSET: 
Crash Course in the Higgs
The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to two physicists who postulated the existence of the Higgs field, the source of many elementary particles' masses. For those still scratching their heads on what the Higgs is, here's what you need to know.
A Cloudy Exoplanet
Visible and infrared observations suggest that the hot Jupiter Kepler-7b has a large patch of clouds on one side.
To Catch a Comet
A balloon-borne mission launching from the Southwest will aim a telescope at the approaching Comet ISON. While it won't observe the comet at its best, the mission might reveal details about the composition of the icy body and the family it comes from.
Pulsar on the Fence
Astronomers have discovered a neutron star that switches between X-ray and radio emission within a few days. The find is fabulous news for theorists, who have long predicted that the two pulsar types were connected.
Deep Impact Meets Its End
Primarily known for its up-close comet observations, the Deep Impact spacecraft went on the fritz in mid-August. The mission team scrambled to reestablish communication, but efforts were unsuccessful.
Asteroid Scheme Still Under Way
Despite funding pushback in the House of Representatives, NASA is full steam ahead in plans for its asteroid retrieval mission.
Sun Loses Lithium with Age
Observations of two solar twins — one old and one young — confirm that the Sun has probably destroyed the fragile element as the star has grown older.
Astronomers Discover Black Hole's Dieting Strategy
The Milky Way's central supermassive black hole eats only a fraction of the gas available to it. New X-ray observations suggest how the beast manages to stay so trim when faced with a feast.
Martian Moon Occults Little Brother
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity watched the larger Martian moon, Phobos, pass right in front of the planet's smaller moon, Deimos.
Dead Stars Caught Colliding
Astronomers have detected a signal that looks like it's from two neutron stars crashing together. The observations could be solid evidence for the hypothesized culprits of short gamma-ray bursts.
Snack Starts Swinging Around Black Hole
Astronomers around the world are watching as the gaseous object called G2 heads for a close pass around the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole. Now it looks like the distended cloud is starting to swing back toward us.
The Sun's Heat Wave
Astronomers at the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division meeting discussed new evidence that magnetic waves are the reason our star's corona is blazing hot.
Moon Occults Spica
On the evening of July 15th the Moon will occult Spica as seen from parts of the Pacific and the Americas. But even if you're not one of the lucky few with the right view, you can enjoy the pair's pirouette.
Mystery Signals from Space
Four powerful radio bursts have left astronomers scratching their heads. The bursts appear to come from several billion light-years away and could provide a whole new look at the universe — but observers aren't sure what they are.
COROT Mission Ends
After several months of trying to reboot, mission planners for the exoplanet hunter COROT have declared the satellite's failure official.
Universe's Lithium Problem A Bit Better
Studies of primitive stars suggest the universe has far too little of one form of lithium and far too much of another. But new work shows that the second problem might be nonexistent.
Surprise Variable Stars
Astronomers have discovered an unexpected class of variable stars in the open cluster NGC 3766. The stars are problematic for current theories of star behavior and raise perplexing questions about why the stars are variable at all.
Chance to Catch Closest Exoplanet?
In 2014 and 2016, Proxima Centauri will pass in front of two distant stars, potentially revealing details about itself and whether it hosts any planets in the process.
The Mysterious Seven
Seven clouds of hydrogen dotting the space between two iconic galaxies might be crumbs from a past encounter or evidence for the elusive cosmic web theorized to fuel galaxy growth.
Herschel Breathes Its Last
After nearly four years of successful observing, the largest infrared space telescope ever launched has run out of cryogenic coolant, permanently ending its science operations.
