SUNSET: 
New Supernova in Leo
Along with the usual galaxies, dark matter, and exoplanets, the American Astronomical Society's January meeting is abuzz with the discovery of a supernova by a team of amateurs. Astronomers are rushing to observe the explosion before it fades.
Pseudo-moons Orbit Earth
Temporary satellites are frequently caught from Earth's neighborhood and may make regular passes at being moonlets. But the objects only stick around long enough to orbit a few times before the Moon kicks them back out into the cold.
Sky & Telescope February 2012
Sky & Telescope's February 2012 issue is now available to digital subscribers.
Young Stars Aren’t So Young
Astronomers age-dating the nearest large association of young stars have found that one subgroup may be twice as old as previously thought.
Black Hole Breakfast En Route
Astronomers have discovered a dusty, stretched-out cloud heading for the supermassive black hole lurking in the Milky Way's core. The blob could be the meal the beast needs to wake up for a bit from its slumber, if the cloud survives its incoming trip on the dining cart.
Asteroids, Planets, and Moons, Oh My
This week’s meeting of the American Geophysical Union brought together a variety of interesting science results, from water on Mars to the Sun’s effect on the Moon’s surface. Here’s a selection of curiosities for your perusing pleasure.
Super Black Holes: New Records, If Real
This week astronomers announced the existence of two gargantuan black holes. The black holes may be the most massive ever directly measured — if further studies can validate them.
Voyagers Detect Missing Signal
The Voyager spacecraft have observed long-sought emission from the Milky Way while traveling through the outermost reaches of the Sun’s influence.
Sky & Telescope January 2012
Sky & Telescope's January 2012 issue is now available to digital subscribers.
Another Origin for Cosmic Rays
Recent gamma-ray observations support the longstanding theory that superspeedy particles called cosmic rays have their origin in the havoc-ridden regions around young star clusters.
Detecting Earth
Joseph LazioFor five decades astronomers have used some of the world’s largest radio telescopes to search for signals from other civilizations. So far, our best equipment has not picked up any confirmed signals from extraterrestrials. In his cover story for the January 2012 issue of Sky & Telescope, radio astronomer…
Name That Telescope Array
Have a gift for picking good names? The newly updated Very Large Array wants a snazzy appellation to mark its second lease on life. Submit your suggestion by December 1st.
Europa's Subsurface Lakes
Extensive lens-shaped lakes beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa may explain strange features spread across the satellite's ice shell.
The Oddly Magnetic Moon
Astronomers have had evidence of an ancient Moon-wide magnetic field since the Apollo era. Now two new studies give explanations for how such a field could have existed long after it should have disappeared.
Sunspot Points at Earth
A huge solar blemish mars the Sun’s disk, in perfect view for Earth-based observers.
Chinese Supernova Keeps its Secrets
Astronomers find hints of what kind of explosion caused a "guest star" spotted in ancient skies, but the case isn't closed.
"Blue Stragglers" Renewed by Stealing
Some deceptively youthful stars may find their fountains of youth in material they grab off other stars.
Lensed Light Used to Weigh Dark Matter
Astronomers use a novel method of weighing distant galaxies to measure their masses and find that there's more matter than the galaxies' light can easily explain.
Dark Energy's Early Fingerprints
Studying the effect of galaxy clusters on the background radiation from the early universe, University of Hawaii astronomers have added to the pile of evidence for dark energy.
Eta Carinae Prepares for X-ray Crash
Known for its mysteriousness, one of the galaxy's most massive stars gears up for its periodic pundit-perplexing event. Will Eta Carinae finally reveal its secrets?
