SUNSET: 
In Search of the First Star
This 16th-magnitude star in Phoenix contains the lowest metal content of any giant star known. It has less than 1/200,000 the metallicity of the Sun and is most likely a second-generation star.Courtesy European Southern Observatory. Details aside, the story is simple. The universe began with the Big Bang. From this…
First View of Mars in X-rays
The Chandra X-ray Observatory captured the first-everview of Mars in X-rays.
Contour: Missing in Action
The Contour spacecraft (seen here in an artist depiction) will encounter at least two comets during its lifetime — assuming engineers can reestablish contact with it.NASA/Contour At 4:49 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the Contour spacecraft was to fire its engine, leave its Earth orbit, and head off into interplanetary space.…
Another One Bites the Dust
Comet 57P/du Toit-Neujmin-Delporte has broken apart into 20 fragments.
Amateur Astronomers Discover Dozens of Supernovae
The amateur astronomer run Puckett Observatory Supernova Search has uncovered more than 50 supernovae.
An X-ray of the Whirlpool
The Chandra X-ray Observatory captured a stunning view of one of the classic objects in astronomy.
The Case of the Missing Comets
It appears that 99 percent of all distant comets break apart into dust.
A Close Asteroid Flyby
Hurtling out of the “blind spot” between the Sun and crescent Moon, asteroid 2002 MN skimmed about 120,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface during the early hours of Friday, June 14th. Nobody saw it until three days later, despite the fact that it penetrated to within 30 percent of the…
Tensions Erupt on Mauna Kea
A pending lawsuit could mean disaster for the Keck outrigger project.
11 More New Moons for Jupiter
Scientists at the University of Hawaii have discovered 11 new moons for the King of Planets.
Missing Planetary Ingredient Found
Protoplanetary disks, like this one near Rho Ophiuchi captured with the European Southern Observatory's 8.2-meter Very Large Telescope ANTU, were recently thought to be depleted of sulfur. Not anymore.Courtesy European Southern Observatory Astronomers know how much sulfur should be in protoplanetary disks, the places where planets are forming around other…
2002 National Young Astronomer Award Winners Announced
The Astronomical League has named its 2002 National Young Astronomy Award Winners.
Fading White Dwarfs Confirm the Age of the Universe
Observations of cooling white dwarfs in the globular cluster M4 have given astronomers an important clue to determine the age of the universe.
Galactic Baby Boom
The Hubble Space Telescope uncovers a galaxy teeming with young stars.
Measuring Martian Radiation: Good and Bad News
An artist's depiction of the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft firing its engine to brake upon reaching Mars. The brightly colored landscape represents the surface-composition mapping that the craft will return — a major mission objective.Courtesy NASA/JPL. Mars Odyssey, the latest orbiter to start mapping the red planet, is back to…
Ancient Martian Lakes? Perhaps Not.
More than 1,000 evenly spaced beds have been counted in areas such as this. Their striking uniformity implies that the layering was created by cyclic events, possibly by volcanic ash deposits. Click for larger image (which is 1.5 kilometers wide).NASA / JPL / Malin Space Science Systems In December 2000,…
Mysterious Jovian Hot Spot Puzzles Astronomers
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has found the cause of Jupiter's X-ray emissions. But the observations have left astronomers with more questions than answers.
Rest In Pieces, EUVE
The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer reentered the Earth's atmosphere over central Egypt.
Chandra Views Milky Way Center
The Milky Way's middle appears to be filled with discrete X-ray sources.
Did a Comet Swarm Kill the Dinosaurs?
New evidence of another 65-million-year-old crater suggests the dinosaurs might have been killed by a 1-2 punch.
