SUNSET: 
Psyche: A Metal-Rock World with Iron Lava?
New observations suggest the main-belt asteroid Psyche is an intriguing world, possibly one with volcanic flows of iron on its surface.
(Very) Small Chance of Apophis Asteroid Impact in 2068
The subtle effect of sunlight may turn the near-Earth asteroid Apophis toward Earth in 2068 . . . but chances for impact remain small.
Uranian Moons Are Like Dwarf Planets
The moons of Uranus exhibit heat signatures similar to dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt — where the moons were likely born.
Study Suggests Jupiter Could Have 600 Moons
New detections of candidate moons suggest that the king of planets could have hundreds of smaller satellites.
Record-breaking Signal Reveals New Population of Black Holes
Gravitational-wave observatories have detected the most massive black hole merger yet, and it's challenging our ideas of black hole formation.
Twinkling Quasar Hints at Mysterious Nearby Plasma Cloud
Radio observations have turned up evidence of a cloud of hot plasma near — or even in — the solar system. But its distance estimate is still up for debate.
Our Unexpectedly Smooth Universe May Point to New Physics
The latest data release from a survey of 31 million galaxies reveals that our universe is even smoother than we thought it was.
Magnetism Rules in the Milky Way’s Core
Recent observations from the airborne SOFIA observatory show that magnetic fields — not gravity — govern the gas at the center of the Milky Way.
Two New Beasts for an Explosive Zoo
And that makes three: Astronomers are beginning to understand what may be causing a special kind of flare in the distant universe.
Astronomers Investigate Stellar Interiors
Astronomers have untangled the constantly changing brightness of variable stars known as Delta Scuti stars, yielding estimates for their ages.
How Lazy Is the Sun?
Astronomers studying hundreds of Sun-like stars were surprised to find that most of them are more active than the Sun. Why is the Sun different?
Astronomers Detect One of the Most Luminous Supernovae Ever
One of the most luminous supernovae ever discovered provides evidence that such extremely bright explosions require exotic sources.
The Knife Edge Galaxy Throws Astronomers For a Loop
A 2008 image captured a stunning double loop of stars around an edge-on galaxy. Now, astronomers are questioning whether one of those loops exist.
Mark Your Calendar: Stellar Fireworks Predicted for 2083
According to Bradley Schaefer (Louisiana State University), the 11th-magnitude variable star, V Sagittae, will outshine Sirius and maybe even Venus — despite its distance of some 7,500 light-years.
Planet WASP-12b Might Be on a Death Spiral into its Parent Star
A mere 3 million years from now — a cosmic eye-blink away — the star WASP 12 might consume its exoplanet WASP-12b.
Radio Survey Maps Hundreds of Thousands of New Galaxies
The LOFAR survey, based in The Netherlands, has released a bonanza of new sources. And with only 2% of the sky covered so far, this is only the beginning.
Gravitational-Wave Observatories Bag Four Black-Hole Collisions
A re-analysis of data from LIGO and Virgo brings the number of gravitational-wave detections to 11, including the most distant and most powerful black-hole merger yet discovered.
“Fast Supernovae” Begin to Reveal Their Secrets
Astronomers have discovered 72 fast and furious explosions, possibly supernovae blasts cloaked in cocoons of ejected gas.
Orderly Dwarf Galaxies Challenge Cosmological Wisdom
Most of the dwarf galaxies around Centaurus A appear to be orbiting the giant galaxy along a single plane — a result not predicted by current cosmological models.
Homing in on the Source of a Mysterious Fast Radio Burst
Ground- and space-based observations have now shed intriguing new light on a mysterious radio source more than 3 billion light-years away.
