SUNSET: 
Is Kepler Finding "Lite" White Dwarfs?
One year after launch, NASA’s Kepler mission draws out the brainpower of the astronomical community to solve a stellar paradox.
Asteroids Pale After Close Encounters
A new analysis reveals that asteroids with "fresh" surfaces may have been disrupted by near-Earth encounters in the last few hundred thousand years.
Comet Theory Faces Mammoth Confusion
Did a comet wipe out the giant mammals of North America — or were they already on the way out before the comet arrived (if it arrived)? Two apparently contradictory findings add fuel to the debate.
Supernova Mystery Solved
Is there a neutron star lurking at the heart of the spectacular supernova remnant or something much weirder? A new analysis of observations suggests a surprising answer.
Is Fermi Seeing Dark Matter?
A new analysis showing a cloud of high-energy particles hovering around the center of the Milky Way could be the signature of dark matter and evidence of a “dark force”, but not everyone is convinced.
How To See a Black Hole
Surprising advances in radio astronomy have put astronomers within reach of imaging the supermassive black hole in the Milky Way and the active galaxy M87.
Podcast: Saving Mt. Wilson
What do you do when a wildfire threatens to engulf your observatory? In the latest episode of The Universe in Mind podcast Hal McAllister tells the story of the battle to save Mt. Wilson. Author Marcia Bartusiak puts the famous observatory in context with her new book about the discovery of the modern universe.
Simulations Justify Earth's Existence
Theories of solar-system formation have a hard time explaining why Earth didn't spiral into the Sun. Now there's a possible explanation.
Can Magnetism Save a Vaporizing Planet?
The "hot Jupiter" HD 209458b caused a sensation when astronomers seemed to see its gaseous atmosphere leaking out into space. Now one team of researchers says a magnetic personality could prevent the planet from evaporating before our eyes.
Podcast: An Ice-Age Impact?
Just under 13,000 years ago, the mammoth and several other large mammalian species vanished from North America. In a podcast, Ivan Semeniuk explores the controversial claim that the mass extinction was triggered by a comet impact and how microscopic diamonds hold the key to understanding what really happened.
Podcast: The Soundtrack of Space
Astrophysicist Neil Cornish (Montana State University) talks about recent progress in the hunt for gravitational waves.
A Megascope for Hawaii
There was a certain amount of politics behind the decision to site the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. But there was science behind the politics too.
Whirlpool Awash with Hints and Promise
A picture perfect Whirlpool galaxy bodes well for the scientific promise of the newly launched Herschel Space Telescope.
New Eclipsing Binary: It’s Spica!
Who knew? One of the brightest stars in the spring sky has a secret to tell.
A Different Kind of Acid Rain
A meteorite kept in the freezer retains its cosmic fizz
How (every single one of) Your Ancestors Survived
Times were tough, but life may have survived the worst bombardment in Earth's history.
From White Dwarfs to the White House
Astrophysicist Donald Lamb shares his experiences as part of Barack Obama's science team during the presidential race.
How Space Makes You Smarter
What motivates the next generation of space observatories
Finding Fomalhaut's Lesser Fleas
Is a recently imaged exoplanet giving birth to its own system of moons?
Why the future could be a BLAST
A balloon ride around Antarctica reveals how the Milky Way is like an avalanche.
