SUNSET: 
Will the Webb Telescope Be Canceled?
NASA's next-generation space observatory is already woefully over budget and behind schedule. But if Congressional money-minders have their way, the project will be killed outright in the months ahead.
Two More Moonlets for Jupiter
Astronomers have discovered a pair of tiny satellites traveling far from Jupiter. So which planet — Jupiter or Saturn — now has the most moons?
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for July 2011
Look low in the west at sunset to spy fleet Mercury, toward southwest for Saturn, and in the south for red-hued Antares, the "rival of Mars."
Tour July's Sky! | June 30th, 2011
Look low in the west at sunset to spy fleet Mercury, toward southwest for Saturn, and in the south for red-hued Antares, the "rival of Mars."
Odd Couple: Phobos and Jupiter
Recently two very different bodies made a joint appearance, as viewed by the stereo camera aboard the European orbiter Mars Express.
June 15th Lunar Eclipse Observed
Many people in the Eastern Hemisphere enjoyed a long, satisfying, and extraordinarily dark lunar eclipse on June 15, 2011.
Messenger Reveals Mercury Anew
Already a fourth of the way through its basic mission, NASA's well-equipped orbiter has found that the "Iron Planet" is far different than planetary scientists expected.
A Comet Worth Waiting For?
Observers using the automated Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii have found a new comet. As of right now, it might brighten to 1st magnitude in early 2013, but it's far too early to be certain of that.
A Strange New Type of Supernova
Telescopes have picked up a handful of exploding stars that are extremely bright, blue, and distant — and astronomers don't quite know what to make of them.
Meteorite Cooks Up Its Organic Brew
A dash of this and a pinch of that — slow cooked with water inside an asteroid — could have yielded a rich and diverse soup of organic matter. That's the remarkable new finding from careful analysis of the super-primitive Tagish Lake meteorite.
Supernova Erupts in Whirlpool Galaxy
Supernova 2011dh in M51 seems just past its peak at around magnitude 12.7. With the Moon now gone from the evening sky, the next clear nights are your best chance. It should be visible through an 8-inch telescope in any but the worst skies.
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for June 2011
Saturn stands nearly motionless in Virgo all month, as other zodiacal constellations parade to its left and right on these early summer evenings.
Tour June's Sky! | May 31st, 2011
Saturn stands nearly motionless in Virgo all month, as other zodiacal constellations parade to its left and right on these early summer evenings.
The Milky Way's New Arm
Astronomers have struggled for decades to discern our galaxy's true shape. But they're slowly getting the picture, thanks to the discovery of a long arm that traces the grand spiral to its outer limits.
Do Planets Outnumber Stars?
Just-released observations suggest that the Milky Way could teem with hundreds of billions of free-floating planets.
5,000 Megapixels of Sky
Seattle amateur Nick Risinger had an idea and some free time. One year and more than 37,000 images later, he's created an awesome panorama of the entire celestial sphere.
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for May 2011
Look to the east before dawn for the tightest grouping of four bright planets in decades!
Tour May's Sky! | May 1st, 2011
Look to the east before dawn for the tightest grouping of four bright planets in decades!
Forced "Hibernation" for SETI Telescope
Astronomers have shut down the innovative Allen Telescope Array in northern California — a huge blow to the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Royal Birth Heralded by a Supernova?
Why didn't 17th-century observers see the exploding star that created the Cas A supernova remnant? According to a controversial new hypothesis, British royal historians — but not astronomers — saw the event in 1630.
