SUNSET: 
Stardust's Date With Comet Tempel 1
Low on fuel but right on the money, NASA's Stardust spacecraft visited its second comet earlier today. Scientists are eager to see the crater supposedly punched in the icy nucleus 5½ years ago. One small problem: there's not much of a crater to see.
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for January 2011
The New Year opens with a partial solar eclipse, a great meteor shower, and a canopy of bright stars and planets overhead.
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for February 2011
February brings into view Orion and his faithful hunting dogs, a set of constellations that sparkle with bright, colorful stars.
Get Ready for a Solar-System Bonanza
We already have spacecraft orbiting the Moon, Venus, Mars, and Saturn — and another more than halfway to Pluto. But the year 2011 stands to be one of the busiest ever for new interplanetary missions.
Tour February's Sky! | January 28th, 2011
February brings into view Orion and his faithful hunting dogs, a set of constellations that sparkle with bright, colorful stars.
"Hidden Treasures" Winners Announced
It was challenging to pick the best of the best from among nearly 100 entries. But there's no argument that the melding of raw European Southern Observatory images with amateur astrophotographers' creativity has produced stunning results.
Great Photos from a Celestial Double-Header
January 4th featured a robust meteor shower and a partial solar eclipse in quick succession. Here's the story of how two lucky astrophotographers captured the moment.
Spirit's Quiet Anniversary
The first of NASA's twin rovers reached the Martian surface on January 3, 2004, but it hasn't been heard from in nearly a year.
Eclipses in 2011
It will be a busy year for eclipse-watchers in the Eastern Hemisphere, but North Americans will have to wait until mid-December to see the Moon covered by Earth's shadow.
Meteor Showers in 2011
Sky & Telescope predicts that 2011's best meteor showers should be the Quadrantids in January and — maybe — an unusual outburst by the normally meek Draconids in October.
The Strange Tails of Asteroid Scheila
What caused a largish, well-behaved main-belt asteroid to suddenly brighten and spew a cloud of debris into space?
Night Lights Worsen Smog
New research shows that a sea of nighttime lights plays a role in making the smoggy air over Los Angeles even dirtier than it should be.
Carbon is King on a Hot Jupiter
Infrared observations of the close-orbiting exoplanet WASP-12b show that its atmosphere is surprisingly rich in carbon-bearing gases yet contains very little water vapor.
Revival on Jupiter Continues
The King of Planets was missing one of its signature dark belts last February, but it's gradually returning to view.
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for December 2010
As bright Jupiter looks on, one of the grand tales of celestial mythology is playing out overhead during December evenings. Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty.
Troubles Surface for Webb Telescope
Astronomers expect the James Webb Space Telescope to show them amazing things, such as the first galaxies forming. But getting this revolutionary spacecraft to the launch pad is going to cost a lot more and take a year longer than expected.
Brian G. Marsden (1937-2010)
The astronomer known worldwide for his orbital computations, his tenure as the IAU's "cosmic cop" for new discoveries, and his role in the "demotion" of Pluto has passed away at age 73.
Hayabusa Brings Home Asteroid Dust
It's a fairy-tale ending to an against-all-odds story: Japanese scientists have identified bits of asteroid dust inside the sample canister of a spacecraft that, somehow, made it back to Earth seven years after launch.
Tribute to a Pioneering Cosmologist
The astronomical world is mourning the passing of Allan Sandage, whose decades of observations refined our understanding of the breadth and depth of the visible universe.
Create Great Images, Win Cool Stuff!
Are you up for a challenge? Work some computer magic on images obtained with the ESO telescopes, and you might win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Very Large Telescope in Chile.
