SUNSET: 
Shiny Eye for Airborne Observatory
The main mirror for the world's most advanced flying observatory has been transformed from a carefully shaped and polished piece of glass into a highly reflective optical component ready to study the infrared universe.
SOHO Tallies Its 1500th Comet
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has now found more comets than all other comet discoverers put together — not bad for a spacecraft that was designed to study the Sun.
Your Audio Sky Tour: May 2008
Here's an introduction to the wonders of May evening sky, which features appearances by Saturn, Mars, and the elusive planet Mercury. Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (6MB MP3 download: running time: 6m17s)
Tour July's Sky | July 1st, 2008
There'll be fireworks this month on Independence Day — and plenty of celestial sparklers overhead too, with Saturn and Mars low in the west and Jupiter rising in the east. Download this podcast for a guided tour ! Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (5MB MP3 download: running time: 5m 3s)
S&T's Audio Sky Tour for July 2008
There'll be fireworks this month on Independence Day &mdash: and plenty of celestial sparklers overhead too, with Saturn and Mars low in the west and Jupiter rising in the east. Download this podcast for a guided tour ! Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (5MB MP3 download: running time: 5m3s)
Tunguska: 100 Years and Counting
On June 30, 1908, a cosmic impact leveled more than 800 square miles of Siberian taiga — and forever changed how we view the threat to Earth posed by even modest interplanetary collisions.
Cherry Springs Earns Dark-Sky Status
The International Dark-Sky Association has recognized a remote getaway in north-central Pennsylvania as an International Dark-Sky Park.
The Two Faces of Mars
Just about the time a Mars-size body creamed Earth with enough force to create the Moon, another big planetoid might have slammed into Mars itself. The result? A two-faced planet and the solar system's largest impact crater.
GLAST Heads Up, Up, and Away!
NASA's newest space observatory is safely in orbit and getting ready to probe the high-energy universe.
Tour June's Sky — By Ear and Eye!
Download our 5-minute podcast for a quick and fun introduction to the key sights in the night sky this month.
"Holy Cow!" — Phoenix Spots Ice
If the Phoenix lander hadn't been able to find ice on Mars within reach of its robotic arm, NASA scientists would have been majorly bummed. They needn't have worried.
Is Mars Too Salty for Life?
A just-published study, coincidentally appearing as Phoenix prepares to get the dirt on Martian habitability, argues that the Red Planet's soil is at least 10 to 100 times saltier than Earth's oceans.
Phoenix Readies for Arctic Adventure
So far, so good. NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has reached the north-polar plains of Mars, and scientists on Earth are getting ready to put it to work.
Phoenix's Amazing Photo Finish
Whether by precise planning, good luck, or both, a high-power camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Phoenix lander during its parachute descent with a menacing crater looming in the background.
Phoenix: Redemption at Mars
NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has dropped gently onto the north-polar plain of Mars — easing painful memories of a similar craft lost 8 years ago and rewarding its anxious handlers with stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Space-Station Frenzy
For a few days each May, you might see the International Space whenever it passes overhead throughout the night.
Jupiter Goes Moonless
For 18 minutes on the night of May 21-22, the King of Planets will be missing his entire court — as all four Galilean satellites disappear from view.
Find a Missing Mars Lander!
Ever since it crash-landed in 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander has been playing "hide and seek" with scientists trying to locate its remains. Now they want you to try.
Your Audio Sky Tour: March 2008
Download this podcast to your MP3 player, and you'll be able to navigate the March evening sky like a seasoned stargazer. Find Mars, Saturn, Orion, the Twins of Gemini, and more! Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (6MB MP3 download: running time: 6m10s)
Your Audio Sky Tour: April 2008
Here's an introduction to the wonders of January evening sky — Orion's last stand, Saturn and Mars, and plenty of springtime carnivores. Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (5MB MP3 download: running time: 5m46s)
