SUNSET: 
Io's Salty Secret
Volcanic activity on the Jovian moon Io stains the surface with red and yellow allotropes of sulfur. Recent observations show that the moon's frequent outpourings are seasoned with a little salt.Courtesy University of Arizona and NASA. It might not seem surprising that Io, the Jovian moon famous for its vigorous…
Martian Meteorites Made Easy
New simulations show that impacts on Mars should be blasting chunks of the Planet out into space — and eventually onto Earth — about once every 200,000 years.
Why Is Saturn Tipsy?
Astronomers now believe a long-distance relationship with Neptune has pushed Saturn's spin axis off to one side.
Pluto's Warming Wisps
Pluto seems to be getting warmer, despite moving away from the Sun.
Threatening Asteroids: Fewer Hits in our Future?
New studys suggest that asteroid impacts on Earth are more rare than preciously believed.
A New Kuiper Belt Kingpin
Even though it's even farther from the Sun than Pluto, a newly discoverd object named Quaoar is so big and so bright that astronomers should have spotted it 19 years ago.
Astronomical League Surges With Growth
From humble beginnings 55 years ago, the Astronomical League has a shiny new office and some big plans.
Pluto Events Perplex Astronomers
The ninth planet passed in front of two stars in mid-2002, providing new — and conflicting — details about the state of its atmosphere.
Contour's Fate Looks "Bleak"
No one has heard from the comet-bound Contour spacecraft since it left Earth orbit, and a new telescopic image suggests that it may now be in pieces.
Changes Urged for Astrobiology Effort
NASA's fledgling efforts to understand the origins and evolution of life are basically sound but have a few problems to work out.
A Solar Source for Diamond Dust?
Microscopic diamonds, often found in primitive meteorites, may not have been forged in the fires of distant stars after all.
Panel Airs Next Steps for Impact Protection
According to a panel of space experts, the time has come to up the ante in the worldwide effort to defend our planet from wayward asteroids and comets.
Review Board Endorses Pluto-Kuiper Mission
A major study by the National Research Committee concludes that sending a probe to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt should be NASA's top priority in solar-system exploration.
A New Test for Extrasolar Planets
Based on an unusual spectral fingerprint, a Jupiter-size planet may be forming aroung the young star HD 141569.
Unique Crater Swarm Disputed
The origin of the Rio Cuarto crater chain in Argentina is being hotly debated.
Asteroid Chasers Are Seeing Double
Once considered virtually impossible, binary asteroids are turning up everywhere — especially in Earth's vicinity.
Threatening Asteroid Aids Planetary Prognosticators
Asteroid 1950 DA may have a 1-in-300 of hitting Earth in 2880, and in deriving those odds dynamicists have learned much about all the factors that affect those long odds.
New Probe of Yucatán Crater Ends
The Chicxulub impact crater is buried beneath roughly 1,000 meters of sediment (vertical scale is exaggerated). The Yaxcopoil-1 drilling effort intended to sample a variety of rocks resulting from the impact itself.Courtesy David A. Kring. It's been 11 years since geologists pinpointed the location of a huge impact that, most…
Scientists Track "Recent" Flood on Mars
Mars may be bone-dry today, but new observations suggests that floodwaters may have raged across its surface within the past 10 million years.
Testbed Paves Way for Amateur Space Telescope
Members of the ISS-AT (Interantional Space Station Amateur Telescope) team pose with their 'Alpha' telescope and its control computer during inaugural tests on February 2nd. From left: Richard Berry (kneeling), Tom Melsheimer, Matt Bisque, Orville Brettman, Terry Mann, Lance Martin, and Sean Sheldon.Courtesy Richard Berry. Amateur astronomers dream of someday…
