SUNSET: 
What Happened to Comet Holmes?
Despite scrutiny by an army of professional and amateur observatories — even the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes — we may never learn what made a nondescript comet blow its top in late October.
Our Sun's Twin
A faint but observable star in Draco is the closest match yet to the one at the center of our solar system.
Rosetta Attacks!
Briefly mistaken for an asteroid headed toward Earth, a European-built comet chaser zips by en route to its deep-space rendezvous.
A Star with Five Planets
The Sun-like star 55 Cancri, just 41 light-years away, is now known to have at least five planets orbiting it.
In the Fires' Wake
The wildfires that ravaged Southern California in late October threatened — but did not damage — some important astronomical facilities.
Your Audio Sky Tour: November 2007
Finding Comet Holmes — and other great sky sights — is a snap if you download this podcast to your MP3 player and head outdoors after dark. Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (5MB MP3 download: running time: 5m32s)
Meteor Showers on Mars
Scientists now know what meteor showers occur in the rarefied atmosphere above Mars. So how come NASA's intrepid rovers can't see them?
Aurora Stamps Have Appeal
The US Postal Service has just rolled out an attractive pair of stamps that feature photos of the northern and southern lights.
Pluto's New Family Portrait
Years of painstaking observation with some of the world's most powerful telescopes are finally showing us a glimpse of what awaits New Horizons when it reaches Pluto in 2015.
Two Planets, One Discovery
Talk about serendipity! Two teams of scientists on opposite sides of the Atlantic, studying two planets on opposite sides of Earth, come up with the same quirky result.
Spotlight on New Horizons
Jupiter looks great through a backyard telescope, but can you imagine how much better it'd look from just 1.4 million miles away? NASA's Pluto-bound spacecraft got that chance last February.
Iapetus Yields Dark Secrets
Saturn's black-and-white moon has mystified astronomers for centuries. Finally, however, they're learning what a bizarre place it truly is.
Kaguya: To the Moon!
With a brief rocket firing on October 4th, the Japanese spacecraft Kaguya slipped into lunar orbit — the first step in what promises to be an exciting scientific mission.
Your Audio Sky Tour: October 2007
Why is it that the "Summer Triangle" is easiest to see at this time of year? Learn the answer — and lots more — in this guided tour of the October evening sky. Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (6MB MP3 download: running time: 5m53s)
Listen to October's Podcast
Fact: the "Summer Triangle" is easiest to see at this time of year. Learn all about it — and lots more — in our easy-on-the-ears guided tour of the October evening sky.
Mystery Pulse from Outer Space
Six years ago a radio telescope in Australia recorded a mysterious radio burst that lasted only a tiny fraction of a second and reached Earth from more than a billion light-years away. Astronomers have no idea what caused it.
A Hot New Comet
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has 1,350 comet discoveries to its credit. But only one of them has been a repeat visitor.
Astronomy Day, Redux
For the second time this year, skywatchers the world over are celebrating Astronomy Day. If the sky is clear this weekend, you'll be treated to a bounty of late-summer stars and planets.
Japan Launches a "Lunar Princess"
On September 14th, during a picture-perfect launch, a powerful rocket heaved Japan's latest scientific satellite toward the Moon.
Great Offer, Great Cause
Until November 1st, astronomy-club members can join the International Dark-Sky Association and help fight light pollution for about the cost of a large, three-topping pizza — and the IDA is better for you!
