SUNSET: 
How ALMA Works Its Magic
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / C. Malin In the November 2013 issue of S&T, I write about a revolutionary new telescope being built in the Chilean Atacama Desert. The Atacama Large Millimiter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) explores a little-known region of the electromagnetic spectrum, waves that are longer than the farthest infrared but shorter…
Curiosity's Views of Gale Crater
Since its arrival in August 2012, NASA's newest robotic rover has been taking snapshots of the flat Martian plain on which it landed and the tantalizing topography that looms in the distance.
Glimpse the X-ray Sky
Time and tide wait for no man. So the XMM-Newton space telescope is making every second count. As the telescope shifts its gaze from source to source, it's recording the X-ray sky.
The Weakest Solar Cycle in 100 Years
Scientists are struggling to explain the Sun’s bizarre recent behavior. Is it a fluke, or a sign of a deeper trend?
Magnifying Quasars
Twinkle, twinkle, quasi-star: cosmic lenses could tell us what you are.
The Chaotic Music of Variable Stars
Space-based observations of RR Lyrae variable stars, once considered the paragon of simplicity, are revealing turmoil in their daily vibrations.
PayPal Stakes Its Claim in Space Tourism
A few years from now, when you’re floating in a space hotel many miles from Earth, you might want to order some coffee. And PayPal wants to make sure you don’t have to pay in cash.
Was our Sun a Feisty Toddler?
Detailed observations of a young, nearby star are giving astronomers a chance to glimpse the Sun’s active youth.
Weird Glitch in a Cosmic Clock
The sudden slowing of pulses coming from a spinning neutron star defy explanation — and might require a rethink of the universe’s most exotic denizens.
Amateurs Monitor Controversial Variable Star
SS Cygni, one of the most-watched variable stars, lies at a distance that’s hotly disputed. The truth will determine whether we understand how these types of variables work.
Digitizing Harvard’s Century of Sky
Harvard College Observatory is digitizing its famed collection of more than 500,000 glass sky-survey plates and has just released the first data set.
A Cosmic Sleight of Hand
Astronomers have been waiting for our galaxy’s slumbering supermassive black hole to stir for a snack. Instead, the universe handed them a different treat.
Almost Earth-like Exoplanets
NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered a 5-planet system that includes a hot Mars and four super-Earths, two of which might host liquid water. These aren’t quite the Earth-like exoplanets Kepler’s been looking for, but they’re close.
Come to NEAF April 20-21
Make plans to attend the largest annual astronomy trade show in America: the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show.
When Supergiants Explode
Astronomers have announced a new class of gamma-ray bursts, possibly created when some of the biggest stars in the universe go supernova.
A New Type of Supernova
Astronomers have discovered a new supernova class where the star might survive the explosion.
Black Hole Wakes for a Light Snack
Astronomers might have glimpsed a supermassive black hole snacking on a brown dwarf in a galaxy 47 million light-years away.
Possible Dark Matter Signal?
Scientists using an instrument aboard the International Space Station have measured a signal that might come from dark matter — or might not.
Can Stars Form in our Galaxy's Center?
Observations of Milky Way’s chaotic center show hints of stars forming just two light-years away from our galaxy’s supermassive black hole.
Scientists Share Absurdly Exciting News
This year's April Fools' was a productive day for astronomers — catch up on all the shenanigans.
