SUNSET: 
Clash of the Titans
This XMM-Newton image reveals the X-ray brightness of the intergalactic gas in Abell 754. Core gas from the larger of the two clusters appears as the white and red area at the left. The regions with the highest density of matter are the brightest regions.Courtesy ESA / XMM-Newton / J.…
Mars Methane Boosts Chances for Life
Mars Express's Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS)mapped the distribution of water vapor in Mars's thin atmosphere. Water is distributed uniformly at high altitudes, but at low altitudes it is concentrated in three equatorial regions: Arabia Terra, Elysium Planum, and Arcadia-Memnonia. Highest water concentrations are in green; the least are in purple.…
Hubble Presses Toward Cosmic Dawn
Astronomers are busily mining the Hubble Ultra Deep Field to understand the early universe.
Two More Neptune-mass Exoplanets
Astronomers find two low-mass planets orbiting other stars.
Amateur Detects Exoplanet Transit
This artist conception depicts a Jupiter-size planet transiting its host star at a close distance. Astronomers know of six stars that are transited by exoplanets; two have been detected by amateurs, including the recently discovered planet TrES-1.S&T illustration by Steven A. Simpson. On August 24th, a team of professional astronomers…
Tiny Telescope Finds Big Planet
An artist depicts the newly discovered extrasolar planet, TrES-1, and its host star. Because of its close proximity to the star, TrES-1 is heated to about 850 degrees C (1,560 degrees F).Courtesy Jeffrey Hall and Lowell Observatory. Until now, all of the 125 or so known extrasolar planets were discovered…
Astro Image in the News:
A Martian Mountain Vista
Spirit is climbing the Columbia Hills and looking down upon Gusev Crater.
Stringy Holes: Hawking Concedes Defeat
The famed British physicist joins the mainstream in believing that black holes preserve information.
Mars Rovers Find More Evidence of Water
As Spirit and Opportunity visit new science targets, they continue to make important discoveries.
Eta Carinae Plays Purple Haze
Recent studies show that the southern-sky supergiant Eta Carinae isn't just one massive star, it’s two.
Possible New Milky Way Spiral Arm
Radio astronomers may have identified a fifth spiral arm in the outer reaches of our galaxy.
Mars Rovers Rockin' and Rollin'
One NASA rover sets a distance record while the other heads for the hills.
Black-Hole Construction Zone
The inner region of the galaxy M82, imaged by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The brightest source seems to be an intermediate-mass black hole. It is located near M82's center, which is marked by a green cross.Courtesy NASA / SAO / CXC. Mother Nature usually forms objects in a continuum of…
Star Formation Peaked Later than Thought
A new study show that the universe's star formation peaked 5 billion years ago.
Martian Methane Mystery
Three teams find a new gas in Mars's atmosphere that may be indicative of life.
Astro Images in the News:
Opportunity Catches Martian Moon Transits
A Mars rover images a Martian moon crossing the disk of the Sun.
Astronomy & Observing News
Astro Image in the News:
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Astro Image in the News:
You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
NASA's Cassini spacecraft returns a new postcard of Saturn.
Blowin' in the Planetary Wind
Astronomers have identified oxygen and carbon in an exoplanetary atmosphere.
Opportunity Finds Hematite and Rolls to Martian Surface
NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity, now on the Martian surface, has found evidence for a mineral that usually forms in water.
Opportunity Ready to Roll, Spirit on the Mend
This mosaic assembled from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's Panoramic Camera images shows rock outcrops less than 10 meters away. These rocks will be one of the first targets for the rover after it rolls off the lander on January 31st.Courtesy NASA / JPL / Cornell University.
