1–20 of 34 results

Space Missions

Indian Mars Mission Launches

India's first mission to the Red Planet launched successfully November 5th from a barrier island off the country's coastline. The mission will study Mars's atmosphere and surface and is an important milestone for the country's space agency.

People, Places, and Events

Tim Puckett's Award-Winning Ambition

Tim Puckett has been studying comets and finding supernovae with his home-built telescopes since the 1990s. Now the American Astronomical Society has recognized his dedication with the 2012 Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award.

Professional Telescopes

A Bold Plan to Study Dark Energy

Beginning later this year, the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment will begin to analyze the spectra of one million primordial galaxies — and, its designers hope, get some answers about the mysterious force that's accelerating the expansion of the universe.

People, Places, and Events

Skywatch 2012 — A Preview

If you are wondering what's in the skies in 2012, Skywatch is just the magazine for you. This video is a preview of this year's issue. Skywatch is now available on newsstands in the U.S. and Canada.

Solar System

Comet Water for a Parched Earth

Recent observations of comet Hartley 2 shed light on one of the oldest mysteries: where did Earth's water come from?

Solar System

First Science Results from Dawn

Closer observations shed light on the history of Vesta's cratered surface, its mineral composition, and its inner iron core.

Exoplanets

A Planet Orbiting Two Suns

NASA's Kepler mission has found an exoplanet that orbits a close pair of stars. This Tatooine-like world should have a lot to tell about planet formation in binary star systems.

Exoplanets

A Planet Made of Diamond

Astronomers have discovered a truly weird planet-like object: a former star core apparently make of a superdense form of diamond, orbiting a pulsar with

Cosmology

Galaxies Make Giant Gas Clouds Glow

The Lyman-alpha blobs have been a mystery since their discovery in 2000. Recent research however might offer clues.

Space Missions

Opportunity Reaches Its New Home

The surviving one of NASA's two Mars Exploration Rovers is reaching the brink of a whole new adventure on Mars.

Space Missions

Juno Lifts Off for Jupiter

NASA's solar-powered spacecraft Juno successfully lifted off Cape Canaveral on Friday, August 5th.

Solar System

Big Splat Could Have Reshaped the Moon

Recent research suggests that the thick, heavily cratered crust on the Moon's far side could be the pasted-on remains of a second satellite that once orbited the early Earth.

Solar System

Where No Spacecraft Has Gone Before

Dawn sends stunning images from Vesta of an uncharted alien world.

Milky Way

Amateur Discovers A Planetary Nebula

Austrian amateur Matthias Kronberger has found a planetary nebula near the northern constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. His discovery might help scientists understand the role of stellar companions in the formation of these glowing gas clouds.

Solar System

A Closer Peek at Vesta

This week, Earth was hit by a barrage of intriguing images of Vesta — all courtesy of Dawn, NASA's latest asteroid orbiter!

Space Missions

Dawn Arrives at Vesta

NASA's spacecraft Dawn entered orbit around Vesta on July 16th and is preparing for a year's observation of the second-largest body in the asteroid belt.

Animation of Neptune rotating on its axis

Celestial News & Events

Neptune in Motion

Sky and Telescope's editor Sean Walker puts together NASA's anniversary images of Neptune to create a movie that shows a day on the blue planet.

Solar System

More on Saturn's Thunderstorm

Two studies reveal that the white smear across Saturn's northern face was caused by a deep seated thunder storm that discharged powerful lightning bolts for days on end.

In this image, Karkoschka modified the colors and contrasts to emphasize the planet’s atmospheric features.

Solar System

The Truth About Neptune's Spin

By tracking two visible features in Neptune's atmosphere, a University of Arizona astronomer has clocked a new spin rate for the blue planet. But does this mean the Voyager results from 1989 are wrong?

Cosmology

A Paradigm-Shattering Quasar

A team of European astronomers has discovered the most distant known quasar.But at its heart is a monstrous black hole that could rob theorists of a few nights' sleep.

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