SUNSET: 
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Juno Lifts Off for Jupiter
NASA's solar-powered spacecraft Juno successfully lifted off Cape Canaveral on Friday, August 5th.
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.
Where No Spacecraft Has Gone Before
Dawn sends stunning images from Vesta of an uncharted alien world.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.