Astronomer Don Osterbrock Dead at 82
One of the leading American astronomers and astronomical historians of the 20th century died on January 11, 2007.

The Transit of Venus: Tales from the 18th and 19th Centuries
Observers and administrators gather at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, in preparation for the American expeditions to the 1874 transit of Venus.Courtesy US Naval Observatory Library. A magnificent rendezvous between the planet of love and the bright orb of the Sun. One of the most celebrated phenomena in…
Secret Documents Rewrite the Discovery of Neptune
Long-suppressed documents from the 1840s are changing one of the best-known stories in the history of astronomy.
Venus Spokes: An Explanation at Last?
Percival Lowell's imfamous "spokes on Venus" may have simply been a reflection of structures in his own eye.