
Astronomers Discover Unexpected Ring around Distant Dwarf Planet
There’s a strangely large-diameter ring around the outer solar system world Quaoar.

Planet-eating White Dwarfs, A Black Hole Cluster & The "Farfarout" Object
This week in astronomy news, astronomers found planet-eating white dwarfs, a cluster of black holes, and a "farfarout" object that's now the most distant known in the solar system.

Amateur Scopes Help Find Planet Formation’s Missing Link
A surprisingly inexpensive setup of amateur equipment is helping astronomers on their quest to find Kuiper Belt objects of every size to better understand how planets formed in our solar system.

Planning the New Horizons Exploration of Ultima Thule
Alan Stern, principal investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission, gives a detailed preview of what the spacecraft will be doing in the days up to, during, and after the impending flyby of the Kuiper Belt Object 2014 MU69.

New Horizons On Approach to the First Exploration of a Kuiper Belt Object
Take a look behind the scenes as the New Horizons team gears up for the historic first flyby of a body in the remote Kuiper Belt, in this first of a four-part series from the mission's Principal Investigator Alan Stern.

Trojan Asteroids Are in a Class of Their Own
Hordes of debris trapped by Jupiter and Neptune have distinct colors that mark them as possibly the last remnants of the material that built the giant planets.

Dwarf Planet 2007 OR10: Big, Dark, and Slow
A Kuiper Belt object discovered nearly a decade ago turns out to be much darker — and thus larger — than thought. It's also an especially slow spinner.

Targeting Crisis Averted for New Horizons
NASA scientists have found three potential Kuiper belt objects in the nick of time, saving the Pluto-bound probe from missing out on half of its mission.