SUNSET: 
Lost in the Star Clouds — A Milky Way Odyssey
I share my "discovery" of a new Milky Way star cloud that's been staring at me for ages.
Astronomers Find the Edge of the Milky Way
Astronomers have located the edge of the Milky Way’s star-forming disk for the first time, showing that star formation is focused within 40,000 light-years of our galactic center.
A “Great Wave” Is Crashing through the Milky Way
Precise measurements of stars’ motions show that a wave is propagating outward from our galaxy’s center — perhaps from a long-ago collision with another galaxy.
Planets Might Abound at the Center of Our Galaxy
The extreme environment at the heart of our galaxy ought to make forming stars and planets difficult, but new estimates show stars (and their planets) have no problems forming there.
Astronomers Trace the Family Tree of Stars Clustered in the Solar Neighborhood
Astronomers have pressed rewind on a cosmic video of the solar neighborhood, tracing the origins of young star clusters within 3,000 light-years of the Sun.
Rethinking the Milky Way’s “Galactic Fountain”
The Milky Way recycles gas from dying stars to make new ones — but new observations show pristine gas also comes in from outside our galaxy.
Astronomy in Pictures: Saturn and the Milky Way
The James Webb Space Telescope offers a new view of Saturn, while the IceCube Observatory creates a neutrino-painted picture of the Milky Way.
Milky Way's Central Black Hole Flared 200 Years Ago
A glowing molecular cloud shines today because of a 200-year-old flare let out by our galaxy’s supermassive black hole, scientists say.
Star Clusters Reveal the "Kraken" in the Milky Way's Past
Astronomers have reconstructed the Milky Way's merger history, finding that our galaxy has absorbed five large satellite galaxies in the last 12 billion years.
The 10 Million-Degree Gas Around the Milky Way
New observations show ultra-hot gas around the Milky Way. Stellar explosions may have driven this gas out of our galaxy.
Magnetism Rules in the Milky Way’s Core
Recent observations from the airborne SOFIA observatory show that magnetic fields — not gravity — govern the gas at the center of the Milky Way.
Is the Milky Way Throwing Out Forming Stars?
Some of the scant stars dwelling in the Milky Way's halo may have an unexpected origin: They may come from the galaxy itself.
The Milky Way’s Warped Tutu Twirls Every 600 Million Years
Astronomers have known for decades that our galaxy is warped. Now, they can follow the warp’s rotation as it travels around the galactic center.
Welcome Back, Milky Way!
Twilight's end brings the return of the summer Milky Way to the eastern sky. We unravel the anatomy of our home galaxy by teasing out the hidden structures within that glowing band.
The Milky Way Contains the Mass of 1.5 Trillion Suns
Astronomers are using Gaia and the Hubble Space Telescope to make the most precise measure of the Milky Way’s mass to date. The new result puts our galaxy on par with — if not more massive than — Andromeda.
60-Second Astro News: A Carnivorous Quasar and a Galaxy Ghost
In astronomy news this week: The most luminous quasar known in the cosmos is devouring three galaxy companions, while a newly discovered ghostly satellite of the Milky Way hints at hordes more just waiting to be found.
Ancient Merger Wreckage in the Milky Way
Mounting evidence indicates that our galaxy smashed up another smaller galaxy roughly 10 billion years ago.
Imaging Foundations with Richard Wright
Tips for Shooting the Milky Way
It’s summer time, and the Milky Way is beckoning. Here are a few tips to help get you started photographing our galaxy.
Shadow Play — Summertime Dark Nebulae for Binoculars
Using only binoculars, we explore a host of inky dust clouds, the dark nebulae that smudge the Milky Way on late summer nights.
Meet the Shy Side of the Local Group
The Local Group galaxies and their kin are the building blocks of the most magnificent galaxies in the universe. Let them inspire your winter nights.
