LATEST NEWS
Juno: Surprises in First Science Results
From its dynamic atmosphere to its hidden depths, the Juno spacecraft has Jupiter as never before — surprising NASA scientists with unexpected complexity. Read more…
Water Flow Gives Insights on Mars and Titan
A team of researchers led by Benjamin Black (City College of New York) used global drainage patterns of Titan, Earth, and Mars’ surfaces to determine the likelihood of recent tectonic activity. Read more…
Finally! The Galaxy’s Most Mysterious Star Is Dimming
Tabby’s star, otherwise known as the most mysterious star in the galaxy, is dipping drastically in brightness, giving astronomers an opportunity to figure out what has been causing this star’s weird behavior. Read more…
How Hard Did It Rain on Ancient Mars?
Mars was once far wetter than it is now — but just how much rain fell, and when? Read more…
Seventh TRAPPIST-1 Planet Confirmed
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the seventh planet around the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. Read more…
Brown Dwarfs Mimic Their Big Stellar Siblings
Two recent studies suggest that brown dwarfs, or so-called “failed stars,” are nevertheless more like stars than planets. Read more…
The Origin of the Milky Way’s Mysterious Gamma Rays
Our galaxy’s center region is producing gamma rays, but astronomers are still debating whether pulsars or dark matter are the source. Three recent studies tackle the debate head-on. Read more…
ASKAP Joins the Hunt for Mysterious Bursts
ASKAP, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), has joined the search for energetic and elusive fast radio bursts. And in just a few days of looking, it’s already had success. Read more…
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May 26 – June 3
While twilight is still bright, can you catch the thin crescent Moon just above the west-northwest horizon about to set, as shown at right? (In these scenes, the Moon is always shown three times its actual apparent size.) Read more…
The Summer Triangle Makes its Midnight Debut
Stay up late and you’ll see the return of one of the sky’s most familiar asterisms, the Summer Triangle. Firefly nights under the arch of the summertime Milky Way will soon be here. Read more…
Tour May’s Sky: Big Dipper Leads the Way
Listen to May’s astronomy podcast to learn why the Big Dipper is the “Swiss Army Knife” of the late-spring northern sky. Read more…
COMMUNITY
Daylight Polar Alignment Made Easy
Try this easy technique to roughly polar-align your telescope mount during the day using your smartphone and a planetarium app. Read more…
Ann
BEAUTIFUL, ALSO, ARE THE SOULS OF MY BLACK SISTERS 