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Two big asteroids to pass safely
Radar astronomers are peering toward asteroid 2017 CS, closest on May 29. Another asteroid - 418094 (2007 WV4) - will be closest June 1. Charts here for Saturday night, for 8-inch or larger 'scopes!
May 27, 2017
Mystery light shines near Cygnus A core
When astronomers aimed the Very Large Array at the well-studied galaxy Cygnus A, they were surprised to find a bright new object near the galaxy’s core. Supernova explosion, or a second supermassive black hole?
May 24, 2017
Brown dwarf launches a vast jet
For the first time, astronomers have found a spectacularly long jet - nearly a light-year long - from a brown dwarf.
May 22, 2017
Does our sun have a name?
You've probably heard star names, such as Polaris or Betelgeuse. But what about our star? Does the sun have a name, and if so what is it?
May 22, 2017
See Ceres opposite the sun
Dawn mission specialists maneuvered the spacecraft into a special orbit, so that it could look down on Ceres' famous bright spots from a position known to astronomers as opposition.
May 21, 2017
A moon for the 3rd-largest dwarf planet
So many moons! With the discovery of a moon for 2007 OR10, most known dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt - larger than 600 miles across - now are known to have companions.
May 19, 2017
A giant magnetic bridge between galaxies
Known as the Magellanic Bridge, it's a huge stream of neutral gas stretching 75,000 light-years between the 2 Magellanic Clouds, which orbit our Milky Way.
May 18, 2017
What’s the weather like on Proxima b?
The nearest known exoplanet - orbiting the star Proxima Centauri - is only 4.2 light-years away. Does it have liquid water? An atmosphere? Weather? Scientists just announced the first tentative steps to explore those possibilities.
May 15, 2017
Planet circus in May, with explanation
A beautiful spatial view of our solar system from Guy Ottewell, showing the planets’ paths along their orbits in approximately mid-May, 2017, with sightlines to them from the Earth.
May 15, 2017
Eta Aquarid over Mount Bromo
Cool short video of an early morning Eta Aquarid meteor over Mount Bromo in Indonesia, by Justin Ng. Take a few seconds and enjoy!
May 13, 2017
