SUNSET: 
Noxious Smoke Hints at Active Volcanoes on Mars
The odor of hydrogen chloride in Mars’s atmosphere indicates that some form of volcanic activity is still going on.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 6 – 15
On November evenings, wintry Capella comes into balance with summery Vega. And low in Saturday's dawn, the hairline crescent Moon horns in on Venus and Spica.
NASA Moves Ahead with Ultraviolet Space Telescope
A new ultraviolet space telescope will fill a gap in the spectrum, bearing witness to cosmic cataclysms and probing the evolution of the early universe.
Margaret Hamilton, Apollo Software Engineer (1936 – 2026)
Hamilton’s code sent humans to the Moon with a “defensive programming” mindset.
Sunlight Pulverizes Asteroids That Come Too Close
Asteroids that come too close to the Sun don't last long. Now astronomers think they might know why.
Mars May Have Been Warmer and Wetter for Longer Than We Thought
Orbiter and rover data are showing that water may have flowed more recently on the Martian surface, maybe even into the present era.
A Satellite Company Tests “Sunlight As A Service” — Without Astronomers’ Knowledge
The California demonstration by Reflect Orbital used spotlights to imitate sunlight-reflecting satellites.
Swift Observatory Ends Mission, Reenters Earth's Atmosphere
NASA’s Swift mission will soon meet a fiery end, after more than two decades of ground-breaking science.
November Podcast: Five Planets in View
This episode takes you on a guided audio tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during November. During the last half of this month, all five bright planets can be seen before dawn and after sunset. You’ll also get the lowdown on a celestial queen with an unfortunate fate. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.
Possible New Dwarf Planet in the Solar System
Astronomers have identified more than 1,000 outer solar system objects in data from the Rubin Observatory — including a possible new dwarf planet.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 30 – November 8
Saturn glows for Halloween, the Summer Triangle effect continues, the Taurids tease, and the last-quarter Moon passes Mars, Jupiter, and Regulus in early dawn.
Have a Screamingly Good Halloween Week
From the Scream Nebula to bobbing for planets in daylight, Halloween offers an ample bag of treats.
Rubin Observatory Detects Record-Breaking Asteroids
The Rubin Observatory has detected thousands of new asteroids, including several that spin a lot faster than expected for typical rubble piles.
Did Venus and the Hyades Star Cluster Inspire Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’?
A team of researchers claims the Hyades star cluster may form the heart of van Gogh's "The Starry Night." Others aren't so sure.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 23 – November 1
The Moon lights the way to Saturn 3,300 times farther behind it. Then the Moon befriends the Pleiades. The Ghost of Summer Suns arrives for Halloween. The Dipper lies low.
A Chartreuse White Dwarf Shows Some Stars Really Are Green
The cool white dwarf WDJ1330+6435 has accreted sodium-rich rocky material from its planetary system into its atmosphere. The immense atmospheric density causes the sodium to absorb light over broad range of yellow, orange, and red wavelengths, giving the WDJ1330+6435 a ghostly green appearance. Mark A. Garlick / University of Warwick…
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Japan Launches the Martian Moons Exploration Mission
An artist's conception of JAXA's MMX mission at Phobos. JAXA A two-stage, H3-24L rocket lit up the predawn skies over Tanegashima Space Center on the southern tip of Japan early on Tuesday, October 20th (3:41 p.m. EDT on October 19th), carrying a mission headed for the Red Planet: the Japan…
Webb and Spitzer Telescopes Explore the Planets That Never Were
Planetesimal wrecks are raging around distant stars. With the Webb and Spitzer Space Telescopes, astronomers are learning what that looks like.
Chile’s Light-Pollution Standard Takes Full Effect
The South American country, which hosts some of the world’s major astronomical observatories, promises to protect its night skies, from the Atacama Desert to Tierra del Fuego.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 16 – 25
Tonight the Moon's in the Teapot. High in early dawn, Mars stands over Jupiter while Regulus twinkles below.