SUNSET: 
Planets’ Wacky Orbits Solved
By combining nearly 1,500 observations with sophisticated computer models, astronomers have shed light on a nearby planetary system, proving that the planets' bizarre orbits will actually remain stable for the next 100 million years.
Watch a Star Evolve in “Real Time”
The odd behavior of a star in the heart of the Stingray Nebula provides tantalizing evidence that we may be seeing, first-hand, its helium-shell flash: an explosive phase of nuclear burning at the end of a star’s life.
Most “Earth-Like” Planet Found Yet
The newly discovered planet, Kepler-186f, is the first Earth-size exoplanet circling in its star’s habitable zone. The media worldwide is gleaming with fantastical headlines, but readers in the know may have an inkling the result is less than it seems.
Drama at Saturn: The Birth (or Demise) of a Moonlet?
New images from NASA’s Cassini mission show bright spots along Saturn’s A ring, likely caused by a small moonlet in the process of forming or shattering.
Supernova Remnant in Technicolor
Take a look at this supernova remnant from radio waves to x-rays to see multiple features of its bubble-like expanding shock wave. Supernovae — the dramatic explosions of massive stars ending their lives — can outshine their host galaxies for weeks, allowing them to be seen across millions of light-years…
Hot Jupiters Keep Their Stars Young
Sizzling gas giants circling close to their host stars — so-called hot Jupiters — keep their host stars young and active, a new study suggests.
Amateurs Flocking to NEAF this Weekend
The Northeast Astronomy Forum in Suffern, NY, will welcome visitors from across the world on April 12–13, 2014. Sky & Telescope will be there. Will you?
Quasars Track Expanding Universe
The most precise measurement yet of the Hubble parameter illuminates dark energy — the elusive entity that’s accelerating the universe’s expansion.
The Subsurface Ocean of Enceladus
Data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have provided further evidence that Saturn’s tiny moon Enceladus harbors a liquid ocean under its surface.
A New Galactic Yardstick
Astronomers have developed a new method to measure distances to bright but faraway galaxies, a tool which will help better constrain the expansion rate of the universe.
Fooling with the Universe
This year’s April Fools' provides a wealth of alarming results. Catch up on all the scientific shenanigans here.
Celebrate the Night Sky This Month
Join the world’s largest celebration of astronomy — Global Astronomy Month — throughout April.
Chariklo: An Asteroid with Rings
An international team of observers has made the surprising discovery that a distant asteroid has two distinct, dense rings.
Dark Matter Spotted in the Milky Way?
A team of astronomers claim to have the most compelling case for annihilating dark matter yet.
Active Volcanoes on Venus?
New images of Venus show features that look like hot spots, hinting there may be active volcanoes on the planet today.
Young Stars Lead the Magellanic Stream
Astronomers have discovered hot, young stars in the Leading Arm of the Magellanic Stream, calling the history of the Magellanic Clouds once again into question.
Planets Form With Magnetic Storms
Astronomers might have solved an outstanding mystery of why forming planetary systems emit more infrared light than expected. The key lies with gas and dust suspended in giant magnetic loops.
Hubble Catches a Crumbling Asteroid
The Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a never-before-seen event: an asteroid breaking up into pieces.
A Chaotic Planet-Forming Disk
A new map of Beta Pictoris reveals an asymmetric clump of carbon monoxide likely produced in cometary collisions. It provides a rare glimpse at the chaotic birth of a planetary system.
Fingerprinting the Circumgalactic Medium
A new study finds the space surrounding dwarf galaxies in the nearby universe to be shockingly pristine.
