SUNSET: 
Top 10 Places to View the Total Solar Eclipse
The celestial event of this young century — the great American total solar eclipse of 2017 — is now just weeks away. The biggest remaining question is, where will you be when the Moon’s shadow arrives?
"Gecko Gripper" Tech to Clean Up Space Junk
Researchers are figuring out how to use a nature-inspired "gecko gripper" technology to solve the mounting problem of space debris.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA Eyes "Ice Giant" Missions in the 2030s
A recent NASA study outlines possible dedicated missions to the "ice giant" planets Uranus and Neptune that might leave Earth as early as 2030.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA Closes Out Its Asteroid Redirect Mission
Following the release of the 2018 budget, the space agency has ordered an “orderly closeout” for the Asteroid Redirect program.
New Wrinkles in the Search for “Planet X”
Are astronomers being misled about a possible ninth planet by the quirky alignment of orbits that they’re finding in the distant Kuiper Belt?
Does the Milky Way Live in a Void?
A sparse galactic neighborhood could clear up certain problems with our understanding of the universe.
Kepler Team Releases Final Exoplanet Catalog
The most comprehensive and detailed exoplanet catalog released yet marks the end of an era for Kepler, the planet-hunting telescope.
Ring Found Around a Galaxy’s “Hidden” Black Hole
A team of astronomers has taken a close look at a nearby galaxy — and discovered an unusual structure that sheds light on supermassive black holes’ relationships with their host galaxies.
Mini-Flares Might Threaten Life Around Red Dwarf Stars
A new study of data archived from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft is revealing just how hard life might be on planets like those in the TRAPPIST-1 system.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
KELT-9b: Hottest Hot Jupiter Exoplanet Yet
Astronomers announce the discovery of bloated gas giant KELT-9b, the hottest "hot Jupiter" exoplanet known orbiting a short-lived massive star.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to Touch the Sun
NASA's Parker Solar Probe, set to launch in 2018, will be humanity's first effort to "touch the Sun," revolutionizing our understanding of the Sun's corona, the solar wind, and the greater heliosphere.
LIGO Detects Third Black Hole Merger
Scientists with the gravitational-wave observatory announce another discovery, this time of a black hole merger twice as far away as previous detections.
Potential “Failed Supernova” Black Hole Discovered
Astronomers may have watched a star collapse directly into a black hole — minus the supernova. The failed supernova could help understand how stars die.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
New Clues on Fate of Schiaparelli Mars Lander
The European Space Agency has released its investigation into the crash of the Schiaparelli Mars lander in October 2016.
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.
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.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
A New Take on the Audible Meteor Mystery
A recent study suggests a plausible mechanism to explain why observers sometimes hear superbright meteors at the same time that they see them.
