Features

Puzzled by Pluto

Far from the inert ball of ice many scientists expected, this distant world boasts unique landscapes, recent geological activity, and a possible underground ocean.

Cassini’s Grand Finale: 20 years in the making

From grazing Saturn’s rings to disappearing into its swirling atmosphere, this spacecraft’s final days, hours, and minutes will be fruitful ones.

16 times we didn’t find E.T.

For decades, humanity has been searching for aliens. Here are the false alarms.

Phantom planets

The wild and woolly menagerie of ghost worlds that once haunted the halls of astronomical discovery.

The secrets of off-season globular clusters

Target this list of two dozen beautiful star cities, none of which you’ll find in the old standbys of Scorpius, Ophiuchus, or Sagittarius!

How Flagstaff is preserving dark skies

A star party and world-leading community are keeping the hometown of Lowell Observatory in the dark.

Fun at America’s Darkest Sky Star Party

Several dozen people gathered in a small town under a clear, steady sky – all for the love of astronomy.

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