Astronomy

Solar Impact (March 2009 cover story)

Changes in the Sun’s energy may affect Earth’s climate unexpectedly.

Destination: Mars (Nov 2007 cover story)

Phoenix will look for signs of life on Mars–and that’s just the beginning.

South Pole Telescope Readied for Operation

The largest telescope has seen ‘first light’ at the South Pole.

A New Way to Measure Black Holes

Astrophysicists measure the mass of black holes by looking at ‘clumps’ of circulating gas.

Saturn’s Smoking Guns

Two more of Saturn’s moons may be geologically active and potentially volcanic.

Messenger’s Last Visit to Venus

NASA’s Messenger spacecraft made one last flyby past Venus on its way to Mercury.

A New Cycle is Dawning

Solar Cycle 24 officially begun in January 2008, but astronomers still don’t know what to expect.

Opportunity Readies for Crater Dive

The Mars rover Opportunity will descend into the Victoria Crater to look for ancient rocks.

A Stunning Look Into Spiral Galaxy M81

The Hubble Telescope has taken the clearest picture ever of Messier 81.

Comet Discoverers Awarded

The 2007 Edgar Wilson Awards go to quite a few amateur astronomers.

Dawn Heads to Vesta (Finally!)

After years of delays, Dawn launches to orbit two different asteroids.

Really Remote Observing

Scientist installed a robotic installation on what may be the finest observing site in the world, far atop the Antarctic Plateau.