Sky & Telescope Magazine


Distant Little Red Dot Hosts a Huge (and Growing) Black Hole
A "little red dot" galaxy from when the universe was roughly half a billion years old shows signs of the most distant black hole known.
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Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Might Have Weird “Space Rainbows”
Scouring old data from NASA’s Cassini mission revealed puzzling atmospheric stripes that could help probe Saturn’s icy moon.
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No Evidence for Atmosphere on Trappist-1d
New James Webb Space Telescope observations of the third world in the seven-planet TRAPPIST-1 system rule out a variety of atmospheres.
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 15 – 24
Saturn glows through the evening near the Andromegasus Dipper. Venus and Jupiter, drawing apart, still light the dawn dramatically. The Moon joins them.
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A Fast Radio Burst from the Early Universe
Astronomers at the South African MeerKAT observatory have discovered the most distant flash of radio waves to date, most likely stemming from activity around a magnetar.
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Moon or Not, the Perseid Meteor Shower Is On!
Sure, the Moon will be a problem. But clouds are worse. Don't miss one of the best meteor showers of the year.
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Were the Very First Stars Really That Massive?
New research suggests the first stars weren't the behemoths we expected them to be — which might explain why we haven't seen them yet.
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 8 – 17
Set an alarm and take a peek east in early dawn to follow Venus and Jupiter through their spectacular conjunction this week.
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Alpha Centauri Might Have a Planet, Webb Telescope Finds
Direct images from the James Webb Space Telescope show what could be a Saturn-mass planet around Alpha Centauri.
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Honoring the Women of Astronomy
Even today, the names of women in astronomy are not as well known as they should be.
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Southern Splendors on Safari
Sky & Telescope Associate Editor Sean Walker and Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara accompanied nine adventurers on a stargazing safari for an immersive experience in the African bush in Botswana.
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 1 – 10
The waxing gibbous Moon of August haunts the low south. Venus and Jupiter are drawing toward a spectacular conjunction in early dawn.
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August Podcast: Planets Dance at Dawn
Find out “what’s up” in the August sky. We’ll track down four planets before dawn; have some fun with New Moons; peek at some Perseids; and gaze at the center of our galaxy. So load up on the bug juice, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.
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Satellite Constellations Are Too Bright for Astronomy
The International Astronomical Union has recommended brightness limits for satellites, but companies aren't abiding by them.
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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: What We Know Now
Observations have revealed the comet’s fuzzy coma, hinted at a weird tail, and suggested an ancient history. Plus, some missions might keep observing the interstellar comet when it ducks behind the Sun.
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Congress’s NASA and NSF Budgets Counter Trump, Fund Science
The House and Senate bill drafts keep NASA near current funding levels, but the Trump administration is prematurely readying the agency for heavy cuts
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Betelgeuse's Companion Has Been Found — Or Has It?
A new image from the Gemini Observatory might show a stellar companion to Betelgeuse, but the discovery is tentative.
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 25 – August 3
The newly waxing Moon passes Mars low in the west, then Spica and Antares while growing more robust. At dawn, Jupiter heads toward Venus.
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NASA Launches TRACERS Mission to Study Space Weather
NASA’s TRACERS spacecraft will look at the snap of magnetic field lines at the boundary between the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field.
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Webb Space Telescope Spies Baby Planetary System
Astronomers have found a baby system that’s just beginning to build planets — and it can tell us about how and where planet formation starts.
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