Current Issue: September/October 2020

20 Years on Station

Telescopes and other instruments aboard the International Space Station probe black holes, dark matter, and other mysteries of the universe.

One People, One Sky

Astronomers Without Borders supports a universal love of the night sky by sharing resources, knowledge, and inspiration.

Sky Highlights

Mars takes center stage in September and October as it passes closest to Earth. For a few weeks, the Red Planet will shine as the third-brightest object in the night sky, after the Moon and Venus. Jupiter and Saturn stick close together, while the stars of summer disappear from the evening sky for another year and those of autumn climb into view.

Merlin

Merlin describes how the Big Bang took place everywhere and nowhere. Pose your own question for future issues.

AstroNews

An artist’s concept shows Osiris-Rex descending toward Bennu [NASA/GSFC/UNIVERSITY ARIZONA (3)] A spacecraft prepares to snatch a few ounces of rocks and dirt from the surface of an asteroid, the largest moon of Saturn is moving away from the giant planet in a hurry, and a new study will identify “technosignatures” — imprints created by a technological civilization — for astronomers to hunt in the atmospheres of exoplanets.

AstroMiscellany

A photography contest takes aim at dark skies, October offers a passel of full Moons, and a pioneering web site celebrates its 25th anniversary.

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In the Next Issue

Proposing a scientific space mission is a grueling process that usually ends in failure, and we’ll offer some insight into how it works. We’ll also tell you about a new effort to study the habitability of worlds orbiting stars other than the Sun.

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