Saturn's sweet spot
On January 27, 2006, Saturn reached its closest point to Earth for the year. The Ringed Planet won't look this good through a telescope for decades to come. This story from 2003 tells why. More »

Star light, star brightest
Nearly one millennium ago, the sudden appearance of the brightest star in recorded history puzzled and frightened sky watchers around the world. The new star of 1006 was actually a nearby supernova, the visible manifestation of a star's complete destruction. More »

Through Andromeda, deeply
Visible even to the unaided eye as a foggy spindle of light, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda, or M31, is the single most studied object outside our own galaxy. Just 2.5 million light-years away, it is the nearest giant spiral, one roughly similar in size, mass, and type to our own Milky Way galaxy. More »