While astronomy is frequently considered the most beautiful science, creating fantastic imagery isn’t often the primary goal of the research featured in Astronomy magazine or on Astronomy.com. It’s a fortunate byproduct of the sheer wonder...

Astronomy magazine’s Discover the Universe program is all about the idea that if people are unable, unwilling, or unmotivated to go see the stars, why not bring the stars to them? I’ve just heard back from John Klebenow of the Brazosport Astronomy...

With the safe landing of STS-135 , the final space shuttle mission, yesterday morning, the program is officially over. Barring some kind of crazy, last minute, Hail Mary mission, we’ll never see another space shuttle actually shuttle anyone to space...

The press site at the NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility was filled with working press, NASA employees, contractors, and many others for this morning’s landing of space shuttle Atlantis . I had not seen nearly that many reporters...

A while ago, astroimager John A. Davis from Dallas, Texas, sent me the file of a fireball (a meteor bright enough to cast a shadow) he caught on video. You may know John’s name because of the many images of his that we’ve published in Astronomy...

Astronomy ’s Discover the Universe program typically involves astronomy clubs or groups eager to share their knowledge and expertise with the crowds. But individuals with a healthy appreciation for the skies and technical ability can take part,...

For years, Astronomy magazine has run the popular column “Ask Astro.” Many readers have submitted astronomy-related questions and seen them answered in print. In the age of social media, however, we can go a step further. You can see your...

With STS-135 underway and Atlantis safely in orbit , I began to personally reflect on what this last-of-an-era launch and mission means to me as well as to the leader in space exploration: the United States of America. I have been fortunate enough...

The countdown to Atlantis ' liftoff was one of the most surreal space shuttle countdowns and launches I have witnessed. Despite the weather forecasters best prognostications, the weather continued to improve up to launch. The conditions were right...

I left my hotel in Orlando, Florida, (could not get a room any closer to the shuttle Atlantis launch site than that!) at 5:45 a.m. EDT. Traffic going to NASA's Kennedy Space Center was heavy but moving at the speed limit … until I got to Gate...

With space shuttle Atlantis scheduled to launch tomorrow on the final flight of the U.S. shuttle program ( although weather forecasts for Kennedy Space Station in Florida currently don’t look too promising ), I reflected on the truly remarkable...

As I stood at NASA's Kennedy Space Center press site today at 11:26 a.m., the rain was falling steadily from heavy clouds and there was even some lightning. And that's the summary for tomorrow's weather forecast for the first space shuttle...

It might be no shock to the careful reader of Astronomy , but I’m a bit of a fan of movies. I don’t catch every movie ever, but apparently I see more than my share — especially if it’s about a subject I enjoy, like space. This...