GRBs: A New Standard Candle?
Astronomers might be on the brink of developing a new rung on the cosmic distance ladder.

Extreme Volcanoes on Jupiter’s Moon Io
Even on Io, a world known for spouting off, the titanic volcanic eruption seen on August 29, 2013, was among the most powerful ever recorded there – or anywhere else in the solar system.

Mars Orbiters Duck for Cover
Mission planners have devised an unusual strategy for protecting orbiting spacecraft when Comet Siding Spring passes the Red Planet in October.

OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS

Venus-Jupiter Spectacle Coming August 18th
Here’s your invitation to a spectacular close conjunction of the sky’s two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, next Monday morning.

Tour August’s Sky: Sagittarius and Scorpius
Late summer offers the Teapot of Sagittarius and the nearby arc of the Scorpion’s Tail in the evening, the Perseid meteor shower, and a spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter before dawn.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 15 – 23
Jupiter and Venus join together in the dawn sky, while Vega bejewels the zenith and the Milky Way’s center reaches its highest in the south.

COMMUNITY

The First Planetary Nebula Spectrum
Celebrate the anniversary of a revolutionary discovery by gathering with other astronomers to observe planetary nebulae in August’s evening sky.