The Luminescent Sun

NASA recently launched the Solar Dynamics Observatory to study the ever-changing Sun, and here are some of the first results. Impressive, if you ask me.

The Curious Case of the Missing Methane

While the chemical composition of only a few gas giant planets outside of our Solar System, they all have considerable quantities of methane. Except this one. Interesting.....

The Golden Apples of Venus

In one of my favorite Ray Bradbury's science fiction stories, titled "Golden Apples of the Sun," a spaceship travels to the Sun to take a sample of its outer atmosphere. Nice story. Venus Express recently skimmed the top of Venus's atmosphere to the same effect. Read about it here. Neat!

More pretty pictures of stellar nurseries

Available here courtesy of the VISTA telescope in Chile.

Ahh Pluto...

The story of why Pluto is no longer classified as a planet in pictures available here. Enjoy.

Viewer's Choice Mars Pictures

Go here to look at them.

Interview with Sean Carroll

The cosmologist, not the scientist. Go here to read it.

Cassini's Fate

Go here to read a very interesting New York Times article as to what is required for the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn to observe all of the regions NASA wants it to with the limited amount of propellant it has left. Orbital dynamics is complicated stuff.

Mysterious Pluto

It might not be classified as a "planet" anymore, but that doesn't mean it is isn't still interesting. Go here to read how recent observations of the original "plutoid" suggest some bizarre behavior of its atmosphere.

Saturn's close-up

More pretty pictures assembled by the New York Times here.