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  • Listening for Mars Polar Lander

    Feb. 1, 2000

    More telescopes have joined the search for Mars Polar Lander after Stanford scientists failed to confirm a radio signal from the missing spacecraft last week.

  • Camping Out with the Planets

    July 25, 2000

    Earth's slender crescent Moon will glide by two brilliant planets in the dawn sky this week as it heads for a close encounter with Mercury on July 29th. This story also reviews the discovery of a new moon around Jupiter, which was announced last week.

  • The Lightningof El Nino

    March 8, 2000

    Without El Nino to spice up life along the Gulf Coast, it's been "a boring year" for thunderstorm watchers, say scientists who have found an interesting correlation between El Nino and lightning. At any given moment there are 2,000 thunderstorms active around the world and 100 flashes of Lightningper second. Monitoring Lightningfrom space will help predict and track severe weather.

  • IMAGE Blasts Off

    March 27, 2000

    NASA's newest Space Weathersatellite soared into space on a Delta II rocket this weekend.

  • Red Moon Rising

    Feb. 2, 2000

    Sky watchers from Europe to the Pacific were treated to a beautiful Lunar Eclipselast month.

  • Ham Radios in Space

    Aug. 21, 2000

    Ham radio operators are notorious for their love of long-distance radio chats. Now, thanks to NASA's SAREX program, hams and students on Earth can enjoy the ultimate long-distance radio experience by contacting Astronautsorbiting on board the Space Shuttleand, one day soon, on the International Space Station.

  • Mercury Rising

    June 2, 2000

    There are two really good times to see Mercury this year and next week is one of them. Good Mercury watching begins this Saturday evening, June 3, when a slender crescent Moon and the elusive planet appear together for stargazers just after sunset. Mercury's apparition as an evening star will continue through mid-June.

  • Strangers in the Night

    April 6, 2000

    During an unplanned rendezvous, the Ulysses spacecraft found itself gliding though the immense tail of Comet Hyakutake, revealing that comet tails may be much longer than previously believed. Ulysses was hundreds of millions of kilometers away from Hyakutake when the unexpected encounter took place.

  • Caught in the Act

    Jan. 17, 2000

    In November 1999, astronomers photographed a large volcanic eruption on Io just as Galileo was flying by Jupiter's fiery satellite.

  • Watch Out for the Harvest Moon

    Sept. 11, 2000

    The Harvest Moon, arguably the most famous Full Moon of the year, arrives on Wednesday, Sept. 13th. Check out this story to discover what makes the Harvest Moon special and to ponder the possibility of Harvest Moons on another planet.