By CHRIS PAGAN Sunday: The last quarter moon takes place at 4:20 p.m. today. The moon will not rise until 12:14 a.m., making it a good night to find a nice pair of open star clusters. In the constellation of Perseus there is a pair of open star clusters very near each other.

Strong darkening observed around the equator of Vega suggests that the fifth brightest star in Earth’s sky has a huge temperature difference of 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit from its cool equatorial region to its hot poles.

A NASA telescope peering beyond our solar system has for the first time directly measured light from two Jupiter-size gas planets closely orbiting distant stars, adding crucial features to astronomy's portrait of faraway worlds.

A NASA telescope peering far beyond our solar system has for the first time directly measured light from two Jupiter-sized gas planets closely orbiting distant stars, adding crucial features to astronomy's portrait of faraway worlds.