Year of the Comet
Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS)

PANSTARRS information

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON)

ISON information

Web Extras
Go deeper into the stories of Astronomy magazine. These online features bring you additional research, interviews, photos, and more our editors turned up while creating the stories for this issue.
August 2009
Hubble Views Mars During 2001 Opposition
Associate Editor Daniel Pendick discusses the weather on Mars.
Published: June 22, 2009
Joan Najita
Learn more about the lives and ideas of Joan Najita and Frank Shu.
By Karri Ferron // Published: June 22, 2009
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
To get more bang for our buck, the space agency launches two missions at once.
By Michael E. Bakich // Published: June 22, 2009
August 2009 WE CX Mission
NASA has developed detailed plans for sending humans back to our nearest celestial neighbor.
By Richard Talcott // Published: June 22, 2009
August 2009 WE moon mission
The return to the Moon could be a useful steppingstone to Mars - or a costly and unnecessary delay.
By Daniel Pendick // Published: June 22, 2009
August 2009 WE Matroshka-Mars torso
The effects of long-term exposure to space radiation and low gravity are still uncertain.
By Daniel Pendick // Published: June 22, 2009
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