Astronomy is as vast as the universe it seeks to study. Astronomy answers many questions about the universe. So it’s no surprise that astronomy news is so popular. Here are some of the latest stories.

The magazine “Astronomy” is a great source of astronomy news. NASAs IBEX, Interstellar Boundary Explorer, was one exciting story. Just as weathermen examine fronts and the interaction of hot air with cold air and dry air with wet air, IBEX is interested in such fronts and their interaction in outer space. That means the solar winds and how they interact at the edges of the sun’s reach. IBEX will also accurately map the boundaries of the sun’s solar system.

There’s also astronomy news about a new aurora on Saturn, unique compared to other auroras we’ve known. An aurora is formed when charged particles stream along planetary magnetic field. The solar winds create the auroras on earth. Jupiter’s aurorae come from interactions within Jupiter’s own magnetic field. But Saturn’s new aurora, seen in the infrared spectrum, is something completely new which could teach scientists a lot about the solar wind and magnetic fields.

astronomy news can also be found in the magazine “Universe Today”. On November 13, 2008 it carried the story of contact reestablished with the Mars rover. The culprit was a big dust storm. But the rover came through with shining colors even though it lacked power. With the dust blocking sunlight from its solar panels, the fear was that it would shut down completely and never recover. But it did, and now it’s back to work on the distant red planet.

Another piece of astronomy news on Universe today is the stunning expectation that the new Allen Telescope Array, part of the SETI project, will find intelligent life in about two dozen years. The array is set to grow up from its current 42 antennas to over 350. It’s only a matter of a short time before it hears signals from deep enough in space that intelligence is sure to be found.

There could be no bigger astronomy news than actual contact with intelligence.