Astronomy News
Usually, it takes an event of cataclysmic proportions for a bit of astronomy news to make national news. From time to time, the word that an asteroid or meteorite is passing close to the Earth makes a blip on our radar, as people undoubtedly think back to the disaster movies perpetuated by Hollywood where impending doom lies in the form of an intergalactic rock hurtling towards our planet. A few years back, though, it was a simple decision of the International Astronomical Union that turned astronomy news into fodder for water-cooler discussion. At the 2006 assembly in Prague, the IAU decided to make Pluto, previously considered as the final planetary representative of our solar system, a dwarf planet, effectively downgrading its status. For people who had grown up thinking there are nine planets in our solar system and fans of mnemonic devices that perpetuated this belief, the news came as an unwelcome surprise, and to this day, is still argued and bantered about.
Again, though, the Pluto story and asteroid warnings are deviations from the norm. Astronomy articles in the newspaper are likely to be relegated to the back pages of a particular section. If you are keen on finding windows to the latest information on what is going on in our galaxy, there are better sources from which to draw. Two ways of staying abreast of current trends:
Astronomy magazines – There are several high-profile publications worldwide that deliver the latest astronomy articles and insights on the world of astronomy. Probably the foremost authority when it comes to periodical publications is Astronomy magazine, which includes feature articles and astronomical events to look for in the month of publication. Sky and Telescope is also renowned for being a source of astronomy news and advice for a range of audiences. In addition, while it may require you to do a bit of extra searching, many prominent science magazines contain astronomy articles from time to time. As cosmological events are often accompanied by great visuals, it might be easy to find astronomy news just by flipping through a publication.
Science-oriented television programs – While it won’t be a great source of astronomy articles in print form, along the similar concept of photogenics, television is a way to get potent, newsworthy images of outer space into your living room. After all, the television medium is a business, and to stay relevant, a particular network or program must be sensitive to what is happening in the world (or rather, universe) today. The Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel (along with the parent magazine) are great sources of information on matters of scientific and social import. Even public television may have something to offer to the astronomy news train, with programs like “NOVA” offering stimulating discourse on the science of today.
As for official organizations that deal with the topic of space, you might also check press releases and the Websites of the IAU and NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for astronomy articles and news. While their updates may be more sporadic, especially with the IAU, through the Internet, you can program updates to automatically be sent to your E-mail account. The list of ways to get a hold of astronomy news is literally endless.