Explore the Night with Bob King
Watch Venus and Uranus Double Up Beneath a Comet
Following an occultation of Rho Leonis by the Moon, watch Venus and Uranus pair up in a weekend conjunction just 10° from Comet ER61 PanSTARRS.
Explore the Night with Bob King
New Impact Flash Seen on Jupiter
Flash! A comet or asteroid fragment whacked Jupiter on May 26th. It's the sixth time that observers on Earth have witnessed an impact on the giant planet.
Explore the Night with Bob King
The Summer Triangle Makes its Midnight Debut
Stay up late and you'll see the return of one of the sky's most familiar asterisms, the Summer Triangle. Firefly nights under the arch of the summertime Milky Way will soon be here.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Gobs of Globs — Tour 16 Spring Globular Clusters
Chandeliers of the galaxy, these distant stellar swarms fire our sense of wonder. Hop on and we'll tour 16 of season's finest!
Bright Supernova Discovered in "Fireworks Galaxy" NGC 6946
A brand new supernova in NGC 6946 is bright enough to see in modest-sized telescopes. Here's how to find it.
Watch Comet Johnson Sprint Through Boötes
Another binocular comet? You better believe it. Comet Johnson takes center stage at nightfall this month and next.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Sneezing at the Full Moon
Pollen's no friend of the allergy-prone, but there's an upside to your itchy eyes — weird and colorful coronas around the Moon and Sun.
Are You Ready, Willing, and Abell?
A cosmic rabbit hole in the tail of Leo will take you to Abell 1367, a wonderland of galaxies more than 300 million light-years from Earth. Step in and lose yourself in the vastness.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Lyrids to Put on a Weekend Light Show
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will add some pop and sizzle to Saturday's pre-dawn sky. With little interference from the Moon, conditions are ideal for meteor watching.
See a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid From Your Backyard
Get ready for 2014 JO25, the biggest asteroid to fly this close to Earth since 2004. Good news — even a 3-inch telescope will show it! Update: See below for a radar image and animation of 2014 JO25 captured by NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar on April 18, 2017. Every week, a…
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) in Outburst and Binocular Bright
Dawn comet C/2015 ER61 PanSTARRS just underwent a bright outburst and is now an easy binocular object. Take a look before the Moon returns!
Explore the Night with Bob King
Jupiter Close, Bright, and Up All Night
It's easy to like Jupiter. No other planet offers such a bounty of amazing sights through the telescope, especially this week when it reaches opposition. On April 7th, the largest planet in the solar system will rise at sunset and shine all night. That's the date Jupiter lines up behind…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Comet Lovejoy Brightens Quickly, Heads North
Terry Lovejoy's new comet has gone from faint to bright in just three weeks and is now a tempting binocular target at dawn.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Sirius B — A New Pup in My Life
Here are some tips on you, too, can see Sirius B, the "Pup" of the Dog Star, Sirius A.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Bright Supernova Erupts in NGC 5643 in Lupus
A recently discovered supernova in Lupus now shines around magnitude +11.5, bright enough to see in a modest telescope. With photos and maps, we'll get you there. I wished I lived in Georgia and not just for the peach trees and warmer weather. No, I'd be able to get up early…
Astronomy and Stargazing Projects
See an Ultrathin Venus Crescent
With Venus approaching inferior conjunction, don't miss the chance to see one of the thinnest Venus crescents of your life.
Comet 41P/T-G-K Greens Up For St. Paddy's Day
Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak begins its best showing of the year this week as it slingshots across the Big Dipper into circumpolar skies.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Constellations That Might Have Been
Obsolete constellations may be gone, but they're not forgotten. We revisit their brief glories and learn how to find them in the 21st-century sky.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Pushing Limits: A Spring Sky Double Star Romp
Push your telescope to the limit and put your eyes to the test with this series of tight-knit springtime double stars.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Three Crescents and a Sinking Comet
If you're crazy about crescents, you'll find your happy place this week between the Moon and Venus. Meanwhile, we shift our focus from 45P/H-M-P to another famous periodic comet, 2P/Encke.