SUNSET: 
Explore the Night with Bob King
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Shines in September
Watch a binocular-bright comet leapfrog across Auriga in the next few weeks before a remarkable conjunction with the bright star cluster, M35.
Explore the Night with Bob King
See All Eight Planets in One Night
Four planets are great, but how about eight? You can see them all in a single night in the next couple weeks — if you play your cards right.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Shadow Play — Summertime Dark Nebulae for Binoculars
Using only binoculars, we explore a host of inky dust clouds, the dark nebulae that smudge the Milky Way on late summer nights.
Explore the Night with Bob King
R Coronae Borealis Awakes and Pluto Blocks a Star
Sometimes, it's just as exciting to watch a celestial object fade or disappear as it is to see it explode. We celebrate the "return" of a mysterious variable star and prepare for Pluto to occult a star.
Explore the Night with Bob King
The Fun Begins at M22
Add a dash of random to your night sky viewing plans and you're guaranteed an adventure. We'll start ours with the famous globular M22 and see where it takes us.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Red Moon Meets Red Planet in Longest Total Lunar Eclipse of the Century
Not only will the Moon will be totally eclipsed this Friday, but Mars will be at opposition and shine in tandem with the red Moon all night!
Explore the Night with Bob King
PanSTARRS Comet, Rocked by Outburst, Goes Green
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 S3) has erupted again! Now bright enough to see in binoculars, it might become a naked-eye object if it survives until perihelion.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Observers Anxious for Dust to Settle as Mars Opposition Approaches
With opposition only weeks away, will the current global dust storm finally break? We look at the prospects.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Don't Miss Aldebaran's Last Occultation Till 2033
The last and one of the most picturesque occultations of Aldebaran by the Moon happens on Tuesday morning, July 10. Catch it or wait 15 years for the next!
Explore the Night with Bob King
Fireworks, Planets, Comets, a Nova — July's Got it All!
July's a busy month for skywatching. Not only are five bright planets in view, but three comets and a newly-discovered nova are also observable. And it all starts with a bang on Independence Day.
Explore the Night with Bob King
The Eyes Have it — Deep-Sky Observing Without Equipment
No telescope? No problem. Just use your eyeballs! On a dark summer night at least two dozen deep-sky objects can be seen without optical aid.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Big Dust Storm Blows up on Mars (Updated)
Will Mars soon be hidden under a veil of dust? Let's hope not. We explore the current storm and the planet's upcoming close opposition.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Quest for the Green Flash
If you like sunrises and sunsets, look for the green flash, a phenomenon that happens more often that you think.
Explore the Night with Bob King
M13 with a Side of Galaxies, Please
The Great Hercules Cluster is on everyone's observing list this summer. But there's lots more to see within a stone's throw of this grand object — like 20 galaxies!
Explore the Night with Bob King
Asteroid 2018 LA Explodes Over Botswana Hours After Discovery
Don't look now — it's already gone! Asteroid 2018 LA screeched into Earth's atmosphere only 7 hours after its discovery to create a Sun-bright spectacle over South Africa and Botswana.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Vesta Gets Close and Bright
Vesta, the brightest asteroid, puts on one of its best shows ever in June, when it shines enough to see without optical aid.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Spice Up Your Space Station Watching
The annual International Space Station marathon is underway with multiple passes visible each night. Here are some fun and unique ways to see and share it.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Vega Promises, Venus Visits M35, and a Subtle Comet Shines at Morning
A familiar light shines in the east at dusk, Venus makes a pit stop at a departing star cluster, and Comet PanSTARRS (C/2016 M1) coaxes before dawn.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Jupiter Shines with a Mighty Light
Jupiter's at opposition this week. Close and bright, it shines like a midnight version of Venus. No matter your scope, the biggest planet is always a crowd-pleaser.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Time Travel for Skywatchers
Time travel is one of the best things about astronomy. Check out two websites that give skywatchers a more visceral sense of stellar distances and how constellations change shape across the sweep of time.
