SUNSET: 
Explore the Night with Bob King
Swing Low, Sweet Sun: It's Solstice Time
Daylight ebbs to a minimum on Wednesday's winter solstice, but not for long. The very next day, the Sun turns back north and the cycle of light begins again.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Colored Double Stars, Real and Imagined
Colorful lights twinkle everywhere during the holiday season, including up above in some remarkably tinted double stars. Find out what makes them so alluring.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Supermoon and Geminids Duke it Out
In a spectacular case of bad timing, the full Moon coincides with the annual Geminid meteor shower. Don't feel put out. There's still something for everyone, including a consolation prize.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Comet Campaign Seeks Imagers Worldwide
Calling all imagers! Three comets will make close flybys of Earth over the next two years. Join a new pro-am effort to make the most of this rare triple play.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Quasar CTA 102: Historically Bright, Violently Variable
The normally faint quasar CTA 102, once thought to harbor an advanced civilization and made famous in a 1967 song by the Byrds, is currently bright enough to see in an 8-inch telescope. In the history of SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, there have been two great false alarms.…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Uranus: In Seventh Heaven with Planet Seven
With our eyes often glued to the bright classical planets, Uranus is easy to overlook. Now well-placed for viewing at a convenient hour, why not pay this pale blue dot a visit the next clear night?
Explore the Night with Bob King
Behold November's Super-Duper Supermoon
You won't want to miss the biggest, brightest full Moon in more than 68 years. Find out what makes this supermoon so special and how best to view it.
Explore the Night with Bob King
The Merope Nebula and Its Well-Kept Secret
Did you know that the brightest part of the Merope Nebula in the Pleiades is also the hardest to see? We'll make sense of this seeming contradiction while honing key observing skills.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Spooky Nebulae for Halloween Nights
While the kids are gathering sweet treats this Halloween, get a celestial scare with these frightful deep-sky sights.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Halley On Fire! Orionids Peak This Week
The annual Orionid meteor shower is active all week, peaking Friday morning October 21st. If you're up before dawn, you might just see these Halley's Comet castoffs come to life.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Plant Your Eyes In Delta Cephei's Fertile Triangle
The famous variable star Delta Cephei unlocks a box deep-sky treasures in a little-visited corner of Cepheus, the King.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Resolving Andromeda — How to See Stars 2.5 Million Light-Years Away
At 2.5 million light-years away, you might think it's impossible to see individual stars in the Andromeda Galaxy. Let its largest star cloud, NGC 206, show you the way.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Mercury Punctuates The False Dawn
Early risers get a triple treat this week and next: a ravishing dawn Moon, an excellent apparition of Mercury, and a hint of Halloween in the ghostly zodiacal light.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Will the Real Albireo Please Stand Up?
A stunning double star, Albireo is also a bit of an enigma. Is it a true binary or the result of a chance alignment?
Explore the Night with Bob King
Why Are There So Many UFOs?
In an age when UFO sightings are rife, we look at other possibilities that may help to explain the strange apparitions many see.
Explore the Night with Bob King
A Little Guide to Lunar Domes
With this week's waxing Moon, we set off to explore its volcanic past with a look at a dozen intriguing lunar domes.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Enjoy Orion in Shirtsleeves
Throw open the door and welcome back Orion at dawn. The Hunter's return brings relief from the heat and gives us a fresh shot at exploring untouched winter deep-sky objects in comfort.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Polarized Light: From Blue Sky to Egg Nebula
Bees see polarized light and use it to navigate to honey. Learn how you can use it to crack the Egg Nebula.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Palling Around With Palomar Globular Clusters
The intriguing Palomar globular clusters will challenge observers with modest to large telescopes, while providing a satisfying ramble around the galactic halo.
Explore the Night with Bob King
A Real Scorcher! — Sirius At Heliacal Rising
Make a connection to a time when stars were used to track seasons and predict natural events by watching the heliacal rising of Sirius.
