SUNSET: 
Explore the Night with Bob King
Take the Gegenschein Challenge
How and when to see the gegenschein, cousin of the zodiacal light and one of the greatest night sky naked-eye challenges.
Explore the Night with Bob King
"Blink" a Nova Tonight
Like people doing good imitations, novae often mimic planetary nebulae. Read on to learn how to watch the evolution of these tricksters using a common nebula filter.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Moon Hides Hyades, Occults Aldebaran Friday
After a late-night ramble through the Hyades cluster, the waning gibbous Moon will cover up the bright star Aldebaran for observers across North America Friday morning.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Observer's Guide to the H-alpha Sun
Want to see a star rock in real time? Observe the Sun in the crimson light of hydrogen alpha and watch it come alive.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Watch Andromeda Galaxy Blossom in Binoculars
How much can you see of the Andromeda Galaxy system with just a pair of binoculars? Turns out a lot!
Explore the Night with Bob King
How to See the Farthest Thing You Can See in the Night Sky
Step by step, we explore the farthest things visible with the naked eye, from the most distant star to the hinterlands of the Andromeda Galaxy
Explore the Night with Bob King
Violent Lights For September Nights
Find out how two closely-orbiting stellar pairs create fireworks you can see in your own backyard telescope.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Neptune And Its Maverick Moon Triton
Neptune reaches opposition next week, giving amateurs the chance to track its unique, backwards-orbiting moon Triton.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Tiptoe Into The Twilight Zone
Twilight. Gloaming. Dusk. Blue Hour — all names for that colorful and contemplative time between day and night. We explore twilight's brief but fascinating sights and learn why it gets shorter as summer turns to fall. Twilight takes us gently into that good night. I wouldn't mind spending time on the Moon, but I'd miss…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Rosetta's Comet Beckons At Dawn
Northern hemisphere observers have this month and next to get their best look at Rosetta's comet, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Let's Get Serious About Ceres
We pay a visit to Ceres, now the apple of the Dawn Mission's eye, as it creeps through Sagittarius this month
Explore the Night with Bob King
Rayed Craters on the Moon
Like "catching some rays"? Explore the beauty and dazzle of crater rays, the tracks left by powerful impacts in the not-so-distant past.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Why We Can See In The Dark
In search of a pitch black night? Don't expect to find it on Earth. Thanks to starlight, zodiacal light, and especially airglow, true darkness doesn't exist.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Dive Into Scutum's Dark Nebulae
One of the smallest constellations in the sky hosts one of the richest concentrations of dark nebulae. Join me for a dip in these dark pools from which the next generation of stars will be born.
Explore the Night with Bob King
C/2014 Q1 (PanSTARRS): Next Naked-Eye Comet?
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS has been skirting the northern horizon since mid-June. Now it's ready to dip Down Under, where it may be visible with the naked eye in evening twilight.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Fireflies, Green Stars, and Chromatic Duos
July nights bring the green flicker of fireflies and a question — are there any green stars we can see in our telescopes? The answer may surprise you.
Explore the Night with Bob King
See Icarus Wing By Earth This Week
It's no myth. Icarus makes a rare flyby of Earth this week. Here's how to see it in your telescope and live online.
Explore the Night with Bob King
What Can You See Through Baade's Window?
Cobwebs of cosmic dust limit how far we can see into the Milky Way's hub, but Baade's Window offers a rare glimpse into the stellar riches that await us there.
Explore the Night with Bob King
On the Move with Barnard's Star and 61 Cygni
Stars may appear static, but they're on the move. Put these two speed demons on your observing list this summer. When you return in a year or two, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Will We Still Recognize the Sky in 27,800 AD?
With Arcturus as our touchstone, we set off in a virtual time machine to visit the sky of the distant future.
