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.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Juno Will Stay in Current Orbit Around Jupiter
NASA has announced that its Juno spacecraft will remain in a wide-ranging orbit around Jupiter, extending the mission's lifetime.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA Narrows Down Mars 2020 Rover Landing Sites
Three possible landing sites are now in the running for the U.S. space agency's next Mars rover.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Hidden Gems in Common Deep-Sky Objects
Many of the deep-sky objects we point our telescopes toward have pleasant surprises, some in plain sight, others hidden and more challenging. Let me introduce you to a few.
Comet 45P Returns to Dark Skies
With the Moon out of the picture, amateurs can once again check in on comet 45P/H-M-P, now making an appearance in the evening sky.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Meteorites Date Demise of Solar Nebula
A study of ancient meteorites has refined the date for the dissolution of the solar nebula, the cloud that shrouded our Sun in its earliest days.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Green Comet 45P Makes Close Earth Flyby
Green-glowing 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova will make an unusually close pass by Earth on Saturday. Watch it boogie across the morning sky this week!
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Juno Swoops Past Jupiter's South Pole
NASA's Juno spacecraft continues to give us amazing views of Jupiter, now from its fourth perijove pass.
Astrophotography with Jerry Lodriguss
Why and How to Dither Your Astro Images
In astrophotography, to dither means to shift the pointing of the telescope slightly in random directions between exposures. Here's how it works, and why you should use it.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Star-Trapping in Orion's Trapezium
Take a high-power ride to seek out baby stars and clotted clouds within the heart of the Orion Nebula.
Micrometeorites Found on City Rooftops
A recent study found micrometeorites in piles of dirt collected from urban European rooftops.
Hubble Catches Exoplanet Shadow Play
A unique method reveals the influence of a planet within the stellar disk around TW Hydrae.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Get Your Iridium Fix Before It's Too Late!
The shock and dazzle of Iridium flares will soon be a thing of the past. Here's how to make the most of seeing them before they're replaced by a new generation of satellites.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Cassini Spies Daphnis Making Waves
NASA's Cassini returns stunning new views of Daphnis and friends from its ring-grazing orbits.
Cosmic Relief with David Grinspoon
Mars and Our Expectations
The Red Planet has inspired a long history of brilliant mistakes.
The Incredible Skies of Namibia
Explore two unique astronomical sites that lie under the dark skies of Namibia - the HESS high-energy array and the Africa Millimeter Telescope.
Explore the Night with Bob King
See Mercury First, Then Have Breakfast
Late sunrises make it easy to follow the parade of planets at dawn, including a nice apparition of Mercury this week with three successive lunar conjunctions.
Akatsuki Spies Massive Wave on Venus
Japan's Venus orbiter has witnessed a huge atmospheric wave that spans the globe.
Explore Craters in the Lunar Arctic
Put on a coat, set up your scope, and become a polar explorer as we visit off-the-beaten-path craters and maria in the Moon's arctic vastness.
NASA's Lucy & Psyche Asteroid Missions
Last week, NASA announced two new missions set to explore the earliest remnants of the solar system: asteroid 16 Psyche and Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.