Explore the Night with Bob King
How to See Lunar Craters with the Naked Eye
Who says you need a telescope to see craters on the Moon? Here's how to find a half-dozen with just the naked eye.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
DSCOVRing Earth
An innovative Earth-observing satellite now shows near-daily views of our home planet online.
The Night of the Blazing Aurora
A group of about 40 intrepid souls from the U.S. and Australia hits pay dirt on a tour of Iceland
Explore the Night with Bob King
Discover a Dozen Clusters in the "W"
Open your bag wide as we go trick-or-treating in the "W" of Cassiopeia, home to more than 100 star clusters.
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.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
India Launches First Astronomy Satellite
AstroSat launched into orbit on September 28, 2015, and will soon start returning visible, ultraviolet, and X-ray images of the universe.
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!
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Views of Sunday’s Solar Eclipse from Space
Some of the most stunning views of Sunday's partial solar eclipse didn't come from Earth.
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.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Amateurs Help Discover Rare Eclipsing Binary
A collaboration of amateur and professional astronomers has uncovered a rare variety of eclipsing binary star - and a supernova in the making.
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…
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Robotic Flyers: Future of Space Exploration?
Quadcopters, the four-propellered drones that have become a familiar sight in terrestrial skies, may be the next big thing in space exploration.
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
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Shedding New Light on Near-Earth Asteroids
Students captured some amazing videos of near-Earth asteroids this past month, demonstrating a powerful tool for learning about some of our nearest celestial neighbors.
