SUNSET: 
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 22 – 30
As fall proceeds, Jupiter and Saturn shift westward and tilt ever more steeply. Venus gets a little higher and brighter. The waning Moon passes the Pleiades. And as Halloween approaches, Arcturus becomes the Ghost of Summer Suns.
China’s FAST Observatory Sees More Than 1,000 Radio Bursts from a Single Spot
The largest haul of fast radio burst observations ever recorded, all from a single fast radio burst, is helping astronomers understand what causes these fleeting cosmic phenomena
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA Selects Gamma-Ray Mission to Explore Positron Sources, Supernovae
The COSI mission will study the recent history of star birth, star death, and the formation of chemical elements in the Milky Way.
Jupiter Whacked Again? Japanese Astronomers Record Possible Impact
A group of Japanese astronomers just discovered a potential new impact at the planet Jupiter.
NASA Launches Lucy Mission to Trojan Asteroids
NASA’s ambitious Lucy mission has launched to explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, pristine examples of the solar system's early years.
International Observe the Moon Night 2021
Join fellow lunar enthusiasts all over the world in celebrating the Moon this weekend.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 15 – 23
The gibbous Moon shines under Jupiter and Saturn, then waxes to full under the Great Square of Pegasus. Cassiopeia stands on end high in the northeast, as Capella glitters far below.
Two Impacts, Not Just One, May Have Formed The Moon
The Moon may have formed in a one-two punch, new simulations suggest.
How Bright Will Comet Leonard Get?
We examine circumstances and expectations for the current apparition of Comet Leonard, which may become the year's brightest comet.
Pittsburgh Goes Dark: Could This New Dark-Sky Ordinance Begin a Trend?
The city's parks, facilities, and streetlights will all get dark-sky-friendly lighting, but is it too early for amateur astronomers to get excited?
New Horizons Discovers Kuiper Belt "Twins"
New Horizons has spotted two asteroid pairs in the outer solar system. Their existence sheds light on how planets formed.
Celebrate Fall Astronomy Day This Weekend
Saturday, October 9, 2021, is this fall’s Astronomy Day!
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 8 – 16
The crescent Moon returns to the evening sky, passing Venus, then the Saturn and Jupiter pair. Venus itself passes Delta Sco and then Antares. Auroras may shimmer, the Draconids may sputter; the sky never ceases to call.
China's Lunar Samples Confirm Late Volcanism, Pose New Questions
China's Chang'e 5 mission returned pieces of the Moon in a technological feat last year. Now, scientists are publishing the first analyses of those samples.
Plutonian Mounts Aren’t Ice Volcanoes
Careful study of data from the New Horizons mission indicates that an iconic, caldera-looking feature isn’t what it seems.
Did Astronomers See a Distant, Dying Star? Or an Earth-bound Satellite?
What seemed a lucky break — the discovery of a gamma-ray burst in the most distant known galaxy — might instead be the flash of passing space debris. As satellites fill low-Earth orbit, such events might become common.
BepiColombo First Picture of Mercury (Updated)
BepiColombo is set to make the first of several flybys past Mercury on Friday, October 1st.
October: Three Planets at Dusk
Take advantage of October's crisp, clear evenings and early-arriving dawns to explore the nighttime sky with our audio guided tour.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 1 – 9
Venus shines in twilight; watch Antares and the head of Scorpius slide toward it. Check out Jupiter, and hop from Saturn to two binocular double stars. The evenings are dark for deep-sky observing; the waning Moon crosses Leo before dawn.
Comet 29P Undergoes Brightest Outburst in Recent Years
Catch one of the most active small bodies in the solar system during a rare superoutburst.