SUNSET: 
The Best Meteor Showers of 2022
Sky & Telescope predicts that the year’s best meteor shower will be the Quadrantids, which peak in the very first days of 2022. But the normally weak Tau Herculids (late May) and Leonids (November) might deliver dramatic outbursts.
Comet Leonard: A Gift at Christmastime
Multiple bright outbursts have transformed Comet Leonard into a stunning photographic object that’s also visible without optical aid from southern locations. More disruptions are likely in store as it approaches perihelion.
Getting Started with Your New Telescope
How to start right using a new telescope — a guide to what you need to know, how to set it up, and things you can start finding with it in tonight's sky.
Venus Farewell, Moonless Skies for the Quadrantids
Venus presents a stunning crescent at dusk before switching over to the morning sky early next month. After dodging the Moon for the Geminids, it's dark skies all around for the Quadrantid meteor shower.
Precious Hours with the Geminids
At first glance, the annual Geminid meteor shower appears to be on a collision course with a bright Moon. But a closer look reveals a happy window of dark skies.
See Comet Leonard at its Best
The year's brightest comet is now on display in the predawn sky this week and next. Here's how to find it.
Meet Proxima Centauri: The Closest Star
Proxima Centauri is the dimmest and smallest of the Alpha Centauri system, but it has the honor of being the nearest star.
Deep-sky Fishing in Cetus, the Whale
Small telescopes can reel in some big ones in the constellation Cetus, the Whale.
Uranus Queues Up for Opposition
Journey to a remote planet then double back to check in on the latest stirrings of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann before touching the finger of dawn.
International Observe the Moon Night 2021
Join fellow lunar enthusiasts all over the world in celebrating the Moon this weekend.
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.
Cassiopeia Cornucopia — Pretty Little Clusters All in a Row
See nine unique open clusters in Cassiopeia while barely moving your telescope.
The Last Wildflowers: Globular Clusters Greet Autumn
These four globular clusters are easy to find in autumn skies and a perfect way to welcome the season.
Asteroid Pallas Makes a Point in Pisces
Spice up your fall observing with a dash of Pallas and nibble of Neptune. Both planet and asteroid are easy to spot in a small telescope.
Making Time for Morning Comets
If you like mixing comets with the quietude of observing in the small hours, September opens with five fuzzy vagabonds just waiting for a visit.
Meet Gamma Cassiopeiae, the Classic Eruptive Variable
Gamma Cassiopeia may lack a proper name, but the middle star of the "W"-shape constellation is worth finding on the sky.
Learn to Star-hop in the August Sky
Learn to star-hop your way to celestial treasures in the August sky.
Recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi Just Blew its Top!
The recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi just went into outburst — its first burst in 15 years — and it's bright enough to see with the naked eye
Dazzling Double Stars for Compromised Skies
For many, smoke from wildfires has transformed summer nights, blotting out stars and familiar deep-sky sights. But through it all double stars keep on shining.
In Heaven with M7, a Portal Into the Deep
M7 in Scorpius is one of the brightest, most beautiful open clusters in the sky. It's also "home" to a half-dozen other delectable deep-sky sights.
