41–60 of 171 results
Battered Vesta

Asteroids

Observe Vesta — and Own a Piece of It, Too

Vesta's bright and easy to find in binoculars and maybe even with the naked eye in late summer skies. It's also just as easy to acquire a piece of it without a multi-billion dollar space mission.

Interferometry image of Rasalhague

Celestial Objects to Observe

Meet Rasalhague, the Star with the Snake

Rasalhague, a star rotating so fast it has squashed itself, has a fascinating connection to the mythology of healing.

Perseid 2021

Meteors

Perseids Are Coming, Full Moon or Not

Don't use a full Moon pass to skip this year's Perseid meteor shower. Right here, right now, we're going to help you make the most of it.

Perseid over Stellafane in 2010

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

August: Saturn & the Perseids

August marks the return of the Perseid meteor shower — and as you’re looking out for shooting stars while listening to this month’s Sky Tour podcast, look for Saturn low in the southeast as soon as night begins to fall.

Earthshine painting

Night Sky Sights

Solving an Earthshine Mystery

Something we take for granted about the crescent Moon's appearance may be nothing more than an optical illusion.

Iapetus transit single

Planets

See a Rare Transit of Iapetus on July 17–18

It's tiny. It's challenging. But you won't get the chance to see Iapetus transit the globe of Saturn again until 2037!

Titan and Tethys

Explore the Night with Bob King

Titan Occults a Bright Star, Mira Awakens, and Comet PanSTARRS Shines

Pick one or see them all. July offers a potpourri of celestial events for both naked-eye observers and telescope users that include a rare occultation by Saturn's moon Titan, a bright comet, and Mira at maximum.

Sagittarius-Scorpius on July evenings

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

July: Stars of the Summer Sky

July offers lots of pretty stars and constellations to check out, and you’ll get a personally guided tour of them by downloading this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast.

Dawn planet line

Explore the Night with Bob King

Solar System Gets its Ducks in a Row

We'll have not one but many opportunities to enjoy a rare lineup of the bright planets over the next few weeks. Amazingly, they'll be aligned in order of their distance from the Sun.

Tau Herculid fireball

Explore the Night with Bob King

Tau Herculid Meteors Surprise and Delight

We touch on the highlights of the memorable Tau Herculid meteor shower and also report on the recent outburst of the recurrent nova U Scorpii.

4 planets and Moon 24June2022

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

June: Pre-dawn Planet-Palooza

Download this month's Sky Tour podcast to find out where and when to spot a rare alignment of five planets in the sky before dawn.

Denebola

Night Sky Sights

Meet Denebola, and Catch a Lion by the Tail

Meet Denebola, the tail of Leo, the Lion. This young star is a fast rotater but otherwise not that different from our Sun.

Geminid meteor shower

Meteors

Update on a Possible Outburst of Meteors

Will there be a new meteor shower on the night of May 30–31? There's only one way to find out.

Big Dipper

Explore the Night with Bob King

A New Way to See the Big Dipper

Unlike most asterisms, many of the Big Dipper's stars really are physically connected. They belong to a loosely bound stellar stream called the Ursa Major Moving Cluster.

Moon & planets 24-26 May 2022

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

May: An Eclipse, Planets & More

Download this month's Sky Tour podcast to find which planets are visible in the morning and evening skies, along expert tips for how to view the total lunar eclipse on May 15–16.

Four planets before dawn April 25-27

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

April: Dancing Planets at Dawn

With the arrival of April, you’re likely to spend more time outdoors under the stars. So why not bring along our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast? It provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download the April episode to explore the fascinating movement of four planets in the sky before dawn.

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 L3)

Night Sky Sights

Comets to View in 2022

Like comets? We've got 11 frozen fuzzies to share with you in the coming months, including a couple that could become fine binocular objects.

Canis Minor

Meet the Stars

Meet Procyon, Orion’s Littler Dog

Meet Procyon, the brightest of the few stars in Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog. On its way to becoming a giant, this star is part of the Winter Triangle and Wniter Hexagon asterisms.

Saturn 2011 Cassini

Explore the Night with Bob King

Will Saturn Sprout Spots this Observing Season?

As Saturn returns to the morning sky, will this otherwise serene-looking planet experience another bout of severe weather? Keep your eyes peeled for white spots!

Shackleton Crater

Meet the Stars

Meet Shackleton Crater: Future Moon Landing Site

Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole is a site of future exploration — and you can even see it through your telescope during favorable librations.