81–100 of 196 results
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)

Comets

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

Celestial Objects to Observe

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.

Full moon and Earth shadow

Explore the Night with Bob King

Uncovering Secrets of Earth's Shadow

The daily rising and setting of Earth's shadow is a beautiful sight anyone on the planet can view. It's also an opportunity to witness the rapid changes that accompany sunset or sunrise, but at the opposite end of the sky.

Moon-Venus-Mars-Saturn March 27-28

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

March: Sirius in the Spotlight

Whether you’re just getting started in astronomy or simply looking to do some casual sky-watching, our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download the March episode to find and learn about Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

Southern Milky Way gazing

Explore the Night with Bob King

Reveling in the Winter Milky Way

With the Moon departing the evening sky, now's a good time for a closer look at the northern winter Milky Way and its southern summer counterpart, too. No equipment required!

Observing the stars

Night Sky Sights

See the Sun from Other Stars

We journey to distant suns to look back at our solar system and see its place among the stars.

Orion's neighborhood

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

February: Orion’s Neighborhood

Our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download February’s episode to explore the colorful constellations that surround Orion, the Hunter.

Mare Orientale gravity map

Explore the Night with Bob King

Set Your Sights on This Lunar Bull’s-Eye

Go ahead, live on the edge: Grab your chance this month to see Mare Orientale, one of the most spectacular lunar seas most people have never seen.

Comet 19P/Borrelly on Dec. 30, 2021

Explore the Night with Bob King

Comet-seeking on Cold, Crunchy Nights

Did the recent apparition of Comet Leonard whet your appetite for more of these beautiful unpredictables? Here are five more you can see with your telescope this season.

Moon Venus Mars & Mercury before dawn on Jan 28-30

Sky Tour Astronomy Podcast

January: Evening Planet Adieu

There’s no better way to start the new year than listening to our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast. It’s an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky.

Geminid fireball over Tucson

Observing

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 on Dec. 24, 2021

Observing

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.

Pleiades

Night Sky Sights

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 full circle

Astronomy & Observing News

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.

Night Sky Sights

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.

Comet Leonard meets M3

Night Sky Sights

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.

Proxima Centauri flare

Night Sky Sights

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.