SUNSET: 
Centaurus Constellation: Glimpse the Greatest Globular
The Centaurus constellation holds some of the best southern targets, including the Omega Centauri globular cluster and the Centaurus A galaxy.
Meet Shaula: The Scorpion’s Triple-Pronged Stinger
Meet Shaula, the bright star on the Scorpion's tail. It's a challenge for northern observers, but easy to find if it clears the horizon!
June Podcast: Spotting the Serpent Charmer
Listen to this tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during June. Learn how to spot three planets before dawn, and to track down a snake-handler in the early summer sky. Grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.
Why Did Galileo Get Such a Puny Crater?
Galileo was one of the first people to study the Moon through a telescope. You'd think he'd get more than 10-mile-wide crater for his efforts. But of course, there's more to the story.
Explore the Star Clusters of Centaurus
This large constellation abounds in deep-sky delights, including many fine open star clusters.
Meet Alkaid, the Big Dipper’s Handle
Alkaid is the end star of the Big Dipper's handle, a bright-blue example of a nearby B-type star.
Ready the Hot Cocoa and Recliner — Here Comes the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower!
You might be tempted to sleep through this annual shower but then you'd miss seeing some of the fastest meteors around. Not to mention their parent is the most famous comet of all.
May Podcast: Big Dipper Shows the Way
High above you on May evenings is an one obvious star pattern that just about everyone knows: the Big Dipper. This “Swiss Army Knife of the sky” can help you find many other key springtime stars and constellations. Just download or stream this month’s Sky Tour podcast.
Sail into the Southern Skies with Vela
The large constellation Vela contains many hidden treasures.
April Podcast: Planets in Transition
April’s evening skies offer plenty of stars to check out. However, aside from Jupiter low in the west, planets are in short supply. Our latest Sky Tour podcast helps you track down Mars, Saturn, and much during April’s pleasant nights.
Meet Wezen, a Yellow Tail for a Big Dog
Wezen, a yellow supergiant more than 1,600 light-years from Earth, is also the tail of the Canis Major constellation.
March Podcast: A Barely-There Lunar Eclipse
As told in the latest episode of our long-running Sky Tour astronomy podcast, this month it’ll be challenging to a special kind of lunar eclipse on March 25th — but easy to spot five of the 10 brightest stars in the night sky.
Fuzzy Glows: See Zodiacal Light, Gegenschein, Airglow, and Aurorae
Find time this season to set aside your telescope and seek the night sky's ghostly glows.
Astronomy for "Cloudy, Cloudy Nights"
If you have clouds in your forecast, don't give up! There’s plenty of astronomy to be enjoyed even on overcast nights.
Get to Know the Carina Constellation
The southern constellation Carina contains arguably the best nebula in the sky, along with a host of other fascinating stars and clusters.
Winter's Finest Triple Stars
Double stars are wonderful, but triples are terrific! Here are 16 trios to enjoy the next clear night.
February Podcast: Orion and His Cosmic Critters
As told in this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast, Orion, the Hunter, dominates February’s evening sky, but he seems unaware of the cosmic prey that surrounds him.
The Best Comets to Look for in 2024
If you like chasing comets, here's a guide to the year's best and brightest.
Meet Bellatrix, the Amazon Star
It's fitting that Bellatrix, the star at Orion's other shoulder, takes the name of "woman warrior," but it wasn't always that way.
The Night I Met the Crab Pulsar
An account of my journey to the heart of one of most violent cosmic explosions witnessed on Earth. Plus, there's a bright supernova now visible in a Virgo Cluster galaxy.
