121–140 of 282 results
Ophiuchus and Scorpius

Night Sky Sights

July: Scorpion & Serpent Handler

Count on our monthly Sky Tour podcast to help you get the most out your casual stargazing. It’s a fun and informative way to introduce yourself to the nighttime sky!

Captured globulars

Night Sky Sights

See Summer's Best “Gobbled” Globulars

Mergers between the Milky Way and long-ago dwarf galaxies have enriched our skies with dozens of iconic globular clusters. Many are visible in small telescopes.

Moonrise refraction

Night Sky Sights

Find a Horizon and Savor the Bending of Light

The full Strawberry Moon on June 3rd invites us to experience the refractive power of Earth's atmosphere.

Venus-Mars-Moon in June 2023

Night Sky Sights

June: Solstice Nights & Summer Sights

June offers the shortest nights of the year for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere. So count on our monthly Sky Tour podcast to help you get the most out your casual stargazing. It’s a fun and informative way to introduce yourself to the nighttime sky!

Coronal aurora blast

Night Sky Sights

Lie Back, Look Up, and Find Your Zenith Stars

When you want to relax under the stars there's no better way than on your back looking up at the zenith. We explore what's overhead and discover there's more than one zenith up there.

Venus and Mars in late May 2023

Night Sky Sights

May: Leo is King in Late Spring

This month’s episode takes you on a guided tour of the key stars and planets that you’ll see on May evenings — a fun and informative way to introduce yourself to the nighttime sky!

29-hour-old Moon

Night Sky Sights

See the Young Moon and the Lyrid Meteor Shower

We have an exciting week ahead with a crescent Moon that might break your observing record followed by a well-timed Lyrid meteor shower.

Elnath's position in Taurus constellation

Night Sky Sights

Meet Elnath in the Horn of the Bull

Elnath, the bright, blue-white star that marks one of the horns of Taurus, is a peculiar star in its own right.

Mercury & Venus April 2023

Night Sky Sights

April: Mercury & Venus at Their Best

This month’s episode offers an easy-to-follow guide to finding the solar system’s two innermost planets after sunset. And then it takes you on a guided tour of the rest of the key stars and planets that you’ll see on April evenings — a fun and informative way to introduce yourself to the nighttime sky!

Big Dipper

Night Sky Sights

Tell Time with the Big Dipper; See Ceres Transit a Spiral Galaxy

Phone battery dead? Learn how to tell time with the Big Dipper. Also, don't miss a remarkable transit of Ceres in front of the bright spiral galaxy M100.

Red aurora shines at the center to top with green aurora on the horizon line with dark trees and a snowy field at the bottom.

Night Sky Sights

Aurora Season Is Underway

These are the nights to get ready for the auroras — and tonight may be your lucky night. Not only is the current solar cycle swiftly intensifying, March is one of the best times of the year to see the northern lights.

Winter Hexagon

Night Sky Sights

March: The Winter Hexagon

As the Northern Hemisphere edges toward the March equinox and beyond, stargazers have an abundance of brilliant stars overhead as darkness falls. Anchoring the celestial parade is Orion, the Hunter. Download or listen to this month’s Sky Tour to learn about — and how to spot — the Winter Hexagon of big, beautiful winter stars.

Orion Nebula with T Ori

Night Sky Sights

Catch Birth Flickers of Budding Suns in Orion

Three flickering stars in Orion offer insight into what life looks like before the main sequence.

Comet ZTF (C/2022) and Mt. Etna

Night Sky Sights

Understanding the Tails of Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3)

We explore Comet ZTF's remarkable trio of tails and share the latest news and photos.

Orion and nearby constellations

Night Sky Sights

February: Winterʼs Dazzling Stars

February 4th marks the midway point between Decemberʼs solstice and the March equinox. Celebrate that celestial milestone by getting outside to gaze in awe at the amazing array of bright stars youʼll find overhead on February evenings.

Comet ZTF E3 dust tail

Night Sky Sights

See Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) Dash Between Big and Little Dippers

Forget the hype and go outside to enjoy the real thing — a relatively bright comet you can see in binoculars from a dark sky.

Alpha Persei Cluster (Melotte 20)

Night Sky Sights

Meet Mirfak, the Supergiant of Perseus

Mirfak, the brightest star in the constellation Perseus, is a yellow supergiant star with an uncertain fate.

Winter Pair-a-gon

Night Sky Sights

Explore Double Stars in the "Winter Pair-a-gon"

The Winter Hexagon is not only key to finding six of the season's most prominent constellations but also a gateway to a more than a half-dozen delightful double stars.

Venus and Saturn on Jan 22 2023

Night Sky Sights

January: Goodbye, Saturn (Hello, Venus)

For those well north of the equator, January’s long nights provide lots of time to enjoy the starry sky — and the stars of winter are spectacular! This month’s celestial highlights include a close pass of Saturn and Venus, a strong meteor shower, and much more. Our fun and factual Sky Tour podcast provides all the details.

Pleiades

Night Sky Sights

Getting Started with Your New Telescope

How to start out right with 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.