SUNSET: 
So It Ends for Comet ISON
After more than a year of anticipation, there is no dazzle, only a dud.
Tour December's Sky! | December 1st, 2013
December's crystal-clear skies offer Venus low in the west after sunset, a “tower of brilliance” (including Jupiter) rising in the east, and the prospect of a nice showing by Comet ISON in the predawn sky early in the month.
Latest Updates on Comet ISON
Only a dim, fading, dispersing cloud of dust remains of the once grand Comet ISON. Nothing will be visible in the December dawns. Skilled electronic imagers and the Hubble Space Telescope may or may not detect the last trace when it enters a dark sky in mid-December.
Can You Spot Comet ISON at Perihelion?
It won't be easy by a long shot, but it just might be possible to spot the comet in broad daylight as it passes nearest the Sun.
Comet ISON Diving Sunward as its Moment of Truth Nears
Tiny, greenish white, and harder to see every day, Comet ISON is descending toward the sunrise horizon and its November 28th perihelion.
Older Updates on Comet ISON:
February to mid-November 2013
For the more recent updates, see SkyandTelescope.com/ISON.
Comet ISON Comes to Life!
Veteran comet observer John Bortle reports that Comet ISON is undergoing a major outburst. It was six times brighter when he observed it this morning (November 14th) than on the previous morning.
The Next New Meteor Shower
Astronomers confirm that debris from Comet 209P/LINEAR should create a sky show on May 24, 2014 — but it looks less likely that a “storm” is in the works.
The Other Great Morning Comet
While Comet ISON is brightening rapidly, Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) is far more impressive right now, and also much better placed in the sky. It's shown here passing Messier 44, the Beehive Cluster.
November’s Hybrid Eclipse: First Reports
From high over the western Atlantic to the sandstorm-swept plains of northern Kenya, adventurous eclipse-chasers converged along the Moon’s ultra-narrow shadow on November 3rd to get fleeting views of the Sun’s blackened disk.
Tour November's Sky! | October 31st, 2013
Returning at last to standard time, you'll find Venus low in the west at sunset, Jupiter rising in late evening, and the winged horse Pegasus galloping across the November night sky.
SkyWatch Now Available
Whether you're new to stargazing or an old hand, you'll find our annual SkyWatch publication the perfect guide to stargazing throughout the year. Check out a sample sky chart for free!
A Timely Cover-up by Ceres
Before dawn on Friday, October 25th, observers along the East Coast have an opportunity to watch the large asteroid Ceres cover a faint star — an event that could aid the forthcoming arrival of NASA's Dawn spacecraft.
Announcing the Comet ISON Photo Contest
Sky & Telescope is now accepting submissions to the Comet ISON Photo Contest!
Partial Solar Eclipse Sunday Morning, Nov. 3rd
Much of the world can see at least a partial eclipse of the Sun on November 3rd. Near North America's Eastern Seaboard, you can catch the partial eclipse in progress at sunrise.
Amateur Astronomers Report Comet Outburst
Next door to Comet ISON in the eastern pre-dawn sky, Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) exploded without warning from magnitude 14 to 8.
(Maybe) Watch a Binary Asteroid "Wink Out"
If you live along the U.S. midsection, from California to the Mid-Atlantic states, you've got a chance to watch a star occulted by the binary asteroid Patroclus on October 20–21.
November 3rd's Rare Solar Eclipse
Syzygially speaking, the year's big event is a "hybrid" solar eclipse with a path that zooms across the Atlantic Ocean and central Africa. Lucky viewers along the Eastern Seaboard can (carefully) view a partial solar eclipse at dawn.
October 18th's Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
Careful skywatchers in the eastern half of North America can watch the full Moon just graze Earth's outer shadow.
Triple Shadow Transit across Jupiter Tonight
Triple shadow transits, where three moons cross the face of Jupiter, happen only once or twice a decade. Catch the show tonight.
