
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 7 – 15
The bright Moon this week passes Jupiter, then Mars. Deep-sky darkness starts returning to the evening sky on the Thursday the 13th. The bulky Andromegasus Dipper is on autumn display.

Astronomers Map the Milky Way's "Underworld"
A simulated map of the Milky Way shows the location of our galaxy's stellar corpses — and they're not where you might think they'd be.

Explore the Night with Bob King
Full Moon Fringe Benefits
The upcoming Hunter's Moon reminds us of the many ways we can enjoy observing our humble satellite.

Juno's Close View of Jupiter's Europa (New Photos!)
Juno will pass over the surface of Europa this week in our closest view since the Galileo mission, aiding future exploration efforts.

Meet Scheat, the Peak of Pegasus
Meet Scheat, the orange giant star that peaks the Great Square of Pegasus in autumn skies in the Northern Hemisphere.

October: Make Way for Jupiter
October is a great time of year to do some casual stargazing. The stars and planets are waiting for you — all you need is this month’s Sky Tour astronomy podcast. Just download or stream the audio file and take it with you outside.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 30 – October 8
The Moon poses with Antares at dusk. A few nights later, lunar sunrise unveils the sharp black line of the Straight Wall in Mare Nubium for small-telescope users. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars span the evening sky. Mercury climbs onstage at dawn.

SOFIA Airborne Observatory Has Taken Its Final Flight
The flying observatory has been grounded due to its lofty price-tag and questionable productivity, causing an outcry among astronomers

Wobbly Star Reveals the Closest Black Hole Yet
The most compelling dormant stellar-mass black hole candidate in the Milky Way orbits a Sun-like star only 1,570 light-years away.

Breadcrumbs Lead to Baby Planet
New radio images reveal evidence for a planet forming around the Sun-like star LkCa 15.

Photos Show Drama of DART Asteroid Impact (Updated)
The DART impact into asteroid moon Dimorphos wowed astronomers with an unexpectedly dramatic plume.

NASA's DART Mission Successfully Impacts Asteroid
NASA's DART mission will impact the asteroidal moon Didymos on Monday. Here's how to watch and what we'll learn.

New Observations Add Fuel to Fast Radio Burst Origin Debate
A peculiar repeating fast radio burst seems to be coming from a dynamic environment in an otherwise uninteresting region, leaving researchers scratching their heads as to the burst’s origin.

Neptune's Rings, Jupiter's “Frosted Cupcakes,” and 3D Views of Mars
Three solar system emissaries have returned beautiful and even interactive vistas of Neptune, Jupiter, and Mars.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 23 – October 1
Cygnus and the Milky Way cross the zenith after the end of twilight. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars await your scope through the night. A thin crescent Moon poses favorably at dawn — because it's cupped.

The Black Hole Files with Camille Carlisle
Hotspot Zooms Around Our Galaxy’s Black Hole
Astronomers have detected a bubble of hot gas circling our galaxy’s central black hole soon after seeing a flare, suggesting both arose from the same process.

Explore the Night with Bob King
Jupiter's Exceptionally Close Opposition
A sentinel in the autumnal sky, Jupiter marks its closest opposition since 1963.

Webb's Exoplanet Data Are Almost Too Good
A new study urges caution in interpreting the chemical fingerprints that Webb is collecting of alien worlds.

Astrophotographer of the Year Awards
The Royal Observatory Greenwich has announced the winners of the 14th annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest.

Perseverance Finds Ancient Habitable Conditions on Mars
The mission team has reported results from Perseverance's study of the rocks deposited by the river that once flowed into Jezero Crater.