SUNSET: 
Light Pollution Is Creeping Up on the World's Observatories
Astronomical observatories enjoy some of the world’s darkest night skies. But even there light pollution is spreading, a new study suggests.
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.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
Space Missions to Watch in 2023
A tour of Jupiter’s moons and a mission to a "metal asteroid" are among the spacecraft to be launched in 2023.
Remembering Akira Fujii (1941-2022), Photographer Par Excellence
Acclaimed astrophotographer Akira Fujii's wide-field views of the constellations, each with impeccable star images, have been a hallmark of Sky & Telescope magazine for nearly four decades.
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.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 30 – January 7
Venus creeps up, Saturn sinks down; in three weeks the two shall meet. The Moon meets Mars Tuesday. Orion comes into his own to rule the winter, and Sirius emerges below him.
The Top 10 Astronomy News Stories of 2022
The James Webb Space Telescope leads our list of the top news stories of the year. See what else made the Top 10!
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
NASA's Mars Insight Reaches End of Mission
NASA's groundbreaking Insight lander on Mars has fallen silent.
What Is the Sun Made Of? New Data Deepens Debate
New data from a detector tucked under a mountain in Italy has shed light on what's inside the Sun.
The Best Meteor Showers in 2023
The two richest, most reliable annual meteor showers, the Perseids and Geminids, are Moon-free in 2023. Others showers await you too.
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.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 23 – 31
Venus and Mercury glimmer low in the southwest in twilight. The newborn crescent Moon starts the week with them, then visits Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars as it waxes toward full.
All Eight Planets Line Up ... Again!
Echoing summer's great arc of planets at dawn, winter presents the full octet again, this time splayed across the evening sky.
Deep Dive Off the Cosmic Cliffs
The James Webb Space Telescope's early-release image of the Cosmic Cliffs is revealing growth spurts in young stars.
The Challenge of Weird Black Hole Mergers
When spacetime shivers last only a fraction of a second — as in the case of the massive-black-hole merger GW190521 — astronomers struggle to uncover their origins.
Webb Telescope Sees Deep and Wide into the Universe
A new deep field from the James Webb Space Telescope shows how galaxies evolved in the early universe.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 16 – 24
The Pleiades dipper, the House in the Hyades, Mars high but fading, M31 at the zenith, and a celestial string of holiday lights.
Webb's Galactic Distance Record Is Now Official
Spectroscopic measurements confirm Webb's distance record, with images revealing galaxies that existed just 330 million years after the Big Bang.
Listen to a Martian Dust Devil
The Perseverance rover on Mars has recorded a dust devil using its microphone, providing unprecedented data about these whirlwinds.
Catch the Geminid Meteor Shower; Plus, Watch RW Cephei Fade
The luminous Geminid meteor shower returns. We also meet a binocular-bright star that may be experiencing Betelgeuse-like convulsions.