SUNSET: 
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 31 – February 9
The waxing crescent Moon pairs up with Saturn, then Venus. On the night of the 5th the Moon occults some of the Pleiades. Looking wider, the Winter Hexagon fills much of the February sky.
Drift Along in Eridanus, the River Constellation
This meandering watercourse is the sixth largest constellation in the sky and holds galaxies aplenty.
Take a Look at R Leonis, Leo's Giant Ticker
Big, bright and red, the Mira variable R Leonis portends the Sun's fate. A pair of binoculars is all you need to get acquainted.
Newly Discovered Asteroid Has Slight Chance of Earth Impact in 2032
The discovery marks only the second time that an asteroid's impact risk has reached greater than a 1% chance.
Space Industry Adds Threats to Astronomy, Light Pollution Remains a Big Problem
Multiple effects from ever-increasing satellite launches could impact future observations; the biggest threat to astronomy, though, is still coming from the ground.
New Images Reveal Exocomets Around 74 Nearby Stars
Researchers have unveiled new images of 74 nearby stars surrounded by belts of small, comet-size bodies, not unlike our own Kuiper Belt.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 24 – February 2
Mars pulls away from Pollux this week. The winter Milky Way crosses the zenith. Lepus, the Hare under Orion's feet, offers a famous nearby double star and a rare winter globular cluster.
Supernova Echoes Probe Clouds in the Milky Way
As a blast from the past reverberates through our galaxy, it illuminates the fine structure of dusty gas that may someday form new stars.
Disintegrating World Sheds Comet-like Tail
Astronomers have spotted a disintegrating world being destroyed by its star, providing a unique window into the end of a planet’s life.
Witness the First-ever Sight and Sound Recording of a Meteorite Impact
To our best knowledge, the fall of last summer's Charlottetown meteorite stands as the only video-and-audio recording of a meteorite impact.
New Distance Measurement Highlights Hubble Tension
The distance to the Coma galaxy cluster highlights a discrepancy between different measurements of the universe's current expansion rate.
Comet ATLAS Caught in the Act of Disintegration
Nucleus falls to pieces, but the comet continues on!
Supernovae Shaped the Early Universe, Webb Telescope Finds
Astronomers have discovered one of the earliest supernovae yet and found that exploding stars may have contributed to the enrichment of the young universe.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 17 – 26
Brilliant Mars, just past opposition, outshines its neighbors Pollux and Castor in the east. Venus and Saturn pull apart in the southwest. Orion dominates the high southeast after dinnertime, with searing white Sirius sparkling below it.
Mysterious “Little Red Dots” Give Clues to Early Black Holes’ Formation
A new look at small red galaxies known as “little red dots” reveals that they’re surprisingly abundant in the early universe.
Celebrate Hubble’s 35th Year with This Observing Challenge
Join NASA and the Astronomical League in a fun new observing challenge that celebrates Hubble's 35th anniversary.
Webb Telescope Watches Rippling Dust Shells
After more than a year in production, a new cosmic film, starring the massive star Wolf-Rayet 140, is out.
Grab Your Binoculars for Comet ATLAS's Brief Sunset Show
Northern Hemisphere skywatchers can now spot this horizon-skirting comet. It's a beauty.
Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Heads to the Moon
The first two lunar missions of 2025 — Firefly's Blue Ghost and iSpace's second Hakuto R mission — are now headed to the Moon.
Galaxy-mapping Gaia Satellite Ends Science Operations
After more than a decade in space, the European Gaia spacecraft will end its observations this week. Astronomers are still busy preparing final data blasts.
