5081–5100 of 6,069 results

Night Sky Sights

Finding Uranus and Neptune in 2006

Binoculars and our charts are all you need to spot these twin outer planets.

Dan Werthimer

Astronomy & Observing News

SETI Conference: Planning for a Long, Long Search

Searchers for extraterrestrial intelligence reach a humble conclusion: we don't know what we don't know.

Astronomy & Observing News

SOFIA Saved!

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, slated for cancellation in NASA's 2007 budget, has been spared.

Astronomy & Observing News

Senators Step In to Save Space Science

The US Senate is moving to boost NASA's budget and restore funding for a host of space-science missions now on the chopping block.

Trapezium stars in the Orion nebula

Celestial News & Events

An Eclipsing Binary in the Trapezium

Every now and then one of the four Trapezium stars in the Orion Nebula is in eclipse; observers in the Far East will have the best view of the next event on December 12th.

Titan

Astronomy & Observing News

Great Lakes of Titan

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered the coldest beachfront property in the solar system: dozens of lakes near the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan.

Astronomy & Observing News

Sky & Telescope Editor Honored

Sky & Telescope executive editor and Night Sky editor J. Kelly Beatty (right) receives the Harold Masursky Award from outgoing DPS chairman William B. McKinnon.Courtesy AAS / DPS. This week the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) presented the 2005 Harold Masursky Award for outstanding service to planetary…

microlensing diagram

Science-based Q&A

Why are there two peaks in the light curve on page 97 of the October 2005 issue?

Why are there two peaks in the light curve on page 97 of the October 2005 issue? One might imagine that a planet of the star would produce only one sharp peak on the rounded dashed line. But why two? This is an insightful question, because astronomers who use the…

Weird moon Prometheus

Astronomy Questions & Answers

Is there another planet besides Earth whose moon(s) would fit perfectly over the Sun?

It is amazing when you think about the coincidence of the Sun being 400 times bigger than our Moon, yet 400 times farther away, producing an almost perfect fit for a total solar eclipse. Is there another planet whose moon(s) would fit perfectly over the Sun, or are we just…

Astronomy Questions & Answers

Where was the Big Bang located?

The commonest misconception about the Big Bang is that it happened at some particular spot in preexisting empty space.

Saturn and Antares

Celestial News & Events

What was that flashing light in the sky?

I'm new to astronomy (1½ months) and I live in New Jersey. Last night, July 31st, I saw a bright planet (I assume Jupiter) in the southwestern sky, and just below it what looked like an airplane with a flashing red tail marker — but it never moved. When I…

Centaur 2nd-stage rocket

Hobby-based Q&A

What was the cloud spotted near the western horizon August 31, 2004?

Around 9 p.m. on August 31, 2004, I saw a bright patch of light about half the size of the Moon near the western horizon. It moved slowly upward and fluctuated somewhat in brightness. Through an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope here in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, there were two points of light…

Astronomy & Observing News

The Future of SETI

Searches for extraterrestrial intelligence are about to expand into new realms, thanks to new advances in technology — and new thinking.

Saturn's Rings

Astronomy & Observing News

Saturn's Spare Tire

Over the last year, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has repeatedly spotted a debris pocket bulging out of one of Saturn's rings.

Sunspot

Celestial News & Events

Watch This (Sun) Spot

Sunspots change their shape and size as they travel across the face of the Sun. Catch an evolving sunspot group caught in the act.

Celestial News & Events

Mercury in the Morning

Amateurs are observing this elusive planet more successfully than ever before; try spotting it yourself.

Celestial News & Events

Watch the Re-Entry of Stardust

Late Saturday night, January 14-15, skywatchers in much of the American West can watch for a dazzling artificial "meteor."

Astronomy & Observing News

Predicting Solar Eruptions

As NASA looks to return astronauts to the Moon and send them beyond to Mars, the health hazards posed by solar explosions are a serious concern.

Dome C

Astronomy & Observing News

Earth's Coldest Star Party

One of the most inhospitable places on Earth might also be one of the best places to do astronomy.

Astronomy & Observing News

Long-Lived SOHO Celebrates A Milestone

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