SUNSET: 
The Geminids Are Coming
The best time to view the 2007 Geminid meteor shower from North America is the night of December 13–14, with good prospects the following night as well. In Asia, December 14–15 should be better, and in Europe, it’s a tossup between the two.
My Kind of Beauty Contest!
What's the most beautiful image taken by the Cassini spacecraft since it arrived at Saturn? Vote for your favorite today!
Lightning on Venus
The world next door seemed hellish enough with an atmosphere 90 times the sea-level pressure on Earth and surface temperature of 900°. Now, scientists say, there's lots of lightning — and what little water it has seems to be escaping to space.
Observe Mars Tonight!
Mars now appears bigger through a telescope than it will again until 2016.
December's Audio Guide to the Heavens
You'll have an easy time spotting Orion leaping up into the sky — with dazzling Mars at his side — if you download this podcast to your MP3 player and head outdoors after dark.
Like Chocolate in Your Peanut Butter
When two great things come together. . .
Saturn in the Morning
The ringed planet is at its highest in the sky shortly before dawn in December. And the early-morning sky is full of other marvels, too.
Undiscovered Country
A detailed overview of Antarctica was released yesterday.
A Revival of Comet Holmes
It's still there! With the Moon now gone from the early-eyening sky, Comet Holmes is the easiest-to-spot "deep sky object" after the Pleiades.
The Orion Nebula, Exactly?
Radio astronomers succeed where others have failed to pin down the distance to a great showpiece of the night sky.
Earth at Night: Not a Pretty Sight
Rosetta's nighttime snapshots of the Eastern Hemisphere show that the fight against light pollution has a long way to go.
Swimming a Salty Sea
There could be life on Jupiter's moon, Europa. The qualities thought necessary for life to arise are liquid water, an energy source, and certain biogenic elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and Europa likely has all of these in abundance.
Mars Is Here!
The Red Planet is now nearly as bright — and appears nearly as big through a telescope — as it will any time this year.
For the Garden
Careful attention goes into bringing back a classic telescope. Watch how it's done.
Call for Images of Venus
Venus Express project scientists are inviting amateur and professional astronomers to contribute Earth-based images of the planet made at infrared, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths.
Will the UK Bail on Gemini?
Budget woes are forcing the United Kingdom to abandon its share of one of the world's premier observatories.
What Happened to Comet Holmes?
Despite scrutiny by an army of professional and amateur observatories — even the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes — we may never learn what made a nondescript comet blow its top in late October.
Nova in Puppis
On Nov. 14, 2007, a star in the constellation Puppis suddenly became visible in binoculars.
Leonids 2007
The Leonid meteor shower peaks on the morning of Sunday, November 18th.
Nova in Puppis
On Nov. 14, 2007, a star in the constellation Puppis suddenly became visible in binoculars.
