SUNSET: 
Wil Tirion, 1943–2024
Dutch astrocartographer Wil Tirion will be remembered as the creator of the most beautiful star maps and atlases of our time.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 4 – 14
The waxing Moon passes Regulus on its way to occulting Spica July 13th. The Kite of Boötes tilts toward the Dipper. And the largest asteroid is at opposition.
Catch an Exciting Spica Occultation on July 13th
Don't miss Spica's dramatic disappearance at the Moon's dark limb. We also check in on the status of current bright comets.
Webb Telescope Reveals Parallel Jets from Baby Stars
A new image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope reveals a stunning alignment among the infant stars in the Serpens Nebula.
July Podcast: Spotlight on Spica
Grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour. This month offers a chance to watch a dramatic coverup of the bright star Spica by the first-quarter Moon. You can also glimpse Mercury just after sunset — and Saturn very late in the evening.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 28 – July 7
It takes hardly more than a glance up these evenings to check for the anticipated eruption of T Coronae Borealis, the Blaze Star.
High School Citizen Scientists Join the Hunt for Exoplanets
A group of high school astronomy students helped confirm and characterize a planet slightly smaller than Saturn that closely orbits its star.
Three Neutron Stars Reveal Inside Secrets
Astronomers surveyed dozens of neutron stars, homing in on three that challenge most ideas about what these exotic objects are made of.
Is the "Blaze Star" About to Blow? You May Be the First to Know
T Coronae Borealis is a nova star that's due to suddenly — and briefly — brighten. Here's how to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.
China's Chang'e 6 Has Returned with Pieces from the Farside of the Moon
China’s Chang’e 6 mission has brought back material from the farside of the Moon.
New Observatory Opens in the Young Country of Kosovo
Europe's youngest country has inaugurated its new observatory and planetarium, and folks far and away joined the festivities.
How Long Has Jupiter's Great Red Spot Been Around?
A new study follows two lines of research to suggest that that Great Red Spot we see today has not, in fact, been going for as long as we thought.
Centaurus Constellation: Glimpse the Greatest Globular
The Centaurus constellation holds some of the best southern targets, including the Omega Centauri globular cluster and the Centaurus A galaxy.
Astronomers Trace the Family Tree of Stars Clustered in the Solar Neighborhood
Astronomers have pressed rewind on a cosmic video of the solar neighborhood, tracing the origins of young star clusters within 3,000 light-years of the Sun.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 21 – 30
The two brightest stars of summer balance across the zenith. Arcturus and Vega represent the two commonest spectral types, and colors, of all the naked-eye stars in the sky.
Did the Solar System Once Collide with an Interstellar Cloud?
Astronomers have proposed a rather uncomfortable past for our solar system and our planet — as well as an alternative explanation for a radioactive anomaly on Earth.
You Can Name a (Quasi) Moon!
A new, official competition allows anyone to propose a mythology-based name for a "quasi-moon," an asteroid that orbits the Sun alongside Earth.
See the Real Planet Parade
Maximize your planetary pleasure and get re-acquainted with Earth's siblings during the June 29th dawn planet parade.
Dwarf Star Caught Speeding; Could Escape the Galaxy
Citizen scientists discovered a star speeding through the Milky Way. Now, astronomers are trying to track down its origins.
Spiral Galaxies May Be a Dime a Dozen in the Early Universe
A new study with data from the James Webb Space Telescope found that galaxies may have started forming spirals far earlier than astronomers previously thought.
