SUNSET: 
Sky at a Glance | April 20th, 2012
Venus is attaining its greatest height and brilliance in twilight, while Jupiter slinks away far below. Elsewhere in the evening sky, Mars pairs with Regulus and Saturn pairs with Spica.
A Good Year for Lyrid Meteors
If you've never tried to observe late April's Lyrid meteor shower, this might be the year to try — thanks to moonless skies and a peak that favors North America.
Sky at a Glance | April 13th, 2012
Venus is attaining its greatest height and brilliance in twilight, while Jupiter slinks away far below. Elsewhere in the evening sky, Mars pairs with Regulus and Saturn pairs with Spica.
Sky at a Glance | March 30th, 2012
Bright Venus high in the dusk skims the Pleiades, while Jupiter sinks ever lower. And the Moon joins first one star-and-planet pair, then another.
Annular Eclipse of the Sun, May 20-21, 2012:
More resources
As promised in the May 2012 Sky & Telescope, page 50, here is detailed further information on observing the annular/partial eclipse of the Sun that will cross eastern Asia and parts of North America on May 20th (local date in North America) and 21st (in Asia). More detailed world map…
Asteroid Occultations in April 2012
Here are the info and links promised in the May Sky & Telescope page 53.
June 4th's Partial Eclipse of the Moon
On the morning of Monday, June 4th, skywatchers in the Americas can catch a partial lunar eclipse low in the western sky before and/or during dawn.
Sky at a Glance | March 16th, 2012
Watch Venus and Jupiter in the west pulling apart nightly now. Mars shines higher in the east after opposition, and Saturn is up in the evening now too.
Sky at a Glance | March 9th, 2012
The striking Venus-Jupiter show in the early-evening sky culminates this week, as the two brightest planets pass just 3° apart.
Mars Takes Center Stage
The Red Planet (actually yellow-orange) is the brilliant "star" climbing steadily in the east these evenings. Now's your best chance to examine our next-out planetary neighbor.
Sky at a Glance | March 2nd, 2012
Venus and Jupiter are drawing ever closer together high in the west at dusk. Meanwhile, Mercury is having its best evening apparition of 2012 down below them.
Sky at a Glance | February 24th, 2012
The Moon pairs up with Venus at dusk, then with Jupiter. Far to their lower right, Mercury is having its best evening appearance for 2012.
Sky at a Glance | February 10th, 2012
Bright Venus and Jupiter are closing in on each other a little more each day. Mars is almost as big and bright as it's going to get. And the waning Moon passes Saturn.
Sky at a Glance | February 3rd, 2012
Venus and Jupiter in the dusk are now 30° apart and closing. On the other side of the sky, the Moon marches much faster toward Mars.
Sky at a Glance | January 27th, 2012
Venus blazes high at dusk. The bright Moon passes Jupiter, then shines over Orion. And Mars and Saturn rise ever earlier in the night.
Sky at a Glance | January 20th, 2012
Jupiter is shrinking, Mars is growing, Orion stands high, and the waxing crescent Moon will soon pass Venus.
Vast New Trove of Variable Stars
Newly online: light curves for 198 million stars. The latest great mass of variable-star data comes from the Catalina Sky Survey — which is actually looking for asteroids.
Sky at a Glance | January 13th, 2012
Venus and Jupiter slowly draw toward each other. The Winter Hexagon looms large over the evening world. And the waning Moon shines in early dawn.
A Rare Flyby of Asteroid Eros
The grandaddy of near-Earth asteroids brightens to magnitude 8.6 as it flies by Earth in late January and early February.
Sky at a Glance | December 30th, 2011
Venus and Jupiter light the evenings as the new year arrives. Having already left Venus behind, the waxing Moon now passes Jupiter.
