Sky at a Glance | July 18th, 2008
Mars, Saturn, and Regulus are getting ever lower in the western twilight — but on the other side of the sky, Jupiter is really coming into its own.
August's Partial Lunar Eclipse
On August 16th, the Moon dives deeply into Earth's shadow. This one's for Europe and the Eastern Hemisphere; no one in North America gets to see it. But check out the webcast links!
August 1st's Eastern Solar Eclipse
From sunrise on the northeastern fringes of North America, to sunset in China, Korea, and Southeast Asia, the Moon's shadow sweeps across a huge area of the world on August 1st.
Sky at a Glance | July 11th, 2008
The Mars-Saturn-Regulus drama continues to play out ever lower in the western twilight. In the southeast sky, Jupiter is climbing into good telescopic view ever earlier in the night.
Sky at a Glance | July 3rd, 2008
The Mars-Saturn-Regulus drama continues to play itself out in the western twilight. And Jupiter is climbing into good telescopic view ever earlier in the night.
Sky at a Glance | June 27th, 2008
Saturn and Mars pair up low in the west during twilight, with Regulus looking on. Watch their configurations change from day to day. Meanwhile, on the other side of the sky, Jupiter shines low in the southeast during twilight and climbs higher as the night grows late.
Sky at a Glance | June 20th, 2008
The threesome of Saturn, Regulus, and Mars pass through an equally spaced lineup this week as they perform their slow dance in the western sky at the dusk. On the other side of the sky, bright Jupiter rises before dusk has fully faded.
Sky at a Glance | June 13th, 2008
Mars, Regulus, and Saturn are lining up in the western sky as they sink lower in the dusk. Jupiter now rises at the end of twilight, far outshining the Sagittarius Teapot to its right. And on Monday night, the Moon closely pairs up with Antares.
Sky at a Glance | June 6th, 2008
Mars shines in the west after dark, giving no hint of the Phoenix lander newly sitting on its northern plains as it closes in on Saturn and Regulus.
Sky at a Glance | May 31st, 2008
Mars shines in the west after dark, giving no hint of the Phoenix lander newly sitting on its northern plains. In our sky, Mars is moving toward the eye-catching Saturn-and Regulus pair to its upper left.
Sky at a Glance | May 23rd, 2008
Mars, shining in the west after dark, is moving away from the Pollux-and-Castor pair toward the Saturn-and Regulus pair. And big Jupiter rises by midnight: an eerie UFO of a thing in the southeast.
Supernova Caught at its Very Start
By an unbelievable stroke of luck, X-ray astronomers catch the first minutes of a supernova explosion. You wouldn't have wanted to be there.
Sky at a Glance | May 16th, 2008
To the unaided eye Mars shines alone in the western evening sky... but binoculars or a telescope reveal that it crosses the Beehive Star Cluster this week.
The Milky Way's Most Recent Supernova
Hidden behind interstellar clouds is a blast wave from a star that blew up as recently as 1850.
Sky at a Glance | May 9th, 2008
The waxing Moon this week travels from the Castor-Pollux-Mars lineup in the west to the Saturn-and-Regulus pair in the southwest and then all the way over to sparkly Spica in the southeast.
"The Antennae" Fall Into Line
A spectacular pair of colliding galaxies starts to make better sense.
Sky at a Glance | May 2nd, 2008
In the western evening sky, Mars, Pollux, and Castor form up into a straight line and then start curving again. Higher in the southwest, Saturn and Regulus are paired their closest. And on May 4th and 5th, you can try to catch rare opposing crescent moons.
How Type-Ia Supernovae Work: The Movie
You thought an exploding star would be simple? Hah.
Examining the Throat of a Black-Hole Jet
How do black holes squirt away jets of matter at nearly the speed of light? Now we know!