Sky at a Glance | October 17th, 2008
Venus climbs higher in twilight, and Antares creeps toward it. Saturn shines ever higher at dawn, and Mercury has begun its best morning apparition of the year.
Sky at a Glance | October 10th, 2008
Venus climbs higher in twilight, and Jupiter creeps toward it. Saturn shines ever higher at dawn, and Mercury now begins appearing far below it.
Sky at a Glance | October 3rd, 2008
Venus meets a double star in the sunset. Jupiter's shadow eclipses its moons several times. And before dawn, take a look at Saturn with its nearly edge-on rings!
Sky at a Glance | September 26th, 2008
Venus continues creeping up in the sunset, Jupiter is moving from south to southwest after dark, and Saturn now glows low in the dawn.
Sky at a Glance | September 19th, 2008
Venus is creeping slightly higher in the sunset, Jupiter is moving from south to southwest in the evening, and Saturn is emerging low in the dawn.
Moon Crosses the Pleiades
On Friday night, September 19–20, observers in northeastern North America, eastern Canada, and western Europe have a fine chance to watch the Moon cover up stars in the Pleiades.
Sky at a Glance | September 12th, 2008
Venus, low in the sunset this week, has three faint companions hiding nearby: Mercury, Spica, and Mars. Use binoculars in bright twilight to follow their daily changes. After dark, Jupiter glares bright and obvious in the south to southwest.
Hubble Finds a Mystery Object
What was it? While monitoring a cluster of galaxies, the Hubble Space Telescope recorded what seems like a new class of astronomical object brightening and fading over six months.
Sky at a Glance | September 5th, 2008
Tiny little Mars passes brighter Venus low in the sunset this week. Bright Jupiter shines highest at dusk, offering occasional views of its Great Red Spot as it turns — and, for some observers, a double satellite shadow transit by its satellites.
Perseids Hitting the Moon
Amateurs have helped lead the way in recording the flashes of meteoroids hitting the Moon's night side.
Sky at a Glance | August 29th, 2008
Venus is emerging low in the sunset, and right near it, you can use binoculars to catch Mercury and Mars. After dark, kingly-bright Jupiter dominates the south.
Exoplanet Search Strategies
What will be the best ways to discover extrasolar planets in the coming years? The best scientific payoffs demand smart planning now.
Sky at a Glance | August 15th, 2008
Low in the sunset, Venus and Mercury pair up closely this week. Soon after dark, Jupiter shines at its highest in the south.
New Enceladus Closeups Now Arriving
The Cassini spacecraft is returning the data from Monday's close flyby of icy Enceladus, and NASA is putting up the first raw images.
Dodge the Moon, See More Perseids
Mark your calendar for a meteor watch on the morning of Tuesday, August 12th.
Solar Eclipse Reports and Pix
From near the North Pole down to Siberia and China, thousands of travelers watched the August 1st total eclipse of the Sun. Meanwhile, millions more across Europe and Asia made the most of their partial eclipse.
Sky at a Glance | August 1st, 2008
Mars, Saturn, and Venus glow in the west after sunset, with the thin crescent Moon passing them early this week. After nightfall, Jupiter shines high, bright, and obvious — crossing due south right when Vega crosses overhead.
Sky at a Glance | July 25th, 2008
Venus is barely emerging into view in the sunset, while Mars and Saturn look on from above. After dark, Jupiter shines high, bright, and obvious.
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!
