
DIY: Astronomy Projects & Guidance
DIY Dew Heater
With just a little electrical know-how you can make an antidew heater that suits your scope.
R and T Coronae Borealis: Two Stellar Opposites
One is usually bright but fades unexpectedly; one is almost always faint but brightens unexpectedly. Check them out with binoculars.

DIY: Astronomy Projects & Guidance
Accurate Polar Alignment with Your Telescope
Long-exposure astrophotography requires an accurately aligned equatorial mount.

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment
A Pupil Primer: How Big Should a Telescope's Exit Pupil Be?
Image brightness, magnification, and why the old ideal of a 7-millimeter exit pupil is not so ideal at all.

Observing the Sun Safely: Sunspots, Faculae, and Flares
The surface of the Sun is a dynamic, living place that can change unpredictably from day to day.

Observing Secrets of Deep-Sky Objects Revealed
Here's how to hone your galaxy-hunting skills — and what to expect at the eyepiece.

Light Pollution In The Night Sky
Light pollution has become so pervasive that it compromises the view of the universe for an estimated 90 percent of Americans.
Watch the Re-Entry of Stardust
Late Saturday night, January 14-15, skywatchers in much of the American West can watch for a dazzling artificial "meteor."
Mars News, True and False
It's unkillable! A two-year old e-mail chain letter is misleading people into expecting Mars to go nuts in August.
New Amateur Asteroid Awards
Congress has established $2,000 annual prizes for U.S. amateurs who discover near-Earth asteroids or aid asteroid research.

Binary Quasar Is No Illusion
A close pair of quasars in Pisces turns out just that, not the record-breaking gravitational lens that astronomers had hoped.
Asteroid Flyby Caught!
On July 3, 2006, an 800-meter (half-mile) asteroid called 2004 XP14 flew past Earth at a distance a little greater than that of the Moon.
Comet Schwassmann- Wachmann 3 at Its Best
This periodic comet, due to fly close by Earth in May, is breaking into even more pieces. The brightest one may reach 4th magnitude.
Comet To Cross Ring Nebula!
On Sunday night for North America, the brightest piece of Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 goes right over the Ring Nebula in Lyra.
A Big New Step in the Search for ET
The world's largest optical SETI telescope begins sweeping millions of stars for laser signals from alien civilizations.
Why Galaxies Tilt Just So
Spiral galaxies like the Milky Way got oriented by forces shaping the entire cosmos.
The April 1st Pleiades Occultation
The waxing crescent Moon made quite a spectacle crossing the Pleiades on April Fool's Day 2006.
The March 29th Solar Eclipse
Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia are in line to get Moon-shadowed next Wednesday.
First Picture from Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter
Having entered Martian orbit, NASA's latest explorer has tried out its record-breaking camera.
RS Ophiuchi Finally Blows its Stack
This famous recurrent nova has just erupted for the first time in 21 years, reaching magnitude 4.8 on February 13th.