SUNSET: 
Explore the Night with Bob King
Jupiter Close, Bright, and Up All Night
It's easy to like Jupiter. No other planet offers such a bounty of amazing sights through the telescope, especially this week when it reaches opposition. On April 7th, the largest planet in the solar system will rise at sunset and shine all night. That's the date Jupiter lines up behind…
Comet Lovejoy Brightens Quickly, Heads North
Terry Lovejoy's new comet has gone from faint to bright in just three weeks and is now a tempting binocular target at dawn.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Sirius B — A New Pup in My Life
Here are some tips on you, too, can see Sirius B, the "Pup" of the Dog Star, Sirius A.
Bright Supernova Erupts in NGC 5643 in Lupus
A recently discovered supernova in Lupus now shines around magnitude +11.5, bright enough to see in a modest telescope. With photos and maps, we'll get you there. I wished I lived in Georgia and not just for the peach trees and warmer weather. No, I'd be able to get up early…
Explore the Night with Bob King
See an Ultrathin Venus Crescent
With Venus approaching inferior conjunction, don't miss the chance to see one of the thinnest Venus crescents of your life.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Comet 41P/T-G-K Greens Up For St. Paddy's Day
Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak begins its best showing of the year this week as it slingshots across the Big Dipper into circumpolar skies.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Constellations That Might Have Been
Obsolete constellations may be gone, but they're not forgotten. We revisit their brief glories and learn how to find them in the 21st-century sky.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Pushing Limits: A Spring Sky Double Star Romp
Push your telescope to the limit and put your eyes to the test with this series of tight-knit springtime double stars.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Three Crescents and a Sinking Comet
If you're crazy about crescents, you'll find your happy place this week between the Moon and Venus. Meanwhile, we shift our focus from 45P/H-M-P to another famous periodic comet, 2P/Encke.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Hidden Gems in Common Deep-Sky Objects
Many of the deep-sky objects we point our telescopes toward have pleasant surprises, some in plain sight, others hidden and more challenging. Let me introduce you to a few.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Comet 45P Returns to Dark Skies
With the Moon out of the picture, amateurs can once again check in on comet 45P/H-M-P, now making an appearance in the evening sky.
Green Comet 45P Makes Close Earth Flyby
Green-glowing 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova will make an unusually close pass by Earth on Saturday. Watch it boogie across the morning sky this week!
Explore the Night with Bob King
Star-Trapping in Orion's Trapezium
Take a high-power ride to seek out baby stars and clotted clouds within the heart of the Orion Nebula.
Get Your Iridium Fix Before It's Too Late!
The shock and dazzle of Iridium flares will soon be a thing of the past. Here's how to make the most of seeing them before they're replaced by a new generation of satellites.
Explore the Night with Bob King
See Mercury First, Then Have Breakfast
Late sunrises make it easy to follow the parade of planets at dawn, including a nice apparition of Mercury this week with three successive lunar conjunctions.
Explore Craters in the Lunar Arctic
Put on a coat, set up your scope, and become a polar explorer as we visit off-the-beaten-path craters and maria in the Moon's arctic vastness.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Bright Prospects for Comets in 2017
Comet lovers have much to look forward to in the new year with six potential bright binocular comets and at least two others for modest backyard telescopes.
Mars Meets Neptune on New Year's Eve
Doing anything on New Year's Eve? Before you start toasting, don't miss an exceptionally close conjunction of Mars and Neptune.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Swing Low, Sweet Sun: It's Solstice Time
Daylight ebbs to a minimum on Wednesday's winter solstice, but not for long. The very next day, the Sun turns back north and the cycle of light begins again.
