SUNSET: 
Explore the Night with Bob King
Visit Venus in Its Darkest Hour
Keep your eye on the prize in the western sky. Venus sets exceptionally late this month, presenting skywatchers with several unusual observing opportunities.
Do We Have Pieces of Pallas on Earth?
Chips of Pallas grace meteorite collections around the world. See where they all came from when the asteroid reaches opposition this spring.
Explore the Night with Bob King
7 Ways to Beat the Observing Blues
Too tired to bring the scope out? Stuck looking at the same dozen deep sky objects? Here are a few ways to get that observing fire back in your belly.
Explore the Night with Bob King
How to See All Six Apollo Moon Landing Sites
Walk in the astronauts' footsteps as you explore the places they visited in the heyday of Apollo program. Use these helpful maps to start you on your way.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Rosetta's Comet Campaign Wants YOU!
Participate in a world-wide campaign to observe and photograph Comet 67P/C-G as it approaches and recedes from the Sun with Rosetta in tow. Your observations matter.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Catch the Last Best Antics of Jupiter's Moons
Jupiter's four brightest moons continue to eclipse and occult one another, but time is running out. Only a few easy-to-see events remain between now and the end of the mutual events season.
We're All In This Together: Lunar Totality
There's much to take in during Saturday morning's total lunar eclipse, including a rare Moon-galaxy pairing, the splendid summer Milky Way, and a chance to see your shadow reach all the way to the Moon.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Mizar — A Fresh Look at an Old Friend
You might be tempted to pass up this familiar star for more exotic quarry, but take another look at a multiple star with a most interesting history.
One Small Order of Ring Galaxies, Please
"One Ring to rule them all." Join me as we explore a unique class of galaxies forged in the chaos of collision.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Catch Comet Lovejoy in Cassiopeia
Still bright and easier than ever to find, Comet Lovejoy continues to delight skywatchers. Watch as it cuts through Cassiopeia this week. Comet Lovejoy, now a long-time visitor to our night sky, lies poised at the limit of naked eye visibility. Hovering around magnitude 5.8, the comet looks like a faint star…
Explore the Night with Bob King
How to Catch a Ghost ... Comet That Is
How Comet D1 SOHO survived a near-death experience long enough to haunt the evening sky — with maps to help you find it before it vanishes into the night.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Crazy About Concentric Craters
With the Moon riding high this week, what better time to look for its three best-known yet enigmatic "ring" craters? We welcome back the waxing Moon this week. It's a chance for many of us to put dark-sky targets on the back burner and give some love to she who lights the night.…
Astronomy and Stargazing Projects
Pleasures of Keeping an Astro Journal
Keeping a record of what you see in the telescope is not only fun but helps grow your observing skills. Learn how to start a journal and see how other amateurs keep theirs. Do you write down what you saw after a session at the telescope? I've been doing it since…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Is There Such a Thing as a Random Meteor?
Meteor showers like the Perseids get all the press. But have you ever wondered where all the random meteors come from? We explore their origins. We've all seen them. The sporadics. Those random meteors that flash across the sky on any old clear night. If you were to make a…
Explore the Night with Bob King
How to See and Shoot the Zodiacal Light
The ethereal zodiacal light returns to view this month. Learn how to see and photograph it with your digital camera.
Bright Comet Prospects for 2015
Has Comet Q2 Lovejoy stoked you to see more of these celestial travelers? We look into the crystal ball to see what's coming in 2015.
Rare Triple Shadow Transit Not to Miss!
Get your scope ready for a rare event this Friday night when one after another three of Jupiter's brightest moons and their shadows parade across its face.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Are You Game for a Dawn Conjunction?
Will you brave the cold Friday morning to witness the conjunction of Saturn and the waning Moon?
Explore the Night with Bob King
A Visit to the Sky's North Pole
Unlike the terrestrial North Pole, the heavenly version is easily accessible any clear night of the year. We explore curiosities within one degree of the celestial north pole and take a journey back in time. What could be more appropriate in January than a jaunt to the north celestial pole? When the polar vortex…
Explore the Night with Bob King
What Makes Moonlight Special?
Romantic, mysterious, soothing, and radiant, moonlight has its own special qualities. We explore how we perceive the night under a bright Moon. A moonlit stroll is starkly different from a walk in the sunshine. Moonlight's dark, spooky quality contrasts with the clarity of sunlight. And while it may not grow hair…