SUNSET: 
Explore the Night with Bob King
Mercury Punctuates The False Dawn
Early risers get a triple treat this week and next: a ravishing dawn Moon, an excellent apparition of Mercury, and a hint of Halloween in the ghostly zodiacal light.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Will the Real Albireo Please Stand Up?
A stunning double star, Albireo is also a bit of an enigma. Is it a true binary or the result of a chance alignment?
Explore the Night with Bob King
Why Are There So Many UFOs?
In an age when UFO sightings are rife, we look at other possibilities that may help to explain the strange apparitions many see.
A Little Guide to Lunar Domes
With this week's waxing Moon, we set off to explore its volcanic past with a look at a dozen intriguing lunar domes.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Enjoy Orion in Shirtsleeves
Throw open the door and welcome back Orion at dawn. The Hunter's return brings relief from the heat and gives us a fresh shot at exploring untouched winter deep-sky objects in comfort.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Polarized Light: From Blue Sky to Egg Nebula
Bees see polarized light and use it to navigate to honey. Learn how you can use it to crack the Egg Nebula.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Palling Around With Palomar Globular Clusters
The intriguing Palomar globular clusters will challenge observers with modest to large telescopes, while providing a satisfying ramble around the galactic halo.
A Real Scorcher! — Sirius At Heliacal Rising
Make a connection to a time when stars were used to track seasons and predict natural events by watching the heliacal rising of Sirius.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Blows Its Top . . . Again!
An otherwise faint and distant periodic comet underwent a bright outburst at the end of last month. Now it's visible in amateur telescopes at nightfall.
Delta Aquariids Kick Off Summer Meteor Showers
The meteors are coming! Three annual meteor showers are already active and guaranteed to spark up your summer nights.
Explore the Night with Bob King
See Two Tricky Occultations — Neptune and Lambda (λ) Aqr
Now you see 'em, now you don't. Watch the Moon occult Neptune and nearby Lambda Aquarii on the same night.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Paddle the Milky Way's Dark River
Take an imaginary journey in a boat down the Milky Way's Great Rift, exploring rich star clouds and dark nebulae along the way.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Aurora at Your Fingertips
A survey of free services and apps that let you keep tabs on space weather so you can anticipate the next great aurora.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Midnight Meridian Morsels
Late June offers a grab bag of clusters and nebulae "lined up" at the midnight hour. Time your southern deep-sky viewing with meridian passage and you'll be a happy camper.
Hunting White Dwarfs, the Night's Stellar Peewees
Take a trip down the rabbit hole to the weird and weighty world of planet-sized white dwarf stars.
Solstice Brings Late Nights, Bright Sights
Celebrate the June 20th solstice, when the Sun and the full Strawberry Moon combine their powers to illuminate both day and night.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Dual Supernovae Light Up June Nights
Supernovae are popping up everywhere! Two stars flamed out millions of years ago and at least one is an easy catch right now in amateur telescopes.
Saturn's Splendid Summer Show
It's showtime for the King of the Rings! Time to get your telescope out to see and share Saturn, which comes to opposition this week.
Explore the Night with Bob King
There Be Monsters Here! How to Find the Biggest Star
Antares and Betelgeuse may be colossal stars, but we take it to the next level of stellar monstrosity with a visit to UY Scuti, a star that makes our Sun seem no bigger than a pinpoint.
Follow Mars to His Double Star Lair
Let Mars be your guide to no fewer than 15 diverse and delightful double stars that pepper its path through Scorpius and Libra this opposition season.
