SUNSET: 
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.
Explore the Night with Bob King
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.
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.
Explore the Night with Bob King
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.
Explore the Night with Bob King
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…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Have a Sirius-ly Scintillating Holiday!
Find out what makes Sirius twinkle.
Explore the Night with Bob King
How to See the Orion Nebula in 3D
Add another dimension of viewing to winter's favorite deep sky object, the Great Nebula of Orion. The Orion Nebula is arguably the centerpiece of the winter sky. This bright, richly-detailed blossom of glowing gas and dust invites repeated observation. How many of us have pointed our telescope or binoculars in its direction five,…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Venus Finally Comes Out of Hiding
Welcome back, Venus! Brightest planet in the sky returns just in time for the holidays. "There are so many stars shining in the sky, so many beautiful things winking at you, but when Venus comes out, all the others are waned ... Mehmet Murat ildan from the play Galileo Galilei (2001) I miss Venus.…
Explore the Night with Bob King
Carbon Stars Will Make You See Red
Treasure hunting for carbon stars, the rubies of the night sky. Color can be tough to come by in the deep sky, especially if you own a small telescope. Planets serve up a medley of subtle hues, as do a few planetary and bright nebulae. Stars show tints of blue, yellow, and orange, but there's nothing…
Shadows on the Moon Make a Point
Fooled by shadow play into thinking lunar mountains were pointy pinnacles? Learn why we often see them that way.
Explore the Night with Bob King
When Algol Winks, Will You Wink Back?
The dark ways of Algol the Demon Star, and what it can teach us about stellar evolution.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Make Way for the Wintermaker
The grand figure of Orion the Hunter brightens November skies, rising around 9 p.m. local time in late November. Johannes Hevelius, 1690 Orion the Hunter is arguably one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. Striding the celestial equator, he charges up from this eastern horizon around 9 o'clock…