SUNSET: 
Lie Back, Look Up, and Find Your Zenith Stars
When you want to relax under the stars there's no better way than on your back looking up at the zenith. We explore what's overhead and discover there's more than one zenith up there.
See the Young Moon and the Lyrid Meteor Shower
We have an exciting week ahead with a crescent Moon that might break your observing record followed by a well-timed Lyrid meteor shower.
Pleasures of Lunar Pareidolia
Do you still see animal shapes in clouds? If so, you'll enjoy doing the same with the Moon, home to the Moon Maiden, a giant pair of scissors, and other fantastic specters of light and shadow.
Anticipating Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3)
Newly discovered Comet C/2023 A3 might reach naked-eye brightness when it flies past Earth in 2024. Check out our forecast of what to expect to see in the months ahead.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Tell Time with the Big Dipper; See Ceres Transit a Spiral Galaxy
Phone battery dead? Learn how to tell time with the Big Dipper. Also, don't miss a remarkable transit of Ceres in front of the bright spiral galaxy M100.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Aurora Season Is Underway
These are the nights to get ready for the auroras — and tonight may be your lucky night. Not only is the current solar cycle swiftly intensifying, March is one of the best times of the year to see the northern lights.
Explore the Night with Bob King
Catch Birth Flickers of Budding Suns in Orion
Three flickering stars in Orion offer insight into what life looks like before the main sequence.
Understanding the Tails of Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3)
We explore Comet ZTF's remarkable trio of tails and share the latest news and photos.
See Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) Dash Between Big and Little Dippers
Forget the hype and go outside to enjoy the real thing — a relatively bright comet you can see in binoculars from a dark sky.
Tiny Asteroid 2023 BU to Miss Earth
A recently discovered asteroid will pass exceptionally close to Earth on January 26th. Here's how to see it. Also, Comet ZTF (C/2022 E3) is brightening nicely, with three tails visible in binos.
Explore Double Stars in the "Winter Pair-a-gon"
The Winter Hexagon is not only key to finding six of the season's most prominent constellations but also a gateway to a more than a half-dozen delightful double stars.
All Eight Planets Line Up ... Again!
Echoing summer's great arc of planets at dawn, winter presents the full octet again, this time splayed across the evening sky.
Catch the Geminid Meteor Shower; Plus, Watch RW Cephei Fade
The luminous Geminid meteor shower returns. We also meet a binocular-bright star that may be experiencing Betelgeuse-like convulsions.
Mars Mesmerizes at Opposition
It may not be the closest opposition, but this time around Mars arcs high across the sky where good seeing promises sharp views. That's not all. On December 7th, one night before opposition, the full Moon occults the Red Planet!
Sneak Peek at Two Promising Comets
Ready to chase comets? We look at two fuzzy solar system travelers that will keep you on your toes all fall and winter long.
Election Eclipse — Last Total Lunar Eclipse till 2025
Set the alarm and bring plenty of coffee. We've got a total lunar eclipse coming that you don't want to miss.
All About the Dust — Orionids and Zodiacal Light
It doesn't take much to create a spectacle when it comes to astronomical observation. Just a pinch or two of dust.
Observing the Full Moon: Fringe Benefits
The upcoming Hunter's Moon reminds us of the many ways we can enjoy observing our humble satellite.
Jupiter's Exceptionally Close Opposition
A sentinel in the autumnal sky, Jupiter marks its closest opposition since 1963.
Vega, the Star at the Center of Everything
While we may quibble about how to pronounce its name, there's no denying that Vega is one of the most fascinating and useful stars in the heavens.
