141–160 of 415 results
Bob King Watches an ISS pass

Celestial News & Events

Watch International Space Station Flybys All Night Long

The annual International Space Station marathon viewing season begins later this week, when skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere can watch up to five successive ISS passes in one night.

Bumbling along

Celestial News & Events

The Moon Bumbles Into the Beehive Friday

The thick crescent Moon occults oodles of stars in the Beehive star cluster Friday evening for much of the Americas.

Celestial News & Events

An Excellent Year for the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower

With no Moon to muss, take a crack at seeing the Eta Aquariids, which could be one of the better meteor showers of the year.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Hunting Bright Variable Stars in M5 and M13

Globular clusters are packed with variable stars, some of which are easy to see and follow in amateur telescopes. We explore M5 and M13, two of the season's finest.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Double Date with a Dragon

For your enjoyment, a diverse selection of double stars in Draco for small and medium telescopes.

Deep Sky

Yanking Markarian's Chain

Markarian's Chain, a remarkable arc of bright galaxies, is your ticket to the Virgo Cluster. Hop aboard!

Explore the Night with Bob King

Twinkle, Twinkle Quasi-Star — 12 Quasars for Spring Evenings

Quasars are among the brightest and most distant objects in the universe. Many are visible in amateur scopes if you know just where to look. We'll help you track them down.

Protoplanet of intrigue

Explore the Night with Bob King

Pop in on Pallas and Iris Tonight

Break out your binoculars or telescope the next clear night for a peek at the bright asteroids Pallas and Iris, both at opposition this spring. 

Explore the Night with Bob King

Amazing Images Capture Giant Fireball Exploding Over the Bering Sea

A powerful fireball exploded over the wilds of eastern Russia last December. Satellites captured the whole thing. 

Trio in Leo

Deep Sky

It's Spring! Time to Visit the Bright Galaxies of Leo I

Springtime is galaxy time. Only 30 million light years away, the Leo I Group and nearby Leo Triplet entice the eye with an assortment of bright spiral and elliptical galaxies. Welcome to spring! The new season begins (or began depending on when you read this) at 5:58 p.m. EDT on…

Explore the Night with Bob King

Deep-sky Hunting in Cancer, the Crab

As winter melts into spring, we sample both familiar and overlooked deep-sky treasures in the "empty space" between Gemini and Leo, home of the Crab.

Daylight Phenomena

How to See Sirius in the Daytime

Spotting Sirius in broad daylight may be easier than you think! Here's how to do it.

Explore the Night with Bob King

A Zodiac Ramble . . . with a Few Fun Detours

Take a trip along the ecliptic from dusk till dawn to check out the sights along this well-traveled highway — the zodiacal light, Mercury, and the gegenschein, plus scenic detours to a comet and asteroid.

Stargazing Basics

Right Ascension & Declination: Celestial Coordinates for Beginners

Once you hold the golden keys of right ascension and declination, finding your way around the sky is almost as easy as finding your way around town.

Deep Sky

Deep-Sky Observing Without Equipment, Part II — The Winter Sky

Really want to see what your eyes can do? Leave the telescope at home and join me for a naked-eye tour of the late winter sky.

Sirius with tiny Sirius B (just above the upper-left diffraction spike).

Celestial News & Events

Will Sirius Disappear on February 18th?

On Monday night, February 18th, observers in the western U.S. and Mexico may see the occultation of a lifetime when a tiny asteroid momentarily blots out the night sky's brightest star.

Celestial News & Events

Comet Iwamoto Ascends and Brightens

Comet Iwamoto is visible as a binocular target from a dark sky. Follow it this week as it passes from Virgo into Leo.

Hyades and horseshoe

Explore the Night with Bob King

Happy Nights with the Hyades

The Hyades open cluster may stand in the shadow of its neighbor the Pleiades, but there's a wide variety of wonders here from naked-eye double stars to challenging galaxies. Let's pay a visit.

Celestial News & Events

A Space Rock Strikes Moon During the Total Lunar Eclipse

The Moon got bonked by a space rock during Sunday's total lunar eclipse. Take a look!

Comets

Comets to Catch in 2019

We peek ahead to see what comets await in 2019. Bright ones will be sparse, but several nice objects, including Comet Iwamoto (C/2018 Y1) and Comet Africano (C/2018 W2), will keep things lively.

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