SUNSET: 
The Amazing August Planet Show
All five of the classical planets are visible shortly after sunset in mid-August. But observers at mid-northern latitudes will need very clear skies, an unobstructed western horizon, and binoculars to see some of them.
Have You Seen Comet Boattini?
Comet Boattini, now faintly visible to the unaided eye from sites without light pollution, is climbing rapidly higher in the Northern Hemisphere's dawn sky.
The Four-Planet Dance of 2008
Every evening in August and September 2008, just after sunset, four planets and two first-magnitude stars combine to form fascinating and ever-changing patterns.
Beta Lyrae
Beta Lyrae, an eclipsing binary, is one of the brightest and easiest-to-find variable stars in the sky.
Comet Boattini: Barely Visible Now, Bright in July?
Comet C/2007 W1 (Boattini) has reached 5th magnitude as of early June. It's now visible only from the Southern Hemisphere. When it reappears for northerners in July, will it be naked-eye?
Mars Meets the Beehive
The Red Planet travels through one of the biggest and brightest star clusters in the sky from May 21st to the 24th. As a warm-up, stargazers watched Mars pass a hair's-breadth north of 5th-magnitude Eta Cancri on the evening of May 19th in easternmost America and the morning of the 20th in western Europe.
Telescopes: Guides & Recommendations
Portaball Reborn
Mag 1 Instruments, maker of the Portaball Telescope, is alive and well under a new owner.
Catch Mercury at Its Best
Mercury is normally elusive, but it's putting on an extraordinarily good evening show for observers at mid-northern latitudes from late April through mid-May 2008.
Watch a Bright Star Wink Off and On
It's extremely unusual for a star that's visible to the unaided eye to be momentarily blotted out by a chunk of rock flying through outer space. But that's what's going to happen early on the morning of Thursday, April 17th, over the most densely populated section of the United States.
Pleiades Occultation Observed
The occultation of the Pleiades by the crescent Moon on April 8th was plagued by haze in Boston, but magnificent nonetheless.
A Perfect Pairing
If your evening sky is clear on Tuesday, April 8th, head out soon after sunset to catch a beautiful celestial scene.
Help Us Help You
Did you know that Venus is still visible in the morning sky in April 2008?
Uranus and Neptune in 2009
Uranus and Neptune are easy to find with the aid of the charts in this article.
Uranus and Neptune in 2008
Uranus and Neptune are easy to find with the aid of the charts in this article.
Have You Seen the Zodiacal Light?
This pearly glow is surprisingly easy to see — if you know what to look for.
Jupiter Stalks Venus in the Morning Sky
The sky's two brightest objects (aside from the Sun and Moon) are rapidly approaching each other in the pre-dawn sky.
Here Comes Asteroid 2007 TU24
An 800-foot-wide chunk of rock will pass less than a half million miles from Earth on the night of January 28th.
Catch the Quadrantids
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on the morning of Friday, January 4th, with the best viewing opportunity between 1 a.m. and dawn.
A Fun Year
Some thoughts about, and an index to, a year of blog-writing.
The Scientific Value of Visual Observing
How valuable is visual astronomy in the electronic age?
