SUNSET: 
The Closest Whiz-by of Toutatis
An asteroid several kilometers wide will brighten to 9th magnitude and be visible in small telescopes when it passes Earth in late September.
Flora and Herculina meet Saturn
While checking out Saturn and Titan in the next few months, don't overlook two nearby minor planets: 8 Flora and 532 Herculina.
Spot Vesta (and Uranus)
Two solar-system bodies just below naked-eye brightness can be found with binoculars in eastern Aquarius on October and November evenings: the minor planet 4 Vesta and Uranus.
Five Asteroids Meet
There’s a rare imaging challenge in Leo this month for amateurs with CCD-equipped telescopes.
Asteroid Aurora Occults a Star
On the night of September 24–25, minor planet 94 Aurora will pass directly in front of the 5th-magnitude star Chi Geminorum, blocking its light for up to 7 seconds.
Vesta in Virgo
During April, Vesta has many close encounters with members of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.
Catch Hermes on the Fly
Since 1937, Hermes has made eight unseen flybys past Earth. In late October, the asteroid will be 13th magnitude — bright enough to be seen in scopes 10-inches and larger.
Upcoming Asteroid Occultation
S&T illustration. A few minutes before 5:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 24th, the 170-kilometer-wide minor planet 334 Chicago passes in front of the 8.5-magnitude star SAO97327 in Gemini. The nominal path for this event crosses Philadelphia (at about 9:57 Universal Time) and continues westward across Lake Michigan, just…
Ceres and Melpomene in Binoculars
With paths that crisscross in Cetus, the Whale, these two asteroids make fine observing targets for the rest of 2002.
Asteroid Flyby Seen Worldwide
Last weekend's close encounter between Earth and asteroid 2002 NY40 was seen by amateur astronomers worldwide.
Asteroid Hunters Receive Grants
Five amateur astronomers specializing in the observation and early detection of Earth-crossing asteroids and comets were each awarded Shoemaker Near-Earth Object Grants from the Planetary Society.
A Close Encounter with an Asteroid
Over four weeks, the brightness of asteroid 2002 NY40 will brighten by more than 3,000 times. It will peak at magnitude 9.3 (bright enough to be seen through a small telescope or large binoculars) as it drifts rapidly through the northern Milky Way on the night of August 17–18. This…
Juno Goes It Alone
Glimpsing Juno during the first half of 2002 will be a challenge.
Vesta Tours the Hyades
This spring, track the third-largest body in the asteroid belt as it passes by the Hyades.
