SUNSET: 
X Sagittarii: A Variable Star Toward Our Galaxy's Heart
This naked-eye variable should be near peak brightness every Wednes-day night during August, September, and October.
Chi Cygni Rises Toward Maximum
Catch a orange-red variable star in Cygnus, the Swan, as its brightness peaks in early July.
Meteors That Changed the World
When "shooting stars" make the transition from heaven to earth, even small strikes can have a huge impact on human history.
Lunar Occultation Highlights for 2004
No matter where in the world you live, you can see the Moon hide stars and planets in its path. Here's when and where you can see dozens of lunar occultations this year.
A Daytime Occultation of Jupiter
Here's a blue-sky project if ever there was one. The thin waning crescent Moon will occult the second-brightest planet as seen from much of North America on Tuesday, November 9th.
Planetary Occultations for 2004
You've got plenty of chances to see an asteroid or planet pass in front of a star this year — and here's when and where to see them.
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.
The Variable Star T Cephei
The long-period variable star T Cephei peaks this October. The star is relatively easy to locate in binoculars because of its red hue.
An 11th-Magnitude Supernova
An unusually bright supernova has gone off in NGC 2403, an 8.5-magnitude galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis, the Giraffe.
Saturn Covers a Star
Late Friday night, November 14–15, Saturn and its ring system glide right in front of an 8.4-magnitude star in Gemini.
The Transit of Venus: Where to See It
For the first time since 1882, Venus will glide across the face of the Sun. Here's where you'll be able to watch this rare event on June 8, 2004.
Reanimating the 1882 Transit of Venus
Travel 130 years back in time to watch Venus transit the Sun in 1882, thanks to the discovery of 147 forgotten photographs taken by David Peck Todd from Mount Hamilton in California.
The Transit of Venus: Tales from the 18th and 19th Centuries
Observers and administrators gather at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, in preparation for the American expeditions to the 1874 transit of Venus.Courtesy US Naval Observatory Library. A magnificent rendezvous between the planet of love and the bright orb of the Sun. One of the most celebrated phenomena in…
Venus at Its Best
Venus is readily visible in the evening sky until late May during this most favorable apparition of its eight-year cycle.
How Yuji Hyakutake Found His Comet
Ever wonder how somebody actually finds a comet, and what happens when he does? Here's one astronomer's story.
Asteroid Occultation in November
North Carolina skywatchers have a chance to see the asteroid 72 Feronia pass in front of an 8th-magnitude star around 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on November 5th.
Saturn Hides Another Star
On Tuesday November 25th, Saturn and its ring system glide in front of an 8.3-magnitude star in Gemini, the second time Saturn has occulted a star in 10 days.
Planetary Occultations for 2003
No matter where you live, there are plenty of chances to see an asteroid pass in front of a star this year.
