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.
The Moon Meets Jupiter and Venus
The crescent Moon joins Jupiter and Venus in the east at dawn to create a beautiful scene on November 9th and 10th.
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.
Catch the End of the Perseids
It's not too late to catch the tapering-down of the Perseid meteor shower during the nights after its peak.
Where Was the Black Drop?
Reports around the world vary dramatically as to the reality of a black-drop effect during the Venus transit.
Five Planets In a Twilight Sky
Until early April, all five planets that are ever visible to the unaided eye shine at once during dusk.
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.
One Planet, Two Moons, Three Shadows
This coming weekend, weather permitting, almost anyone with a telescope in North America (and northwestern South America) can see the shadows of three Jovian moons at once.
One Planet, One Moon, and Three Shadows
Clouds and poor seeing plagued much of North America on the night of March 27–28, 2004, but some observers still managed to see the remarkable triple shadow transit on Jupiter.
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.
A Disturbance In Jupiter's Clouds
A new, 40°-long, diffuse blue feature is currently visible at the interface between Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt and the Equatorial Zone.
Storm Watch on Mars
If events of the past 30 years are an indication, there's a good chance that the Martian landscape may soon be cloaked by a major dust storm.
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.