
Meet Shackleton Crater: Future Moon Landing Site
Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole is a site of future exploration — and you can even see it through your telescope during favorable librations.

Stargazer's Corner: Adventures Under the Night Sky
Amateur Astronomers Team Up to Measure Distance to a Close-passing Asteroid
A small group of amateurs teamed up to measure the parallax, and thus the distance, to a near-Earth asteroid as it passed by our planet.

Explore the Night with Bob King
Uncovering Secrets of Earth's Shadow
The daily rising and setting of Earth's shadow is a beautiful sight anyone on the planet can view. It's also an opportunity to witness the rapid changes that accompany sunset or sunrise, but at the opposite end of the sky.

March: Sirius in the Spotlight
Whether you’re just getting started in astronomy or simply looking to do some casual sky-watching, our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download the March episode to find and learn about Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 25 – March 5
As the winter Milky Way rides high, open star clusters near and far, and from compact to sparse, await your binoculars or telescope, At dawn catch the Venus-Mars pair, and try for the closer Mercury-Saturn pair lower down.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 18 – 26
With the Moon gone from the evening sky, trace out Monoceros the Unicorn walking behind Orion. Spot the famous binocular star clusters at his eye and horn-tip, and don't miss M41 under Sirius. Meanwhile, the waning Moon, passes Venus, Mars and Mercury at dawn.

Explore the Night with Bob King
Reveling in the Winter Milky Way
With the Moon departing the evening sky, now's a good time for a closer look at the northern winter Milky Way and its southern summer counterpart, too. No equipment required!

This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 11 – 19
The Winter Hexagon hosts the Moon. Then Castor and Pollux nail the Moon. Then the Little and Big Dog stars arc gracefully away from it. Meanwhile in early dawn, Mercury, Venus and Mars continue as a triangle low in the southeast.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 4 – 12
This is the part of the month when the evening Moon is at its telescopic best in many skywatchers' opinions, as the terminator sweeps across the middle of the Moon's disk. And in February, the Moon at these phases rides especially high. Jupiter sinks low in evening twilight, and a triangle of planets displays in early dawn.

February: Orion’s Neighborhood
Our monthly Sky Tour astronomy podcast provides an informative and entertaining 12-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Download February’s episode to explore the colorful constellations that surround Orion, the Hunter.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 28 – February 5
The Winter Triangle, the Goat Star and the Kids, Orion nearing his peak standing on the giant Hare over the difficult Dove... there's plenty to occupy you in the evening even as most of the planets have migrated over to dawn.

Meet Mizar and Alcor: The Horse and Rider
Mizar and Alcor, stars sometimes referred to as "the horse and the rider," serve as a vision test and an introduction to "double stars."

Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2022
Although no total or annular solar eclipses occur this year, skywatchers can look forward to two total lunar eclipses — the first ones observable across North America in more than 3 years.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 21 – 29
As Jupiter gets lower now, Orion and Gemini rise high, the Winter Triangle pivots on Sirius, the Great Square sinks and the Big Dipper creeps up.

Stargazer's Corner: Adventures Under the Night Sky
A New Scale-Model Solar System
The University of Colorado, Boulder, has unveiled a 1:10 billion scale-model solar system with an interactive sound experience.

Set Your Sights on This Lunar Bull’s-Eye
Go ahead, live on the edge: Grab your chance this month to see Mare Orientale, one of the most spectacular lunar seas most people have never seen.

Watch an Asteroid Race Across the Sky
The kilometer-wide, potentially hazardous asteroid 1994 PC1 will fly past Earth on January 18th. Good news on two counts: It won't hit us, and it's bright enough to see in a 4-inch telescope.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 14 – 22
Jupiter stands alone at dusk. The Moon dances with Castor and Pollux while Iris creeps in the background. And you can't keep Venus down for long; its tiny crescent reappears at dawn.

Stargazer's Corner: Adventures Under the Night Sky
The Comet on Oak Hill
In the hills of northern California, a teenager discovered a comet's tail — and a lifelong passion for stargazing.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 7 – 15
Mercury draws close to Saturn low in twilight, then turns shy and runs away. Jupiter watches from above. The Moon, careless of such goings-on, waxes through first quarter to show off for your telescope.