SUNSET: 
Best Meteor Shower of 2006
With only minor interference from the Moon, the Geminids should put on a great display late Wednesday night and Thursday morning. What's more, a major solar flare just erupted, providing a strong chance for a tremendous northern lights show on Thursday or Friday.
Triple Conjunction
Don't miss the conjunction of three bright planets, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter in the morning twilight. Early risers will be treated to a planetary triangle at dawn, the best observable triple-conjunction of the bright planets until 2029.
Sunspot Watch!
Grab your solar telescopes and Mylar filters — a major sunspot group has just come around the limb of the Sun and into view. What's more, on December 5th this spot produced a major solar flare. If it erupts again soon, we could be in for dazzling auroral light shows.
Take a Sky Tour This Month
If you're willing to brave the cold, December is a great month for stargazing. Short days also mean long nights, and some great, albeit frigid, observing conditions.
Tour October's Evening Skies in 2006
Why is this month's full Moon called the "Harvest Moon"? And what two star patterns form a sandwich with Polaris, the North Star? Find out when you download this MP3 file to your iPod or other handheld device. (5.1MB file; hosted by Kelly Beatty, editor of Night Sky magazine.)
Tour September's Evening Sky in 2006
This is a great time of year to do a little stargazing. Just download this MP3 file to your iPod or other handheld device, and you'll get a guided tour of the evening sky. (4.9MB file; hosted by Kelly Beatty, editor of Night Sky magazine.)
Tour August's Evening Sky in 2006
Download this MP3 file to your iPod or other handheld device, and you'll be guided to Jupiter, the constellation Scorpius, the Milky Way, and more! You'll also get tips on when and how to watch the Perseid meteor shower. (5.5MB file; hosted by Kelly Beatty, editor of Night Sky magazine.)
Tour July's Evening Sky In 2006
Track down dazzling Jupiter and the trio of bright stars that comprise the Summer Triangle. (4MB MP3 file; hosted by Kelly Beatty, editor of Night Sky magazine.)
Mercury and Mars at Dawn
Rise and shine! Fleeting Mercury will be highest above the southeastern horizon Sunday morning — your best chance to see it until February. It joins Mars in a predawn appearance.
Modest Leonids
Although there wasn't a storm, the Leonid meteor shower of 2006 did produce a worthwhile display for some.
Comet SWAN Still Glows After Dusk
Comet SWAN remains a nice but fading target for telescopes in early evening. Follow it using our chart.
A Leonid Meteor Shower Outburst?
Late Saturday night, November 18, 2006, the Leonid meteor shower could produce a spectacular sky show over New York, New England, and eastern Canada.
Mercury's Day in the Sun
Usually you expect to see planets at night. But in broad daylight on Wednesday, November 8th, the planet Mercury will cross the face of the Sun.
The Hunter's Shooting-Star Show
This past weekend marked the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower. While this shower doesn't have the famed reputation of the Perseids, Geminids, or Leonids, the reports coming into Sky suggest that the meteors didn't disappoint.
Crescent Moon in Good Company
A 2½-day-old Moon lines up with two bright planets and a first-magnitude star — with an occultation thrown in for some well-situated observers.
The Moon Crosses the Pleiades Tonight
Late Monday evening, small-telescope owners throughout North America can see the bright Moon pass directly in front of the Pleiades star cluster.
A Crescent Moon and Friends
The crescent Moon all by itself is a gorgeous sight when it hangs low above the horizon amid twilight. The scene improves when it's paired with a second bright object. During the next several evenings the Moon will move southward and upward as it waxes toward first-quarter phase on September 30th.
Mercury-Moon Meeting
Shortly after sunset on Sunday the 24th, you may be able to catch the ever-elusive Mercury in an unusual lineup with Spica and a thin crescent Moon. This one will be a challenge.
An Atlantic Solar Eclipse
On Friday, September 22nd, the Sun will rise as a shining ring of light for lucky skywatchers in South America and Africa.
An Early-Morning Close Encounter
Here's a fun challenge for those who wish to get up with the Sun. About 40 minutes or so before sunrise, head outside and look to the east. As dawn's light grows bright, the hairline crescent Moon has a close conjunction with Venus just above the eastern horizon.
