SUNSET: 
Meet Pollux, the Red Giant with a Planet
Meet the stars: Pollux, one of the Twins in the sky, is a star that has swelled into its red giant phase while holding onto its Jupiter-like exoplanet, dubbed Thestias.
Tour September's Sky: Goodbye, Venus!
As told in this month's astronomy podcast, Venus is disappearing in the west after sunset. So September offers you a final chance to see four bright planets at once.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 31 – September 8
As twilight fades, spot Venus very low in the west-southwest. Upper right of it on September 1st, by just 1.3° is Spica, a 1st-magnitude star but less than 1% as bright as Venus. Can you see Spica naked-eye through the twilight?
Stargazer's Corner: Adventures Under the Night Sky
When Dusk Descends at Stellafane
A dazzling day greeted S&T Observing Editor Diana Hannikainen when she attended the Stellafane Convention this past August, but it was the dome of night sky that truly sparkled.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Shines in September
Watch a binocular-bright comet leapfrog across Auriga in the next few weeks before a remarkable conjunction with the bright star cluster, M35.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 24 – September 1
Friday, August 24 • For yet another week, four bright planets await your view at once as twilight fades. From right to left, they are Venus very low in the west-southwest, Jupiter in the southwest (upper left of Venus), Saturn in the south a little higher than Jupiter, and…
See All Eight Planets in One Night
Four planets are great, but how about eight? You can see them all in a single night in the next couple weeks — if you play your cards right.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 17 – 25
Lined up nearly vertically below the Moon August 18th are the stars marking the head of Scorpius. Lower left of the Moon is brighter Antares, an orange-red supergiant star. Farther left of the Moon are Saturn, then bright Mars.
Astronomy and Stargazing Projects
Shadow Play — Summertime Dark Nebulae for Binoculars
Using only binoculars, we explore a host of inky dust clouds, the dark nebulae that smudge the Milky Way on late summer nights.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 10 – 18
Tonight's Moon, stars and planets -- Sky & Telescope magazine's daily sky sights for the naked eye, binoculars and telescopes.
R Coronae Borealis Awakes and Pluto Blocks a Star
Sometimes, it's just as exciting to watch a celestial object fade or disappear as it is to see it explode. We celebrate the "return" of a mysterious variable star and prepare for Pluto to occult a star.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 3 – 11
Friday, August 3 • This week four bright planets shine at once during twilight, if you have low horizons in the right places. From right to left, they're Venus low in the west, Jupiter higher in the southwest, Saturn at about the same height in the south-southeast, and brilliant…
Tour August's Sky: Perseid Time!
As told in this month's astronomy podcast, August offers excellent viewing conditions for the always-flashy Perseid meteor shower — and a chance to see four bright planets at once.
The Fun Begins at M22
Add a dash of random to your night sky viewing plans and you're guaranteed an adventure. We'll start ours with the famous globular M22 and see where it takes us.
Stargazer's Corner: Adventures Under the Night Sky
Wandering
Join the author for a wandering walk through a night's observing. Sometimes it's best to leave your plans behind.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 27 – August 4
Friday, July 27 • Full Moon (exact at 4:20 p.m. EDT). Full Moon is opposition Moon, so it shines with brilliant Mars, which is just a day past its opposition. Mars right now is 143 times farther from us than the Moon (and it's twice as large). Its surface…
Meet Regulus, Little King of the Ecliptic
Meet Regulus A, dubbed "Little King" and "Heart of the Lion," among the 25 brightest stars in the sky. The star belongs to a complex system, including a close white dwarf companion that makes its ultimate fate uncertain.
Red Moon Meets Red Planet in Longest Total Lunar Eclipse of the Century
Not only will the Moon will be totally eclipsed this Friday, but Mars will be at opposition and shine in tandem with the red Moon all night!
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 20 – 28
Friday, July 20 • The waxing gibbous Moon shines over Jupiter this evening, as shown here. Left of Jupiter by just 2° is the wide binocular double star Alpha Librae, magnitudes 2.8 and 5.1. The Moon is 1.3 light-seconds distant from us, and Jupiter is 44 light-minutes in its…
PanSTARRS Comet, Rocked by Outburst, Goes Green
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 S3) has erupted again! Now bright enough to see in binoculars, it might become a naked-eye object if it survives until perihelion.
