SUNSET: 
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.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 13 – 21
Friday, July 13 • Cassiopeia is now well past its annual bottoming out due north. Look for its W pattern climbing low in the north-northeast after dark. The farther north you live, the higher it will be. Saturday, July 14 • As twilight fades, see if you can catch…
Observers Anxious for Dust to Settle as Mars Opposition Approaches
With opposition only weeks away, will the current global dust storm finally break? We look at the prospects.
Don't Miss Aldebaran's Last Occultation Till 2033
The last and one of the most picturesque occultations of Aldebaran by the Moon happens on Tuesday morning, July 10. Catch it or wait 15 years for the next!
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 6 – 14
Friday, July 6 • As twilight fades, watch for Regulus coming into view 3½° to the left of Venus, as shown here. • After dark the central stars of the constellation Lyra, forming a small triangle and parallelogram, dangle to the lower right from bright Vega high in the…
Fireworks, Planets, Comets, a Nova — July's Got it All!
July's a busy month for skywatching. Not only are five bright planets in view, but three comets and a newly-discovered nova are also observable. And it all starts with a bang on Independence Day.
Tour July's Sky: Planet Parade
This month's astronomy podcast tells you how to spot a five bright planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — in the evening sky.
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June 29 – July 7
Friday, June 29 • The waning gibbous Moon rises in the east-southeast in late twilight. An hour later, watch for Mars to clear the horizon about a fist at arm's length to the Moon's lower right (for North America). Saturday, June 30 • By late evening the Moon and…
Astronomy and Stargazing Projects
The Eyes Have it — Deep-Sky Observing Without Equipment
No telescope? No problem. Just use your eyeballs! On a dark summer night at least two dozen deep-sky objects can be seen without optical aid.
See Saturn at Its Highest & Brightest This Week
Saturn arrives at opposition on June 27th, very close to the time of full Moon.
Big Dust Storm Blows up on Mars (Updated)
Will Mars soon be hidden under a veil of dust? Let's hope not. We explore the current storm and the planet's upcoming close opposition.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 22 – 30
Friday, June 22 • The waxing gibbous Moon this evening shines with bright Jupiter to its lower left and fainter Spica to its lower right. Saturday, June 23 • The bright "star" with the Moon tonight is Jupiter. Although they look rather close together, Jupiter is currently 1,800 times…
Quest for the Green Flash
If you like sunrises and sunsets, look for the green flash, a phenomenon that happens more often that you think.
Observe Changes on Mars
The nearby Red Planet displays remarkable changes every apparition. Whenever Mars approaches opposition, keep an eye out for some of these differences.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 15 – 23
Venus shines brightly in the west-northwest during twilight and just after. Jupiter shines high in the south.
