SUNSET: 
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 19 – 27
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing Moon, planets, and stars. Friday, December 19 Have you ever tried to catch Sirius actually rising? If you can find a good view down to the east-southeast horizon, watch for Sirius emerging about two fists at arm's length below Orion's Belt. It now…
How to See the Orion Nebula in 3D
Add another dimension of viewing to winter's favorite deep sky object, the Great Nebula of Orion. The Orion Nebula is arguably the centerpiece of the winter sky. This bright, richly-detailed blossom of glowing gas and dust invites repeated observation. How many of us have pointed our telescope or binoculars in its direction five,…
Meteor Showers in 2015
Sky & Telescope predicts that 2015's best meteor showers will be the Perseids in mid-August and the Geminids in mid-December.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 12 – 20
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing Moon, planets, and stars. Friday, December 12 This is the time of year when, around 8 or 9 p.m., Cassiopeia stands very high in the north as a flattened letter M. When will you see it perfectly level? This mostly depends on how…
Venus Finally Comes Out of Hiding
Welcome back, Venus! Brightest planet in the sky returns just in time for the holidays. "There are so many stars shining in the sky, so many beautiful things winking at you, but when Venus comes out, all the others are waned ... Mehmet Murat ildan from the play Galileo Galilei (2001) I miss Venus.…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 5 – 13
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing Moon, planets, and stars. Friday, December 5 The Moon is essentially full this evening and Saturday evening both (it's exactly full at 7:27 a.m. Saturday morning EST.) On Friday evening in the Americas, look for Aldebaran less than about 2° from the Moon.…
Carbon Stars Will Make You See Red
Treasure hunting for carbon stars, the rubies of the night sky. Color can be tough to come by in the deep sky, especially if you own a small telescope. Planets serve up a medley of subtle hues, as do a few planetary and bright nebulae. Stars show tints of blue, yellow, and orange, but there's nothing…
Tour December's Sky: Orion Rising
Our monthly podcast offers the key highlights for stargazing in December: where to find bright stars and planets — and how to spot the Geminid meteor shower.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, Nov. 28 – Dec. 6
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing Moon, planets, and stars. Friday, November 28 First-quarter Moon (exactly first-quarter at 5:06 a.m. Saturday morning EST). Look this evening for Fomalhaut far to the Moon's lower left, and for Enif, the nose of Pegasus, almost as far to the Moon's upper right.…
Shadows on the Moon Make a Point
Fooled by shadow play into thinking lunar mountains were pointy pinnacles? Learn why we often see them that way.
Watch Asteroid Juno Occult a Star
Watch an asteroid approach a star and block its light, all in a fraction of a second.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 21–29
Mars remains visible in the southwest during and after twilight, with the crescent Moon passing it this week.
When Algol Winks, Will You Wink Back?
The dark ways of Algol the Demon Star, and what it can teach us about stellar evolution.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 14 – 22
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing Moon, planets, and stars. Friday, November 14 Keep an eye on little Mars in the southwest at dusk. It will keep hanging in there month after month through this winter, as constellations of the zodiac slide behind it. Last-quarter Moon (exact at 10:16…
Make Way for the Wintermaker
The grand figure of Orion the Hunter brightens November skies, rising around 9 p.m. local time in late November. Johannes Hevelius, 1690 Orion the Hunter is arguably one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. Striding the celestial equator, he charges up from this eastern horizon around 9 o'clock…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 7 – 15
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing stars and planets. Friday, November 7 The Moon, just past full, rises in the east at dusk. Once it climbs high, look for orange Aldebaran to its lower left and the Pleiades to its upper left. Catch Mercury in Saturday's dawn, as shown…
Tour November's Sky: Cassiopeia
A mythic drama plays out in the stars above on November evenings. Taking center stage, almost directly overhead at nightfall, is Cassiopeia, the Queen.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, Oct. 31 – Nov. 8
Sky & Telescope's weekly celestial events calendar, with sky views, charts, and selected astronomy sights for your unaided eyes, binoculars, or a telescope.
Exoplanets for the Mind's Eye
While we may never see a planet orbiting a star other than the sun that doesn't mean we can't go there in a flight of fancy.
