SUNSET: 
A Worldwide Night of Moonwatching
International Observe the Moon Night is an event that encourages people to "look up" and enjoy our nearest neighbor. This year's InOMN is Saturday, September 6th. Here's a quiz: What astronomical object looks amazing no matter what the magnification, never looks exactly the same no matter how often you view…
Tour September's Sky: Farewell to Saturn
The astronomical calendar says autumn arrives on September 22nd. It's a season of transition, with plenty of celestial comings and goings in the evening sky. September’s equinox takes place on the 22nd at 10:29 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. At that moment the Sun shines directly overhead as seen from the…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 29 – September 6
The Moon is coming back into the evening sky. Look for the waxing crescent low in the west-southwest in twilight, as shown at lower right. Can you make out Spica twinkling beneath it?
Earthshine, the Moon's Darker Side
Explore the Moon's dark side with the aid of earthshine.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 22 – 30
Friday, August 22 Altair is the brightest star shining halfway up the southeastern sky after nightfall. Look to its left, by a little more than a fist at arm's length, for the dim but distinctive constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin. He's leaping leftward, just below the Milky Way. In Saturday's dawn,…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 15 – 23
Jupiter and Venus join together in the dawn sky, while Vega bejewels the zenith and the Milky Way's center reaches its highest in the south.
Close Venus-Jupiter Conjunction on August 18th
Here's your invitation to view a spectacular close conjunction of the sky's two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, before dawn on Monday morning.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 8 – 16;
Friday, August 8 Already you may see an occasional Perseid meteor if you keep an eye on the night sky. The shower's peak night is predicted for next Tuesday (August 12–13), but moonlight will compromise the view all week. Look northeast as the stars come out for W-shaped Cassiopeia. It's…
How to See Cygnus's Other Veil Nebula
You'll be entering uncharted territory when you seek out this little known 'Shadow of the Veil' in Cygnus this summer.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 1 – 9
Friday, August 1 At dusk this evening, the Moon forms the lower-right end of a very long, curving line of celestial objects. Counting to the Moon's upper left, these are Spica, Mars, and Saturn, as shown here. Today is Lammas Day or Lughnasadh, one of the four traditional "cross-quarter" days…
Tour August's Sky: Sagittarius and Scorpius
Late summer offers the Teapot of Sagittarius and the nearby arc of the Scorpion's Tail in the evening, the Perseid meteor shower, and a spectacular pairing of Venus and Jupiter before dawn.
Earth's Shadow Creeps Up on Us Every Night
The next time you're out watching a sunset, turn around and relish the mighty shadow of Earth looming just behind your back.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 25 – August 2
Friday, July 25 Mars and Spica shine in the southwest at nightfall. Mars keeps pulling farther away from Spica; they're now 6° apart. Saturn glows pale yellow to their upper left. Arcturus sparkles high to their upper right. Saturday, July 26 New Moon (exact at 6:42 p.m. EDT). Summer is…
Blank Sun? Faculae to the Rescue!
Fascinating faculae provide a way for anyone with a small telescope to track the ups and downs of the solar cycle — even when there are no sunspots.
See Comet Jacques Before Dawn
It's not a showstopper, but right now Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2) is poised for telescopic viewing in the hours before dawn.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 18 - 26
Mars at dusk is still slightly less than 3° (two finger widths at arm's length) from Spica in the southwestern sky at the beginning of the week. But they're widening and sinking lower day by day.
Predictive Prowess: See an Iridium Flare
Channel your inner superpower by looking up at the night sky precisely when a dazzling blaze of light is beamed to Earth from outer space.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 11 – 19
Friday, July 11 Mars and Spica form a striking pair in the southwestern sky at dusk! They're now just under 2° apart. On Sunday evening they'll be at their minimum separation, 1.3°. Watch them change day by day. Full Moon tonight and Saturday night (exactly full at 7:25 a.m. Saturday…
Astronomy and Stargazing Projects
See Summer's Best Naked-Eye Double Stars
Not every set of closely paired stars requires binoculars or a telescope to "split". Here's a guide to summertime doubles you can tackle with your eyes alone.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 4-12
Friday, July 4 Out to watch fireworks? As you're waiting for twilight to end, spot the Moon in the west-southwest with Mars and Spica off to its left, as shown for July 4 here. High above them all shines brighter Arcturus. Saturn is farther left (off the left edge of…
