SUNSET: 
Supernova in M95
Professional and amateur astronomers recently spotted a new supernova in the spiral galaxy M95. But it took a few days to figure out what it actually was.
June 4th's Partial Eclipse of the Moon
On the morning of Monday, June 4th, skywatchers in the Americas can catch a partial lunar eclipse low in the western sky before and/or during dawn.
Mars Takes Center Stage
The Red Planet (actually yellow-orange) is the brilliant "star" climbing steadily in the east these evenings. Now's your best chance to examine our next-out planetary neighbor.
May 20th's Annular Eclipse of the Sun
On Sunday afternoon, those in central or western United States will have a "ringside" seat to the annular eclipse. Look here for links to last-minute planning tools — including weather forecasts along the track!
May 20th's Solar Eclipse — S&T Reports
Two editors headed to California, and a third to New Mexico, for May 20th's solar eclipse. Read their reports, along with those from S&T readers and featured pictures from our online photo gallery. We want to hear from you too!
Comet Garradd Stays the Course
Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) was closest to Earth in early March. So the moonless period in mid-March is your best remaining chance to view this remarkable comet, which is now conveniently placed in the evening sky.
Make the Effort for "Globe at Night"
This week you can join a worldwide campaign to measure the darkness of night skies everywhere. It's a fun, easy, and worthwhile activity for you and your family.
Comet Lovejoy Keeps on Giving
Its place in astronomical folklore already secure, having skirted very near the Sun and survived last week. But resilient Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3) is still strutting its stuff — with twin tails nearly 20° long — in predawn skies for observers in the Southern Hemisphere. It's even drawing a crowd aboard the International Space Station!
Comet Lovejoy: A Solar Survivor
The odds were stacked against it, but a comet discovered just two weeks ago has passed just 116,000 miles from the Sun's surface and — like a celestial phoenix — reemerged into view. Here's the latest on what veteran observer John Bortle calls "one of the most extraordinary events in cometary history."
Geminids in the Moonlight
With an average of 100 meteors per hour radiating from near the bright star Castor, this end-of-the-calendar shower is usually one of the year’s best. However, this week's performance will be spoiled by a just-past-full Moon that rises not long after the radiant clears the northeastern horizon.
December 10th's Colorful Lunar Eclipse
The last total lunar eclipse for the next 2½ years was widely observed by skywatchers around the Pacific Rim.
Comet Lovejoy's Date With Destiny
Discovered in late November by a veteran Australian comet-hunter, C/2011 W3 is a kamikaze comet that will pass just 116,000 miles from the Sun on December 16th. Will it dazzle us as it falls inward? Will it survive its close brush with the Sun? Amateur astronomers worldwide are holding their collective breath!
Comet Garradd in Transition
A decently bright visitor from the solar system’s fringe has lingered in the evening sky for months. As it nears perihelion, Comet Garradd (C/2009 P1) will soon be seen better in northern morning skies before dawn.
Black Friday's Partial Solar Eclipse
On what's become the busiest shopping day of the year, a deep partial solar eclipse swept across the bottom of the world.
A Dawn Eclipse of the Moon
The Moon will become totally eclipsed for much of North America before sunrise on December 10th.
Mini-Asteroid Makes a House Call
You've probably heard by now about 2005 YU55. This quarter-mile-wide asteroid will coast past Earth on the night of November 8–9, shining at 11th magnitude and providing a rare opportunity for professional and amateur observers alike.
Comet Elenin's Last Gasp
It was never going to be an "extinction-level" threat to Earth, but skygazers had hoped that Comet Elenin (C/2010 X1) would put on a decent show in October's predawn skies. In the end, however, it just went "poof".
The Great World Wide Star Count
Join thousands of other "citizen scientists" in raising dark-sky awareness around the globe.
Draconid Meteors Arrive As Forecast
Chalk up another win for the meteor-shower modelers. Europeans saw a display of up to a couple hundred Draconid meteors per hour on Saturday evening.
A Mad Dash for the Draconids
If celestial prognosticators are right, the little-known Draconid meteor shower could deliver hundreds of "shootings stars" per hour during a brief window on Saturday, October 8th. But the outburst's timing favors Europe, not North America.
