SUNSET: 
An Alpha Leonid Meteor Watch?
Few meteor showers are a cascade of shooting stars. Sky & Telescope contributing editor David H. Levy explains that there's simple pleasure in paying attention to sparser showers.
A Night to Remember
Sky & Telescope contributing editor David H. Levy joins our cadre of bloggers. Check out what he's been up to "On the Road."
Catch Ceres at Its Closest
Ceres, the biggest asteroid and the first to be discovered, has an extraordinary good apparition in February and March 2009.
The "Venus & Jupiter" Show
At the end of November and the beginning of December, the two brightest planets perform a dazzling dance in the evening twilight. On December 1st they're joined by the slender crescent Moon, which makes for a pretty trio in the Americas — and which will cover Venus in spectacular fashion for lucky skywatchers in Europe.
View Vesta at Its Brightest
Vesta, the brightest asteroid, is easy to observe during the last three months of 2008.
Count the Stars to Save the Sky
Schoolchildren, families, and citizen scientists around the world will gaze skyward after dark from October 20th to November 3rd. The Great World Wide Star Count, now in its second year, helps scientists map light pollution globally while educating participants about the stars.
Meteor Strike Forecast for Oct. 6-7
Many telescopes around the world are looking for asteroids that might potentially hit Earth. Every candidate has turned out to be a false alarm — until now!
Moon Crosses the Pleiades
On Friday night, September 19–20, observers in northeastern North America, eastern Canada, and western Europe have a fine chance to watch the Moon cover up stars in the Pleiades.
Dodge the Moon, See More Perseids
Mark your calendar for a meteor watch on the morning of Tuesday, August 12th.
Have You Seen Comet Boattini?
Comet Boattini, now faintly visible to the unaided eye from sites without light pollution, is climbing rapidly higher in the Northern Hemisphere's dawn sky.
The Four-Planet Dance of 2008
Every evening in August and September 2008, just after sunset, four planets and two first-magnitude stars combine to form fascinating and ever-changing patterns.
Space-Station Frenzy
For a few days each May, you might see the International Space whenever it passes overhead throughout the night.
Comet Boattini: Barely Visible Now, Bright in July?
Comet C/2007 W1 (Boattini) has reached 5th magnitude as of early June. It's now visible only from the Southern Hemisphere. When it reappears for northerners in July, will it be naked-eye?
Mars Meets the Beehive
The Red Planet travels through one of the biggest and brightest star clusters in the sky from May 21st to the 24th. As a warm-up, stargazers watched Mars pass a hair's-breadth north of 5th-magnitude Eta Cancri on the evening of May 19th in easternmost America and the morning of the 20th in western Europe.
Catch Mercury at Its Best
Mercury is normally elusive, but it's putting on an extraordinarily good evening show for observers at mid-northern latitudes from late April through mid-May 2008.
Eclipse Bulletins Available
Details of the next total solar eclipses are yours for the mailing.
Watch a Bright Star Wink Off and On
It's extremely unusual for a star that's visible to the unaided eye to be momentarily blotted out by a chunk of rock flying through outer space. But that's what's going to happen early on the morning of Thursday, April 17th, over the most densely populated section of the United States.
Pleiades Occultation Observed
The occultation of the Pleiades by the crescent Moon on April 8th was plagued by haze in Boston, but magnificent nonetheless.
A Perfect Pairing
If your evening sky is clear on Tuesday, April 8th, head out soon after sunset to catch a beautiful celestial scene.
Your March Audio Guide to the Heavens
Download this podcast to your MP3 player, and you'll be able to navigate the March evening sky like a seasoned stargazer. Find Mars, Saturn, Orion, the Twins of Gemini, and more! Host: S&T's Kelly Beatty. (6MB MP3 download: running time: 6m10s)
