SUNSET: 
Alan Hale (1958-2026)
Astronomer and comet-hunter Alan Hale passed away on Saturday, June 6th, at 68 years old in his home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
Al Nagler (1935–2025)
Albert H. Nagler, a pioneer of telescope optics, passed away at the office of his company Tele Vue Optics on Monday, October 27th. He was 90 years old.
Fred Espenak (1953–2025)
The renowned eclipse chaser and popularizer passed away in Arizona after a life of adventure.
Glenn Schneider, 1955–2025
Astronomy has lost one of its most passionate chasers of total solar eclipses with the passing of astronomer Glenn Schneider.
Beverly Turner Lynds, 1929–2024
Beverly Lynds, a pioneer for women in astronomy and astrophysics, advanced the study of dust-and-gas clouds in the Milky Way.
David Crawford, 1931–2024
A professional astronomer turned dark-sky champion, David L. Crawford became synonymous with the fight against light pollution around the world.
Wil Tirion, 1943–2024
Dutch astrocartographer Wil Tirion will be remembered as the creator of the most beautiful star maps and atlases of our time.
Owen Jay Gingerich, 1930–2023
Owen Jay Gingerich, well-known historian of astronomy and contributor to Sky & Telescope for more than half a century, died on May 28, 2023.
Terence Dickinson (1943 – 2023)
Terence Dickinson, Canadian astronomer and author of numerous popular books on astronomy, has passed away.
Akira Fujii (1941-2022), Photographer Par Excellence
Acclaimed astrophotographer Akira Fujii's wide-field views of the constellations, each with impeccable star images, have been a hallmark of Sky & Telescope magazine for nearly four decades.
A Celebration of Jay Pasachoff (1943–2022)
Jay M. Pasachoff, Chair of the Astronomy Department, Director of the Hopkins Observatory, and Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, succumbed to cancer on Sunday morning, November 20th.
Remembering Donald Machholz, 1952–2022
Sky & Telescope honors the life of Donald Machholz, one of the premier comet-hunters of his time.
Remembering Carolyn Shoemaker (1929–2021)
Shoemaker discovered more than 800 asteroids and 32 comets, including one of the most famous comets of the 20th century.
Celebrating Astronomer Margaret Burbidge, 1919–2020
The astronomer who taught us we are all made of stardust has passed away after celebrating her 100th birthday on August 12, 2019.
Remembering Dr. Michael D. Reynolds, 1954 – 2019
Mike Reynolds, passionate astronomy educator and former executive director of the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers (ALPO), passed away suddenly on October 15th.
Barbara Wilson — A Remembrance
Barbara Wilson passed away on September 24, 2019, after battling cancer for several months. Barbara was very well known in the amateur astronomy community as a dedicated and talented deep-sky observer. But she was much more than that.
Bradley Wells Timerson, 1950 – 2018
Long-time Sky & Telescope collaborator Bradley Wells Timerson passed away at age 68 on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.
Stephen Hawking, 1942–2018
Stephen Hawking, renowned physicist, famed science communicator, and all-around inspiration, has passed away at the age of 76.
Comet Discoverer Thomas Bopp (1949–2018)
An unassuming amateur astronomer forever linked to one of the greatest comets in modern history has passed away.
Vera Rubin, “Mother of Dark Matter” (1928–2016)
Astronomer Vera Rubin, known for her revolutionary work confirming the existence of dark matter, died on December 25th. She was 88.
