2003

First Lights: Saturn & Other Sky Sights for the New Year
Dec. 29, 2003 | Every holiday season thousands of new telescopes are received as gifts. But what to look at? This winter two giant planets beckon: Saturn (which is closest and brightest on New Year's Eve) and Jupiter. Here's how to find them, and what you can expect to see.

A New Season and a Special Astronomical Treat
Dec. 16, 2003 | Winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere when the Sun reaches the solstice on Sunday night/Monday morning December 21/22. And three days later, at dusk on Christmas Day, brilliant Venus will shine just to the right of a lovely crescent Moon.

Astronomical Sleuths Link Krakatoa to Edvard Munch's Painting The Scream
Dec. 9, 2003 | A new analysis uncovers the exact location where Edvard Munch and his friends were walking when the artist saw the blood-red sky depicted in his 1893 painting, as well as an explanation of why the sky appeared to be on fire.

Eclipse Flight over Antarctica
Nov. 20, 2003 | On Sunday, November 23rd, a total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from a narrow track across Antarctica. We'll intercept totality at 38,000 feet aboard a chartered jetliner. (Updated Nov. 24th with a first report and images!)

Night Sky Magazine to Be Launched Next Spring
Nov. 7, 2003 | Sky Publishing, known worldwide for its award-winning monthly, Sky & Telescope, announces the coming launch of Night Sky, a new bimonthly magazine for beginning stargazers.

The November 8th Total Eclipse of the Moon
Oct. 24, 2003 | On Saturday night, November 8–9, the full Moon will pass through Earth's shadow for skywatchers throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and in parts of Asia.

Earth Passes Milestone as Fall Begins September 23rd
Sept. 16, 2003 | At 6:47 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, September 23rd, fall begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere — astronomically speaking. That's when the Sun passes over Earth's equator heading south.

Mars Looms Big & Bright as It Nears Record-Breaking Close Approach
Aug. 5, 2003 | Late in August the planet Mars will pass closer to Earth than it has done in nearly 60,000 years. Already Mars is blazing fiery yellow-orange in the evening sky.

Sky & Telescope's Beautiful Universe
July 1, 2003 | The cosmos is captured and displayed in all its glory in our special pictorial issue, which goes on sale at newsstands on November 18th.

Celestial Sleuths Reveal Exact Date van Gogh Painted Moonrise
June 2, 2003 | Using cosmic calculations and good old deductive reasoning, astronomers provide the answer to a puzzle art historians have been trying to solve for years: the exact moment depicted in Vincent van Gogh's painting Moonrise.

Red Moon Rising: May 15th's Total Lunar Eclipse
May 7, 2003 | For the first time in three years, North Americans will be able to watch the Moon's dramatic disappearing act.

May Brings an Astronomical Bonanza
April 29, 2003 | Astronomically speaking, May is bustin' out all over! Highlights include a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse, the passage of the planet Mercury in front of the Sun, and the 30th annual celebration of Astronomy Day.

Spring Begins on March 20th...But Why?
March 12, 2003 | The long, cold, snow-laden winter of 2002-03 officially comes to an end at exactly 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, March 20th — the moment of the March equinox.