1–20 of 446 results
Betelgeuse close-up

Explore the Night with Bob King

Is Betelgeuse Fading Again?

Betelgeuse has dipped nearly half a magnitude since late January. Could it be headed for another Great Dimming Event? We also take a look at this spring's "other" eclipse.

Gegenschein and Milky Way

Explore the Night with Bob King

Fuzzy Glows: See Zodiacal Light, Gegenschein, Airglow, and Aurorae

Find time this season to set aside your telescope and seek the night sky's ghostly glows.

Triple stars finders

Explore the Night with Bob King

Winter's Finest Triple Stars

Double stars are wonderful, but triples are terrific! Here are 16 trios to enjoy the next clear night.

12P/Pons-Brooks with tail

Explore the Night with Bob King

The Best Comets to Look for in 2024

If you like chasing comets, here's a guide to the year's best and brightest.

Berlin fall fragment

Solar System

Asteroid 2024 BX1: From a Light in the Sky to Rocks on the Ground

The asteroid 2024 BX1 went from a moving dot of light to rocks on the ground in mere hours — and amateur astronomers were critical to both discovery and recovery.

Crab Nebula

Explore the Night with Bob King

The Night I Met the Crab Pulsar

An account of my journey to the heart of one of most violent cosmic explosions witnessed on Earth. Plus, there's a bright supernova now visible in a Virgo Cluster galaxy.

Geminids and aurora

Deep Sky

Catch Luyten's Star and the Quadrantid Meteor Shower

Relish the slow, steady pace of nearby Luyten's Star then switch things up with speedy meteors from a well-timed shower.

Vesta and Orion

Explore the Night with Bob King

Vesta Sets Sail Across Orion

Look who's visiting this winter in Orion: Vesta, a bright asteroid with a dark side.

Geminids 2020

Explore the Night with Bob King

Get Ready to Greet the Geminid Meteor Shower!

The year's most spectacular meteor shower is upon us. Prepare to enjoy the Geminids under a dark, moonless sky, when you might see more than 100 meteors per hour.

Titania from Voyager 2

Occultations

Watch Uranus's Moon Titania Cover a Star Monday Night

Observers across much of the U.S. and Canada have a unique opportunity Monday night, November 20–21, to see Uranus's brightest moon occult a star.

GRS 2017 Juno

Explore the Night with Bob King

Jupiter's Great Red Spot Just Keeps Getting Smaller

Jupiter's Great Red Spot may be reaching a milestone this year by shrinking to its smallest size in recorded observational history.

Starlink flares

Explore the Night with Bob King

How to See Freaky Starlink "Cluster Flares", Plus the Latest on Comet Lemmon

Alien invasion or flares from satellites in multiple orbits? It depends on your point of view. We also check in on Comet Lemmon, poised to possibly reach binocular-visibility.

Orionid composite 2015-2022

Explore the Night with Bob King

Orionid Meteors Fly; Two Moons Shadow Jupiter

Bundle up and enjoy the Orionid meteor shower under moonless skies this week. Don't miss the warm-up act, either, when two of Jupiter's moons pair up in a captivating double-shadow transit.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks outburst

Celestial Objects to Observe

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks (aka the "Millenium Falcon" Comet) Flares Again!

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has awakened again from its recent slumbers with a fresh outburst. It's now bright enough to see in a modest telescope.

Comet 103P/Hartley diffuse appearance

Explore the Night with Bob King

Comet Hartley Comes Home Again; Gegenschein-gazing

Get acquainted with Comet 103P/Hartley. It's been a dozen years since its last bright apparition. While you're at it challenge yourself to spot the elusive gegenschein.

Flattened Sun

Explore the Night with Bob King

Is the Day 12 Hours Long on the Equinox? It's Complicated

The Earth's atmosphere and the large size of the solar disk result in unequal days and nights, even on the equinox.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Action-packed Sky: Saturn, Comet Nishimura, and More

September is Saturn's time to shine. We also check on Comet Nishimura — now at 5th magnitude and still brightening — and look forward to a dramatic asteroid occultation. Not to mention that Jupiter just took another hit.

Comet Nishimura C/2023 P1

Celestial Objects to Observe

New Comet Nishimura May Become Naked-Eye Bright

Comet Nishimura is quickly brightening in the morning sky and may be faintly visible with the naked eye next month. And on August 24th observers in North America will be treated to an occultation of Antares.

2016 Perseids

Night Sky Sights

Get Ready for a Great Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseids are here! With no Moon to spoil the show it's time to break out the lawn chairs, sit back, and watch the comet dust fly.

Venus July 24, 2023

Explore the Night with Bob King

View the Thin Crescent of Venus

With Venus approaching inferior conjunction in August here's a foolproof way to follow its thinning crescent as the planet transitions from Evening Star to Morning Star.

1 2 3 23
Advertisement