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Solar System

Comet ISON Diving Sunward as its Moment of Truth Nears

Tiny, greenish white, and harder to see every day, Comet ISON is descending toward the sunrise horizon and its November 28th perihelion.

Celestial News & Events

The Next New Meteor Shower

Astronomers confirm that debris from Comet 209P/LINEAR should create a sky show on May 24, 2014 — but it looks less likely that a “storm” is in the works.

People, Places, and Events

November’s Hybrid Eclipse: First Reports

From high over the western Atlantic to the sandstorm-swept plains of northern Kenya, adventurous eclipse-chasers converged along the Moon’s ultra-narrow shadow on November 3rd to get fleeting views of the Sun’s blackened disk.

November 3rd's partial solar eclipse at sunrise

Celestial News & Events

Partial Solar Eclipse Sunday Morning, Nov. 3rd

Much of the world can see at least a partial eclipse of the Sun on November 3rd. Near North America's Eastern Seaboard, you can catch the partial eclipse in progress at sunrise.

Celestial News & Events

A Timely Cover-up by Ceres

Before dawn on Friday, October 25th, observers along the East Coast have an opportunity to watch the large asteroid Ceres cover a faint star — an event that could aid the forthcoming arrival of NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

Celestial News & Events

Amateur Astronomers Report Comet Outburst

Next door to Comet ISON in the eastern pre-dawn sky, Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) exploded without warning from magnitude 14 to 8.

Celestial News & Events

(Maybe) Watch a Binary Asteroid "Wink Out"

If you live along the U.S. midsection, from California to the Mid-Atlantic states, you've got a chance to watch a star occulted by the binary asteroid Patroclus on October 20–21.

Celestial News & Events

November 3rd's Rare Solar Eclipse

Syzygially speaking, the year's big event is a "hybrid" solar eclipse with a path that zooms across the Atlantic Ocean and central Africa. Lucky viewers along the Eastern Seaboard can (carefully) view a partial solar eclipse at dawn.

Celestial News & Events

October 18th's Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

Careful skywatchers in the eastern half of North America can watch the full Moon just graze Earth's outer shadow.

Celestial News & Events

Equinox Arrives September 22nd

Although many of us are already seeing seasonal changes, autumn for the Northern Hemisphere officially begins on Sunday, September 22nd, at 20:44 Universal Time. But why is the time of the equinox so specific? S&T's editors explain.

Alan MacRobert previews Comet ISON

Celestial News & Events

Comet ISON Preview (Video)

S&T senior editor Alan MacRobert tells you what you need to know to get ready for Comet ISON.

Celestial News & Events

Crescent Moon and Venus Put on a Show

Keep an eye to the early-evening sky on Sunday, September 8th. You'll be rewarded with a stunning pairing of a thin crescent Moon next to dazzling Venus.

Space Missions

LADEE Leaves for Luna

NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer left Earth on Friday night — an event widely seen up and down the East Coast — on a mission to solve a 45-year-old mystery.

Celestial News & Events

Nova Delphini 2013

Nova Delphini 2013 was discovered on August 14th, peaked two days later at magnitude 4.4, and by early November was down to magnitude 11.

Celestial News & Events

Get Ready for the 2013 Perseids

Plan to be up late on the nights of August 11-12 and 12-13. Weather permitting, that's when Perseid meteors will flash across virtually Moonless skies.

Celestial News & Events

Bright supernova in M74

An exploding star in the galaxy M74 in Pisces, discovered on July 25th, peaked at magnitude 12.5 in mid-August and was still V magnitude 13.2 as of September 5th.

Celestial News & Events

Catch a "Shooting Star"

The Delta Aquariid meteor shower ramps up in late July, and you already have everything needed to enjoy the show: your eyes.

Celestial News & Events

Moon Occults Spica

On the evening of July 15th the Moon will occult Spica as seen from parts of the Pacific and the Americas. But even if you're not one of the lucky few with the right view, you can enjoy the pair's pirouette.

Celestial News & Events

Now Playing: A Huge Sunspot Group

Cycle 24 hasn't offered much in the way of solar fireworks, but right now a large group of sunspots is front and center on the Sun's disk for your viewing enjoyment.

Venus and the Beehive

Celestial News & Events

Venus Buzzes the Beehive

Can you take on this twilight challenge?