First look at Dinkinesh and its satellite

Solar System

Amateur Astronomers Discover an Asteroid’s Moon

The small object orbiting around main-belt asteroid 5457 Queen’s is the second confirmed asteroid moon discovered during a stellar occultation.

Two crescents meet

Celestial Objects to Observe

Watch the Moon Pair Up with Venus on June 19th

Two crescents — the Moon and Venus — meet in the sky in the wee hours of June 19th.

Asteroids

Chase a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid As It Flies by Earth

Break out your binoculars or a small telescope, we've got a busy week ahead! Watch as a bright asteroid approaches Earth, the Moon steals a star, and Comet ATLAS's last hurrah.

Crown in the western sky

Celestial News & Events

R Coronae Borealis Awakes and Pluto Blocks a Star

Sometimes, it's just as exciting to watch a celestial object fade or disappear as it is to see it explode. We celebrate the "return" of a mysterious variable star and prepare for Pluto to occult a star.

Aldebaran Occultation

Explore the Night with Bob King

Don't Miss Aldebaran's Last Occultation Till 2033

The last and one of the most picturesque occultations of Aldebaran by the Moon happens on Tuesday morning, July 10. Catch it or wait 15 years for the next!

Celestial News & Events

Comet Heinze (C/2017 T1): A Binocular Comet for the New Year?

Just discovered, Comet Heinze (C/2017 T) will zoom by Earth in January and may just show up in your binoculars.

Celestial News & Events

Supermoon and Geminids Duke it Out

In a spectacular case of bad timing, the full Moon coincides with the annual Geminid meteor shower. Don't feel put out. There's still something for everyone, including a consolation prize.

Visibility zones for Two Occultations

Celestial News & Events

See Two Tricky Occultations — Neptune and Lambda (λ) Aqr

Now you see 'em, now you don't. Watch the Moon occult Neptune and nearby Lambda Aquarii on the same night.

Near miss

Occultations

Moon Hides Hyades, Occults Aldebaran Friday

After a late-night ramble through the Hyades cluster, the waning gibbous Moon will cover up the bright star Aldebaran for observers across North America Friday morning.

Fortuitous intersection

Celestial News & Events

See Saturn's Moon Rhea Hide a Star

Watch as the moon Rhea steals a star from the sky for nearly a minute on September 12th.

Moon and Saturn on July 7, 2014

Explore the Night with Bob King

Two Moon-Planet Conjunctions Juice Up July

On July 5th, the Moon has a remarkably close brush with Mars, followed two nights later by a similar rendezvous with Saturn.