Observing
Can Lunar Earthshine Reveal Ashen Light on Venus?
A recent celestial event provided a fascinating look at a long-standing astronomical mystery. Is the ‘ashen light of Venus’ a…
Is This Month’s Jupiter-Venus Pair Really a Star of Bethlehem Stand In?
Eclipse tetrads of doom. Mars, now bigger than the Full Moon each August. The killer asteroid of the month that…
Guide to October’s Conjunction Mania, See Venus in Daylight
Tomorrow morning might be a good time to call for extra celestial traffic control. A slip of a crescent Moon will join…
Comet US10 Catalina: Our Guide to Act II
Itching for some cometary action? After a fine winter’s performance from Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy, 2015 has seen a dearth…
Why Was September’s Lunar Eclipse So Dark?
First off, a huge thank you to everyone who made and sent their Danjon scale estimate of the totally-eclipsed Moon's brightness to…
Invest a Night in Vesta
The brightest asteroid visible from Earth prowls across Cetus the Whale this month. Vesta shines at magnitude +6.3, right at the…
New Nova Flares in Sagittarius – How to See it in Your Scope
A nova farmer would do well in the fields of Sagittarius. Four nights ago on September 27, Japanese amateur Koichi Itagaki…
Challenge-Watch the Daytime Moon Occult Aldebaran for North America This Friday
How about that total lunar eclipse this past Sunday? Keep an eye of the waning gibbous Moon this week, as…
How to (Hopefully) Find Clear Skies for Tonight’s Total Lunar Eclipse
We've arrived at eclipse day, so now the big question is, will it be clear? My favorite forecast for major…
What Color Is the Moon? A Simple Science Project For Sunday Night’s Eclipse
There are many ways to enjoy tomorrow night's total lunar eclipse. First and foremost is to sit back and take…