Observing
ISON Watch: A Post-Perihelion Viewing Guide
"ISON Lives!!!" "ISON R.I.P..." Those are just some of the possible headlines that we've wrestled with this week, as Comet…
Home Computers Discover Gamma-Ray Pulsars
Imagine that you're innocently running your computer in pursuit of helping data crunch a huge science project. Then, out of…
Guide to Safely Viewing Comet ISON on Perihelion Day, November 28
The day of truth is fast approaching. Will Comet ISON's sungrazing ways spark it to brilliance or break it to…
Get Out Your Comet Scorecards: Comet Nevski Now Visible With Binoculars
Is 2013 truly the “Year of the Comet?” Perhaps “Comets” might be a better term, as no less than five…
Astrophoto: The Belt of Venus
Did you know you can sometimes see Earth's shadow right here on Earth? This beautiful panorama by John Chumack is…
Here Comes the Weekend Leonid Meteor Shower!
November 2013 offers a chance to catch a dependable meteor shower, albeit on an off year. The Leonid meteors are…
Tracking Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy through November
Tired of comets yet? Right now, northern hemisphere observers have four (!) comets within range of binoculars in the dawn…
GOCE Spacecraft Will Likely Make Uncontrolled Re-entry This Weekend
The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite has been orbiting Earth in super-low orbits since 2009, mapping…
Bright Venus Takes Center Stage in November
“What’s that bright object to the southwest at dusk?” We’ve already fielded more than a few such questions as Earth’s…
A Hybrid Solar Eclipse Seen From Earth… and Space
The final eclipse for 2013 was a grand event, witnessed across the Atlantic and the heart of Africa this past…