Observing
Gesundheit! Hairy And Sneeze-worthy Rings Snare Summer Sun
For the past two weeks puffy clumps of seeds have been riding the air in my town. You can't avoid…
Searching for Pluto: A Guide to the 2013 Opposition Season
So you’ve seen all of the classic naked eye planets. Maybe you’ve even seen fleet-footed Mercury as it reached greatest…
Behind the Scenes at Kitt Peak Observatory: What is an Observing Run Really Like?
Greetings, from the Kitt Peak National Observatory, in Arizona! I’m here on a weeklong observing run, which is arguably the…
Will Comet ISON Dazzle our Skies? An Expert Weighs In
Comets are the big “question marks” of observational astronomy. Some, such as Comet Hyakutake and the Great Daylight Comet of…
Catch the Moon pairing with Mercury & Venus Tonight
If you've never seen Mercury, this week is a great time to try. Over the past few weeks, observers worldwide…
Getting Ready for “ISS All-Nighters” in June
Never seen the International Space Station before? Now is a good time to try, as we enter into a very…
Noctilucent Clouds – Electric-Blue Visitors From The Twilight Zone
Every year at this time I add a new item to my list of what to watch for in the…
How to Spot Near-Earth Asteroid 1998 QE2 This Week
A large asteroid visits our fair corner of the solar system this week, and with a little planning you may…
Rare Spectacular Triple Planet Conjunction Wows World! – Astrophoto Gallery
Triple planets (Venus/Jupiter/Mercury) conjunction over Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France on May 26. Credit: Thierry Legault -www.astrophoto.fr Update: See expanded Conjunction astrophoto…