Sky & Telescope

Here's an observing guide to both familiar and lesser-known deep-sky objects that inhabit our galaxy's equatorial zone. The post Steamy Nights at the Galactic Equator appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

We might be living through a comet shower created by a star that millions of years ago jostled the Oort Cloud surrounding the solar system. The post Did a Passing Star Shower Us with Comets? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission has revealed another "snowman" asteroid — a pair of asteroids attached with a narrow neck. The contact binary could help shed light on planet formation. The post Hayabusa 2 Completes Flyby Past Asteroid Torifune appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

We all might aspire to such a captivating image, but there's a real learning curve to astrophotography. The post Making Peace with Terrible Astrophotography appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Meet Cygnus, the Swan, a high-flying constellation that looks like its namesake and has a rich mythological history. The post Meet the Cygnus, the High-Flying Swan appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Regulus creeps up to Venus in twilight this week. Vega and Arcturus balance across the zenith. And this being July, Scorpius decorates the south. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 3 – 12 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A daring mission will attempt to reach and save a key astrophysics observatory in low Earth orbit. The post Mission Launches to Rescue Swift Observatory appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has found two “super-puff” planets in the same system, each one as light as cotton candy. The post Cotton-Candy Exoplanets: Two for the Price of One! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

NASA has awarded contracts to three aerospace companies for four lunar landers to launch in 2028. The post NASA Announces Four New Lunar Lander Missions for 2028 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

This month’s episode highlights the bright star Spica, now prominent high in the southwest after evening twilight. It’s leading the parade of constellations, along with the brilliant planet Venus, that will grace the Northern Hemisphere’s summer skies. You'll also get to know other brights stars in Spica’s vicinity, along with excellent tips on how to be a better stargazer. So grab curiosity and come along on this month’s Sky Tour. The post July Podcast: Spotlight on Spica appeared first on Sky

On its way to future encounters with Trojan asteroids, the Lucy spacecraft made a practice run past tiny asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2025. Today, the Lucy team, led […] The post Lucy's First Asteroid Flyby Sheds Light on a Double-lobed Asteroid appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A star-forming galaxy in the early universe might have sent a ghostly particle known as a neutrino crashing into the ice at Earth’s South Pole, after an 11 billion-year journey through space. The post “Shadow Blaster” Galaxy Might Have Sent High-Energy Neutrino to Earth appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

On June 17th, much of North America can watch the Moon occult Venus in the daytime sky. All you need are binoculars. The post See Venus Disappear in Broad Daylight on June 17th appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The 18.6-year cycle of the lunar standstill belongs to the Moon. But recognizing it belongs to us. For centuries, people have watched carefully enough, remembered long enough, and taught faithfully enough to discover patterns that unfolded across generations. The post Ancient Skies: The Moon That Returns Once in a Generation appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A deep spectrum of a mysterious "little red dot" reveals a supermassive black hole cocooned in gas so dense it's opaque — but glowing in the infrared. The post "Little Red Dot" Is a Cocooned Black Hole appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A rare meteorite recovered from the Sahara Desert could be a fragment of a Moon-size body that met a violent end in the earliest days of the solar system. The post Did A Moon-Size Planet Grow Fast and Die Young in the Early Solar System? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The three planets in the western twilight are pulling away from each other now. On Wednesday, the Moon will occult Venus in daylight. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 12 – 21 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Australia's Molonglo Observatory was saved from retirement; now, it holds the promise of future radio observations. The post Revival of Australia’s Molonglo Radio Telescope appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Meet Callisto, the heavily cratered moon that's the most distant of the Galilean satellites from Jupiter. The post Meet Callisto, Jupiter's Ancient Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomer and comet-hunter Alan Hale passed away on Saturday, June 6th, at 68 years old in his home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The post Alan Hale (1958-2026) appeared first on Sky & Telescope.