If you have clear skies this weekend, now’s a great time to get out and observe the largest member of our solar system. Jupiter reached opposition to the Sun on May 4th, and will be closest to the Earth tonight, May 6th.
On May 6th, the date of closest approach, Jupiter will be 410 million miles […]

Oh how I love open source stuff. Are you a Firefox user? If not, you should be so you can take advantage of handy tools like this.
In the process of hunting down nifty new extensions for the browser supreme, I discovered a dandy little add-on, perfect for we astronomically-minded types.
Meet Sun Cult — a delightfully […]

How’s your weather forecast looking for early Saturday morning? If you have clear skies and are in the mood for skywatching, the annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks early tomorrow, as Earth passes through dust and debris left behind by Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1). In the pre-dawn hours (and from dark-sky locations), you may be able […]

Image Credit: NASA
The good news: there’s a total solar eclipse tomorrow.
The bad news: it won’t be visible from North America.
Here’s a video showing the path the Moon’s shadow will trace across the Earth.
However, a number of resources on the Internet will carry live feeds showing the eclipse in progress (totality begins at 5:54:59 a.m. Eastern […]

This just in from the folks at Sky & Telescope:
For first time in 21 years, and the sixth time in recorded astronomical history, the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi has erupted into naked-eye visibility. As late as February 10, 2006, the star was still magnitude 11.0, where it spends most of its time with only […]

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
With Saturn reaching opposition, it’s likely attracted the most observational attention of late. If you have the opportunity, though, Jupiter will make for a fine pre-dawn target this week. Look toward the Southeast in the hours before sunrise and you’ll see our largest planetary neighbor in the heart of the constellation […]