Observing | Astronomy.com

The giant sunspot AR 3354 on June 29, 2023.

Secret Sky: Seeing sunspots on paper

Mercury over the Danube River

The Sky This Week from December 1 to 8: Mercury stands east of the Sun

The best telescopes for beginners are the ones that don't end up in a closet.

Astronomy for beginners, Observing

The best telescopes for beginners to view planets, galaxies, and more

A Full Beaver Moon Rising

The Sky This Week from November 24 to December 1: Celebrate November’s Full Beaver Moon

It may not look like much, but capturing photons from the distant quasar 3C 273 is one of the most awe-inspiring observations you can make with a small telescope.

Deep-Sky Objects

Target acquired: Observe Quasar 3C 273

Leonid meteors in the sky during the 2020 Leonid meteor shower

The Sky This Week from November 17 to 24: Look up for the Leonids

Leonid meteors and Venus

Observing, Upcoming events

Look up! The Leonid meteor shower peaks this weekend

A stunning long-exposure photograph of the Perseid meteors 2023. The vertical Milky Way gives off the illusion that the inactive Mount Erciyes volcano, is active again! Credit: Kayseri Erciyes A.Ş. Ski Resort.

Observing, Solar System

Participate in the delightful Turkish Perseids observing party on an inactive volcano in August 2024

Comet C/2023 H2 (Lemmon)

The Sky This Week from November 10 to 17: Catch Comet Lemmon

The International Space Station streaks through the starry sky above vineyards in Portugal.

Human Spaceflight, Observing

How to see the International Space Station

HST image of Jupiter near opposition

The Sky This Week from November 3 to 10: See Jupiter at its best

A spectacle of sparkling stars and shining planets dance in hues of yellow, orange, and blue, as if creating a painting made by nature during the transition from civil twilight to nautical twilight.

Discover the three kinds of twilight