Sky & Telescope Magazine

You might be tempted to sleep through this annual shower but then you'd miss seeing some of the fastest meteors around. Not to mention their parent is the most famous comet of all.

The post Ready the Hot Cocoa and Recliner — Here Comes the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

High above you on May evenings is an one obvious star pattern that just about everyone knows: the Big Dipper. This “Swiss Army Knife of the sky” can help you find many other key springtime stars and constellations. Just download or stream this month’s Sky Tour podcast.

The post May Podcast: Big Dipper Shows the Way appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

New time-lapse videos from the Chandra X-ray Observatory show the Crab Nebula and the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant over more than 20 years.

The post What Happens After a Supernova Blows? Watch and Find Out appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A giant impact likely formed Pluto's heart-shaped basin, Sputnik Planitia. A big chunk of the impactor’s core might still be buried under the ice.

The post A Cosmic Arrow Pierced Pluto's Heart — Is It Still There Beneath the Surface? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

All the planets now huddle around our line of sight toward the Sun. However, these moonless evenings present us the Spring Triangle, the Great Diamond with a sugar sprinkle on its edge, and the Pointers aligned vertically.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 26 – May 5 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Researchers might have located the birthplace of 469219 Kamo‘oalewa, a small asteroid that has been described as Earth’s “mini-moon.”

The post Earth’s Mini-Moon Linked to Farside Lunar Crater appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

The large constellation Vela contains many hidden treasures.

The post Sail into the Southern Skies with Vela appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Maybe everything in the outer solar system is an ocean world.

The post How Saturn’s Moon Mimas Might Have Melted appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

By linking a family of meteorites on Earth to their relatives in the asteroid belt, scientists have arrived at a new understanding of the giant planets' movement early in the solar system's history.

The post Meteorites Tighten Timeline for Giant Planets’ Movement through the Solar System appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Sky & Telescope met with readers old and new at the annual Northeast Astronomy Forum.

The post Sky & Telescope Joins the Northeast Astronomy Forum appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Astronomers have reconstructed a 3D video of hot gas orbiting a stone’s throw away from our galaxy’s central black hole.

The post Watch a Hotspot Orbit Our Galaxy's Black Hole appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Springtime Leo walks high in the south, springtime Hydra snakes a quarter of the way around the celestial sphere, and the bright Moon aligns with Spica.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 19 – 28 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Millions of viewers were wowed by last week’s total solar eclipse. Now, we get to see the eclipse from another angle: space.

The post See Amazing Views of the April 8th Total Solar Eclipse from Space appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Wide-field photos of the total solar eclipse taken by several astronomers along the path of totality, caught a comet approaching the Sun.

The post Amateur Astronomers Caught Sungrazing Comet during Solar Eclipse appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Jupiter aligns with distant Uranus before it exits the evening sky as a bright supernova flares in the southern galaxy NGC 3621.

The post Jupiter Meets Uranus in Twilight; Supernova Erupts in Nearby Spiral Galaxy appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

NASA's Perseverance mission has been collecting samples for later retrieval and return to Earth. Now, it's unclear how we'll get those samples home.

The post NASA Struggles to Find Way Forward for Mars Sample Return appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

A star in the constellation Norma appears to have been created when two stars merged.

The post See What Happens When Stars Collide appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Jupiter is easy to spot, shining low in the west at nightfall. Near it are Uranus and Comet Pons-Brooks, tougher catches that require binoculars or a wide-field telescope — and some finding skills.

The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 12 – 21 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

New research suggests Exoplanet K2-18b may actually be a gas-rich planet with no habitable surface instead of a habitable water world.

The post The Planet K2-18b May Not Be Habitable After All appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, with plenty of inspiring itineraries.

The post Plan Now for the 2026 Total Solar Eclipse in Europe appeared first on Sky & Telescope.