Comet ISON to Fly By Mars

September 24, 2013 | On October 1st, Comet ISON will pass closer to Mars than it ever will to Earth. The Red Planet’s rovers and orbiters are ready to send home postcards of the event. > read more

To Catch a Comet

September 27, 2013 | A balloon-borne mission launching from Texas will aim a telescope at the approaching Comet ISON. While it won’t observe the comet at its best, the mission might reveal details about the composition of the icy body and the family it comes from. > read more

Astronomer Sara Seager Wins “Genius Grant”

September 26, 2013 | Exoplanet hunter and S&T author Sara Seager is among 24 scientists and artists granted one of 2013’s prestigious MacArthur Fellowships, commonly known as the “genius grant.” > read more

Pulsar on the Fence

September 25, 2013 | Astronomers have discovered a neutron star that switches between X-ray and radio emission within a few days. The find is fabulous news for theorists, who have long predicted that the two pulsar types were connected. > read more

Is Phaethon a “Rock Comet”?

September 22, 2013 | An oddball asteroid discovered 30 years ago apparently gets so hot when near the Sun that rocky minerals on its surface crack, pop, sizzle, and fly off into space. > read more

Observing

Sky & Telesope diagram

Tour October’s Sky by Eye and Ear!

September 27, 2013 | Venus blazes low in the west at sunset, while Jupiter rules the late-night sky. This month also features a penumbral lunar eclipse, a minor meteor shower, and the Great Worldwide Star Count. > read more

Community

Will BBC Cancel “The Sky at Night”?

September 27, 2013 | Stargazers in Great Britain learned this week that their beloved broadcast about all things celestial, inaugurated by the late Patrick Moore in 1957, might be canceled at year’s end. > read more

This Week’s Sky at a Glance