E. Guido / N. Howes / M. Nicolini

Naked-Eye Nova in Centaurus

December 3, 2013                                                                | A new star near Alpha and Beta Centauri reaches about magnitude 3.6. > read more

 

Geminid Meteors Fight the Moon

December 6, 2013                                                                | Bits of rock from a fried asteroid flash across the night sky in the mid-December sky — but bright moonlight will diminish the performance. > read more

 

Lovely Comet Lovejoy

December 4, 2013                                                                | Comet ISON has come and gone, but lovely Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1) is still going strong. It is now at or near peak brightness, and well placed in the Northern Hemisphere’s predawn sky. > read more

 

So It Ends for Comet ISON

December 2, 2013                                                                | After more than a year of anticipation, there is no dazzle, only a dud. > read more

 

Tour December’s Sky by Eye and Ear!

October 27, 2013                                                                  | December’s crystal-clear skies offer Venus low in the west after sunset, a “tower of brilliance” (including Jupiter) rising in the east, and the prospect of a nice showing by Comet ISON in the predawn sky early in the month. > read more

 

Xinhua / Li Gang

China Launches Lunar Mission

December 3, 2013                                                                | If all goes well, on December 14th the Moon will host its first soft-landing spacecraft since 1976. > read more

 

Triple Collision in Infant Galaxy

December 2, 2013                                                                | A complex of three bright, star-forming clumps called Himiko is merging in the early universe. With its light reaching us from when the universe was only 800 million years old, this primordial galaxy could yield insight into the elusive process of early galaxy formation.  > read more

 

Damian Peach / SkyandTelescope.com

Photo Contest: Take Part in Comet ISON’s Legacy

December 6, 2013                                                                | The “comet of the century” famously lost its battle against the Sun, but our photo contest carries on with a chance to win some hefty prizes. > read more

 

Sky & Telescope diagram

This Week’s Sky at a Glance

December 6, 2013                                                                  | The Sun sets its earliest of the year, Moon waxes through first quarter, and Jupiter passes the waist star of the Pollux stick figure. > read more