LATEST NEWS
Curiosity Finds Methane, Other Organics
NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected both methane in Mars’s atmosphere and carbon-bearing organic compounds in its rocks.
MAVEN Finds New Particles, Ion Plume
NASA’s MAVEN mission has discovered a new population of particles in Mars’s upper atmosphere. It’s also found a plume of particles escaping from the planet’s poles, confirming atmospheric loss is happening today.
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, December 19 – 27
Soon after winter solstice, a crescent Moon appears in the evenings, accompanied by Mars. Also find out when to watch for mutual events among Jupiter’s moons, as Callisto eclipses Io twice this week.
How to See the Orion Nebula in 3D
Add another dimension of viewing to winter’s favorite deep sky object, the Great Nebula of Orion.
Binocular Comet Lovejoy Heading Our Way – Update
The latest Comet Lovejoy should reach at least 5th magnitude in late December and January, when it will be nicely placed high in the dark for your binoculars or telescope. And it may become detectable with the naked eye.
Tour December’s Sky: Orion Rising
Stargaze the December skies with our podcast and find out where you’ll see the planets and bright stars, especially those of the majestic Orion.
COMMUNITY
Sky & Telescope’s New Telescope-Tutorial Videos
In a quartet of high-quality videos, Sky & Telescope editors offer newcomers solid, objective tips on how to buy, use, equip, and care for new telescopes.
Ann
BEAUTIFUL, ALSO, ARE THE SOULS OF MY BLACK SISTERS 