Master sketcher Jeremy Perez from Flagstaff, Arizona, made this great drawing of Comet PANSTARRS on March 13. I was so impressed that I wanted to share the sketch and the story behind it. Here's what Jeremy said: "In the two nights since I last viewed...

You know, I’ve heard a little buzz about town (OK, from a certain other astronomy publication) that Comet PANSTARRS (C/2011 L4) is a bit disappointing. That contradicts the reports I’m getting from observers and imagers all over the world...

After a few-month hiatus, Cosmic Adventures is back to explore the awesome world of astronomy. You’ll notice a key difference with the second season: Associate Editor Sarah Scoles joins me on screen after Bill Andrews left Astronomy for its sister...

It appears that our hopes for Comet PANSTARRS (C/2011 L4) may pan out after all. The most recent magnitude estimates put the comet at around 1st magnitude, considerably brighter than it was a week ago and approaching the optimistic forecasts from a few...

Astronomy magazine is pleased to announce that Associate Editor Liz Kruesi has won one of the top awards in astronomical science journalism from the American Astronomical Society. The society’s High Energy Astrophysics Division honored Kruesi...

Posted on behalf of the Uwingu team; Astronomy magazine is a proud partner of this effort to raise funding for space science Commercial space start-up Uwingu announced Wednesday the launch of its fully commercial website at www.uwingu.com . The site...

In this digital age, when you can easily access 3-D panoramas of offshore real-estate investment opportunities and comment on pictures of your high school class president’s second honeymoon to Fiji, doesn’t it make sense that you should be...

On Saturday, February 16, 2013, Astronomy magazine hosted an all-day skywatching party at the East Campus Observatory of Pima Community College (PCC) in Tucson. Activities started at 10 a.m. and continued through 9 p.m. And what a day it was! Several...

What a week it has been in Tucson. I’ve visited the site of our upcoming star party twice . The first time, last Sunday, was to just do a general checkout. I got the lay of the land, and a nice security guard let me check out the Community Room...

Pluto might have been “demoted” in 2006 to dwarf-planet status, but that doesn’t mean this Kuiper Belt object is any less important in the eyes of astronomers. In fact, as NASA’s New Horizons continues its 9.5-year trek to reach...

Even if you skim casually through the pages of Astronomy , you can’t help but notice the crucial role the art staff plays in the design, illustrations, and overall feel of the magazine. A lot of work, planning, and talent go into their effort. ...

You may have seen a lot of documentaries in your quest for enlightenment, and you may have funded a few sci-tech projects on Kickstarter in your attempt at philanthropy, but you’ve probably never seen the film Saving Hubble , and it’s even...

On December 11, 2012, astroimager Mauro Broggi from Cucciago, Italy, took a series of images of the asteroid 4179 Toutatis, which at the time shone at magnitude 10.9. On that date, Toutatis was in the constellation Pisces the Fish. Mauro imaged it from...

Be an astronomy archaeologist. Dig up images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) that only a few scientists have ever seen (and about which they never wrote press releases). I dare you. While many beautiful pictures from the HST have made it into...

On Saturday, March 23, 2013, the Sheboygan Astronomical Society is hosting its sixth annual Swap ’N’ Sell . This year’s event will take place at the Aviation Heritage Center of the Sheboygan Airport in Wisconsin from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m...

Back in October, Associate Editor Bill Andrews introduced us to Chuck and Susan Ruehle and Telescopes to Tanzania , a program that aims to build instructor and student capacity in many of the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math....

Now that you’ve relegated all those weird books you received over the holidays to the shelf for dust collection, it’s time to pick up a book — or two — of your own choosing. For your consideration, I present the latest in NASA’s...

It’s the end of the third full day, and my last, at the American Astronomical Society meeting. In addition to attending press conferences about exploding massive stars and cosmology, I spent time checking out some of the poster presentations and...

As the second full day of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting comes to an end, exoplanets yet again were a major focus. The first press conference of the day included announcements of surprising planetary systems. First, we learned of evidence...

It’s no secret that the search for extrasolar planets leads to big news. This field seems to be taking the American Astronomical Society meeting by storm, as evidenced by the number of press conferences and how packed the exoplanet science sessions...

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) holds two meetings each year, and the January one is the largest. This year, Long Beach, California, plays host to the society’s 221st meeting from January 6 through 10, where some 2,800 astronomers, educators...

How bright is your night sky? A sky full of light pollution increases energy consumption and has deleterious effects on human health and wildlife. You can be part of the solution by measuring the brightness of your night sky to help scientists. Join one...

With just a couple of weeks until the closing date for Astronomy magazine’s 2012 Out-of-this-world Award, I wanted to post a reminder about this great opportunity. If you’re part of a nonprofit group anywhere in the world that presents...

On Saturday, February 16, 2013, Astronomy magazine and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) will host an all-day skywatching party at the East Campus Observatory of Pima Community College (PCC). Activities start at 10 a.m. and continue through...

Many of you are probably familiar with Kickstarter, the funding platform for creative projects. If you want to produce a music album but don’t have the money, you can put your idea on Kickstarter; if people like it enough, they will send you money...