Astronomy, Sky | featured news

This sky map shows the location of Saturn and the moon in the night sky at 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, for observers at mid-northern latitudes.

The Leonid meteor shower this weekend will be less dramatic than some years, but it will still put on a good show.

Amateur astronomy sounds simple in theory: Get a telescope, point it at the sky and look. But gaze into the night sky and you'll see countless points of light. How do you find a single star or constellation out of the vast expanses of space? What equipment should you use? It can all be a little intimidating. So PM asked several accomplished astronomers about the best way to start stargazing.

Skywatchers got an early holiday present this year: A total eclipse of the moon. Hanging high in the sky, the moon slowly turned from bright silver into a red disk early Tuesday. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the full moon, blocking the sun's rays that otherwise reflect off the moon's surface. Some indirect sunlight still pierces through to give the moon its eerie hue.

For a few hours on the night of Dec. 20 to Dec. 21, the attention of tens of millions of people will be drawn skyward.

The night sky will put on a show in the coming days – and you don't need a telescope to appreciate it, according to University of Virginia astronomer Ed Murphy. The annual Perseid Meteor Shower, which typically produces 50 to 60 ...