The Milky Way’s Killer Instincts

March 12, 2010 | Don’t let its graceful spiral form fool you: our home galaxy is a cannibal. It’s long been suspected of having gobbled up smaller dwarf galaxies in its vicinity — and two new observations make an ironclad case for the prosecution. > read more

Fastest Known Binary Star

March 9, 2010 | In the time it takes you to read this news story, the ultra-tightly paired stars known as HM Cancri will have completely spun around each other. > read more

Zodiacal Light’s Mystery Solved

March 11, 2010 | Eerie and elusive, the zodiacal light is created from sunlight glinting off countless dust particles in the inner solar system. At last, astronomers have figured out where all that grit comes from. > read more

Globe at Night is Happening Now!

February 23, 2010 | Globe at Night, an effort to measure light pollution around the world, runs from March 3-16, 2010. Will you help meet this year’s target of 15,000 more participants? > read more

S&T: Sean Walker

A Saturn Almanac

November 12, 2008 | Spectacular Saturn is now rising shortly after dark. Click here to find printable data on the positions of Saturn’s rings and planets. > read more

Tour March’s Sky by Eye and Ear!

February 25, 2010 | What a difference a month makes! The lengthening days, together with a switch to daylight time, mean that the evening constellations are changing rapidly. So use this easy-to-follow audio tour to figure out what’s what. Host: S&T’s Kelly Beatty. (6.5MB MP3 download: running time: 6m 52s) > read more

Zodiacal Light in the Evening

March 4, 2010 | The zodiacal light is on its best display in the Northern Hemisphere on moonless evenings from February through April. > read more

Making the Most of Mars

January 25, 2010 | Mars is receding from Earth, but it’s still a fine, though small, target for telescopes. > read more

Vesta in 2010

January 1, 2010 | Vesta was at opposition on February 18, 2010, and it shines at magnitude 7 or brighter through mid-May. > read more

Sky & Telescope diagram

This Week’s Sky at a Glance

March 12, 2010 | The thin Moon passes Venus low in the west in bright twilight this week. And Mars remains shining near Castor and Pollux high overhead after dark. > read more