The ubiquitous 60mm (2.4-inch aperture) refractor is without question the most common telescope in the world. Literally millions of these glasses have been sold over the years. They can make a great choice for beginning stargazers and an ideal, highly-portable second instrument for experienced observers owning much larger scopes. And while their performance can sometimes …

Most of us have heard the expression that “stars twinkle — planets don’t” but have no idea if it’s really true and, if so, why. With several of the brighter planets and stars currently visible in the evening sky, this is a perfect time to demonstrate its validity for yourself. And as a plus, those …

For several evenings this month, skywatchers will have a chance to watch the planet Mars racing across the Beehive Star Cluster in the dim constellation Cancer, currently visible a third of the way up the western sky after evening twilight ends. And this is an event that can be enjoyed with the unaided eye, binoculars …

Skywatchers will have another wonderful opportunity early this month to witness the on-going celestial ballet that occurs as worlds silently move through space above our heads at night. This event will be visible along the entire Eastern United States and up into eastern Canada as well. And while the spectacle can be enjoyed using the …

One of the abiding mysteries of the night sky is that of the “Moon Illusion” — the fact that our satellite looks much bigger when rising or setting than it does when seen overhead. Everyone has experienced this but no one really knows why this happens or what causes it! We offer some tips for …

The last in a series of three total lunar eclipses occurring within less than a year of each other that began last March (with a second one this past August) will occur on the evening of February 20th. After this month’s show, skywatchers will have to wait until December of 2010 to see another total …

Mention of the Milky Way conjures up images of Summer nights, at which time the great billowy starclouds of our home Galaxy provide an awesome sight as they pass through the rich constellations of Cygnus, Aquila, Scutum, Scorpius and, especially, Sagittarius which lies in the direction of the Galaxy’s center. But there is a Winter …

December brings skywatchers one of the year’s two richest displays of “shooting stars” — the Geminids. (No, the other isn’t the famed Perseids in August, as told below!). They’re named for the constellation Gemini from which they appear to radiate or “shoot” across the sky. And unlike most other meteor displays whose host constellations typically …

Stargazers have complained much over the past month or so about the absence of bright observable planets in the evening sky. Jupiter is setting in the twilight glow after sunset, its banded disk and four bright satellites now largely lost in atmospheric turbulence. And Mars doesn’t rise until late evening, still appearing fairly small in …

The annual Orionid Meteor Shower will provide another fine display of celestial fireworks for skywatchers during the early morning hours of October 21st. The window of opportunity for having a dark sky in which to see these “shooting stars” occurs soon after the 9-day-old Moon goes down around 1:30 a.m. EDT and before the Sun …