Ingredients of Life on Asteroid Bennu

Samples collected from the asteroid 101955 Bennu contain life’s key building blocks.

The Ring Nebula Is a Barrel, Not a Ring, 3D Data Show

New data has allowed a team of researchers to reconstruct a detailed view of a famous circle in the constellation Lyra.

NASA Looks to Industry to Continue VIPER Lunar Rover

NASA has announced that it intends to press forward with the VIPER mission in collaboration with industry partners.

This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 7 – 16

The bright gibbous Moon shines over Mars, Pollux, and Castor at nightfall. As evening grows late this scene rotates clockwise, so that by 10 or 11 p.m. Mars shines straight left of the Moon.

Best Double Stars in the Pleiades Cluster

Like a gift that keeps on giving, the Pleiades is also home to several fine double and triple stars for small telescopes. Plus, details of a rare comet occultation on Feb. 5.

Modest Expectations Give Rise to Delight

If we amateur astronomers lean into discovery, there's no limit to the breadth of wonder under a wide-open sky.

February Podcast: Planets Amid Winter’s Stars

This month we’ll look for five planets in the evening sky, explore the Moon’s phases, and track down two lesser-known constellations.

Presented by: Celestron.

Lowell Observatory’s Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival

The Sixth Annual I Heart Pluto Festival runs from February 13-17, 2025, in Flagstaff, Arizona. Adam Nimoy, Dr. Alan Stern, David Levy, and David Eicher will participate in the keynote Night of Discovery on February 15.

Asteroid Named for S&T’s Editor in Chief, Diana Hannikainen

The International Astronomical Union has named asteroid 2000 BE23 after Sky & Telescope’s new Editor in Chief, Diana Hannikainen: 50252 Dianahannikainen.

Donna Elbert and the Table on Page 208

Working 30 years for the legendary astrophysicist, the self-taught mathematician calculated a key value necessary for a planet to sustain a magnetic field, and thus life — a breakthrough overlooked for half a century.

ASTROCON 2025

The Astronomical League will host ASTROCON 2025 from June 25-28, 2025, at Ruby’s Inn near Bryce Canyon National Park. The event features daytime talks and workshops, along with nightly dark-sky observing at Rainbow Point. Attendees can also join public stargazing sessions hosted by the National Park Service near the Bryce Canyon Visitor’s Center.