On the morning of Friday, Jan. 9, from 10:55 to 11:06 UT, asteroid 1963 Bezovec occults the 8.3-magnitude star HIP 64220 in a narrow path from Baja California through Texas to New England and Nova Scotia.

Venus dazzles high in the cold winter dusk, and a telescope shows that it's almost perfectly half-lit. Before dawn, Saturn's rings remain the closest to edge-on that you can see them until 2038.

A fast-moving binocular comet should peak at about 5th magnitude in February. With a modest telescope, you can pick it up now.

What's that brilliant beacon in the southwestern evening sky — a supernova? a UFO? Nope, it's Venus, this winter's dazzling "evening star." Learn more about Venus and other celestial showpieces by downloading our monthly guide to the night sky!

There are plenty of "Best of 2008" lists out there — but ours exclusively features your efforts!

Thousands of telescopes are given and received as gifts during the holidays. But once you've assembled your new treasure, then what? The editors of Sky & Telescope have created a special section of easy-to-grasp introductory skywatching articles just for you!

Get ready for the total solar eclipse of the century — along with a hard-to-reach annular eclipse and a handful of modest lunar eclipses that take place during the International Year of Astronomy.

Sky & Telescope predicts that 2009's best meteor showers should be the Quadrantids, Orionids, and Geminids — with the added possibility of a spectacular outburst from the Leonids in mid-November.

Anyone who remembers the spectacular displays of Leonid meteors in 1999–2002 would surely love to see them again. Good news! Theorists predict that the Leonids might be back for an encore in mid-November 2009.

At the end of November and the beginning of December, the two brightest planets perform a dazzling dance in the evening twilight. On December 1st they're joined by the slender crescent Moon, which makes for a pretty trio in the Americas — and which will cover Venus in spectacular fashion for lucky skywatchers in Europe.

Vesta, the brightest asteroid, is easy to observe during the last three months of 2008.

Earth's sister planet has emerged from behind the Sun for a low evening apparition. See how early you can spot it in the twilight.

It's still not clear what will become of Jupiter's Little Red Spot after the recent collision with its two larger siblings.

This pearly glow is surprisingly easy to see — if you know what to look for.

Eclipses, occultations, conjunctions, and meteor showers — there's no shortage of celestial action in 2008.

When Comet Holmes suddenly brightened by nearly a million times, it became a snap to spot with just your eyes. It is also a snap to shoot with a camera. Check out amateur images of the comet — and submit your own!

The world's largest orbiting satellite is a snap to spot if you know where and when to look for it.