Q-90.1's Backyard Astronomer

Friday, December 21 marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the moon.

Comet Wirtanen makes a close approach to Earth December 16th. Learn how to find it with ordinary binoculars!

The planet Venus has reclaimed its place as the "Morning Star" in the eastern sky before dawn.

The brightest star of the fall sky is low in the northeast after twilight. This is Capella, in the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer.

The Moon continues to grow in phase this week, reaching full on November 22.

Early in the week, the Moon appears as a thin crescent in the southwest at dusk. With each passing night, you can see it slip eastward, which will also change its phase.

Our sister galaxy, Andromeda, is the most distant object you can see in the night sky without a telescope, and cool, dry autumn nights are a great time to look for it.

Each season has a prominent constellation or group of stars that serves as an excellent pointer to that part of the sky. In autumn, it's the Great Square of Pegasus.

The "W" of Cassiopeia is visible in the northeast after dusk. Learn about this famous constellation and why you can see it in the north all year round.

Museums, schools and planetariums host this annual event to observe our nearest celestial neighbor. It's also a chance to see the latest discoveries from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The changing of the seasons will put Jupiter in the Sun's glare by the end of the month.

Not all objects in the night sky are made by nature. You can also spot the International Space Station and other Earth-orbiting satellites at night.

The Harvest Moon, the closest full moon to the Autumn Equinox, takes place on Sept. 25 this year.

Sept. 22 marks the Autumn Equinox, when day and night are equal in length.

The brilliant planet Venus is making its last hurrah low in the west at dusk.

Now is a good time to observe the Summer Milky Way, especially under a dark sky with no Moon.

The early evening sky will speckle with more stars. Among them, a long panorama of bright planets can be seen in the south.

All this week, the sunlit side of the Moon will seem to grow as it gradually slips eastward among the stars.

This week, the Crescent Moon makes its appearance and passes by both Venus and Jupiter.

One of the most well-known meteor showers of the year reaches peak activity on the night of August 12 and morning of August 13.