Weekly SkyWatcher's Forecast: September 10-16, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! With very little Moon to contend with this week, it will be a great time to take on some challenging studies like the Helix Nebula, Saturn Nebula, Stephen's Quintet and more. It's time to get out your big telescope and head for some dark skies... Because this week isn't for the beginner! Whenever you're ready, I'll see you out back...

Eye Candy: ALMA Studies A Sweet Star!

Are you ready to take one sweet trip to the eye-candy shop? That's just what the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) did when a team of astronomers discovered simple sugar molecules in the gas surrounding a young star. Similar to our Sun, the star cataloged as IRAS 16293-2422 and its sweet envelope herald the fact that the building blocks of life can be present when a solar system forms.

Weekly SkyWatcher's Forecast: September 3-9, 2012

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! With the change in seasons becoming quickly apparent, it's time to put some early hours dark skies to good use and enjoy some favorite nebulae. If you've enjoyed the Mars-mania, then you'll also enjoy the return of Mars in the pre-dawn hours. Speaking of early mornings, be sure to watch as the Moon and Jupiter head for a splendid conjunction this coming Saturday. When you're ready, grab your binoculars and set up your telescopes... It's time to dance!