Q-90.1's Backyard Astronomer

The three bright stars that make up Orion's belt make for one of the best guideposts in the sky.

With the Moon past full and moving into the post-midnight sky, now is the perfect opportunity to observe the Great Orion Nebula.

The planet Venus is drawing spectacular attention in the west as it outshines all the other star-like objects in the west after sunset.

The Moon appears low in the west at the beginning of this week, but will move further eastward each night.

One of the best-known constellations of the winter sky is approaching its prime in the southern sky and one of its stars is due to explode someday.

At the beginning of the week, Mars will be above a slightly brighter star called “Antares.”

This month, the full moon occurs Friday the 10th, when you can expect to see it slightly north of east after sunset.

If you like looking for meteors, mark the night of January 3 on your calendar!

Many of our modern holiday traditions have their roots in the winter festivals of long ago, including the date we now call Christmas.

About 90 minutes after sunset, look south for "The Lonely One" in an area devoid of other bright stars.

With the Winter Solstice fast approaching, it's no surprise that December's full moon is called the Cold Moon.

One of the most recognizable star clusters is now gracing the eastern sky after dark.

With little or no moon in the sky this week, it's a good time to look for one of the most famous deep sky objects.

After more than a year, Venus finally makes its way back into the evening skies.

On Monday, Nov. 11, the planet Mercury will pass in front of the Sun in a rare event known as a transit.

The brightest star of the fall sky is currently low in the northeast after twilight.

Look high in the northeast for a group of bright stars that looks like a big "W" in the sky and you'll see the constellation of Cassiopeia the Queen.

You might have noticed an increase in the number of "shooting stars" in the morning sky before sunrise. This is due to the Orionid meteor shower, which is peaking right now.

Each season has a notable group of stars to serve as a guidepost to that part of the sky. In autumn, we have the Great Square of Pegasus.

The dark plains on the Moon are called maria or seas because early observers mistook them for bodies of water.