Recent International Astronomical Union Circulars This page lists the dates of issue and the titles of the items on the twenty most-recent IAUCs. Individual items can be displayed by selecting the relevant title.
		International Astronomical Union: Astronomy Headlines This page contains brief information on recent astronomical discoveries as reported in the International Astronomical Union Circulars (IAUCs) and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPECs), as well as links to ephemerides and orbital elements for comets and minor planets.
		Latest News and Notices from the BAA observing opportunities / new discoveries from the BAA
		Observable Comets lists links to orbital elements and ephemerides of (potentially) observable comets
		Approaching Comets This website is devoted to monitoring all newly detected unknown objects and identified comets which have the potential for becoming significant events in the near future. It is kept updated very frequently, as new information and/or observations come in.
		BAA Comet Section lists links to news, current magnitudes and ephemerides of currently observable comets.
		Minor Planet Mailing List These pages contain information about the Minor Planet Mailing List as well as a number of interesting and important ideas for the minor planet observer.
		American Association of Variable Star Observers The AAVSO is the largest organization of variable star observers worldwide. You can get daily updates and find out more about them, the projects they sponsor and the data they make available to astronomers around the world.
		The Minima of Algol The star Algol (Beta Persei) was the first eclipsing variable star ever discovered, and it's still the most famous one. You can check on it whenever you step outdoors on nights when Perseus is in view.
		International Occultation and Timing Association This page gives information on the circumstances of lunar and other types of occultation for various locations around the world.
		Solar Observing The Sun is a fascinating astronomical object to observe. Extreme care is required if you wish to observe the Sun safely. Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye or with any optical instrument. You must be familiar with the safe observing methods before attempting to observe the Sun.
		The Messier Catalog A listing of images and information on the Messier objects with links to other deep sky catalogues (NGC objects, etc.)
		The Interactive NGC Catalog Online An interactive NGC (IC, and Messier) catalog at SEDS, based on the famous NGC 2000.0 by R.W. Sinnott of Sky Publishing Corp.
		The Night Sky Live The night sky above some of the world's premier observatories. Click on a star to go to live pictures taken by the fisheye CONtinuous CAMeras (CONCAMs) in operation there. Major sponsors of the CONCAM project include the National Science Foundation and the Dept. of Physics at Michigan Technological University.
		The Sky at Night The BBC's dedicated Sky at Night website. Contains realvideo edition of last programme and links to the newsletter and other items.
		BBC Space Site The BBC's dedicated Space website. Contains links to various observing resources.

		The Sky at Night: Mares - The Next Frontier Broadcast on Aug, 4, 2003, this edition covers Mars, from the upcoming close approach to the probes en route to the Red Planet and some future speculation.
		Let's Talk Stars David Levy hosts a radio programme dedicated to astronomy. This time he talks to Scott Roberts, Vice Pres. of Meade National Sales and webmaster of AstronomyOutreach.net.
		NPR Talk of the Nation Science Friday (July 25, 2003) Hour long radio programme discussing the upcoming close encounter with Mars, Dark Energy and Time Travel.

		A Possible Nova In Scutum A bright nova was discovered by H. Nishimura on August 28.577 with 8.5 mag. The eruption was also detected in the ASAS-3 (vsnet-campaign-nova 1364). The nova was soon confirmed by M. Linnolt and R. Stubbings on August 30 (vsnet-campaign-nova 1365, 1368).
		HubbleSite: A Rendezvous With Mars HubbleSite is showcasing the newest Mars images from the Hubble Space Telescope. To accommodate the tremendous public demand for these images, their regular Web pages have been taken temporarily offline. These pages will return once this special event is over.
		MarsMania MarsMania will help you see Mars, tell you about space missions there and answer many of your questions about this amazing planet. Our special guide will bring you the latest news reports - and point you to the best links and books to read to find out more.
		The world watches as Mars passes by From Johannesburg to Buenos Aires to Hong Kong, thousands turned out to catch a historic glimpse of the Red Planet.
		Observations of Mars - 2003 (Soc. Popular Astronomy) The Red Planet is becoming well placed for observation and will be at its closest to the Earth for nearly 60,000 years in August. Send your observations to the Planetary Section Director and we'll put the best on this page.
		The 2003 Close Approach of Mars In the last half of August and first half of September, Mars will be closer and thus brighter than usual in our skies, and visible for most of the night. And on the night of August 26-27, Mars will actually be closer to the Earth than it has been in about 60,000 years (the last time it was this close was 57,617 BCE which was a little before my time, and yours too probably!) Even at this closest approach, however, Mars will still be about 35 million miles away.
		Timeline of Mars events for 2003 and Early 2004 On August 27, 2003, Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been for many millennia. But observers will be able to enjoy the extroadinary event much longer than just that one day. Here is a guide describing what to look for when, which will help you to take advantage of Mars's latest opposition throughout the year.
		Getting the Best View of Mars Here is the equipment you'll need to see details on the Red Planet's surface.
		Mars in 2003: Which Side Is Visible? To compare what you see on Mars with a map, you need to know which side of the planet youre looking at. This is given by the longitude of the central meridian (CM) the Martian longitude of the imaginary line down the center of the planet's disk from pole to pole. It is also helpful to know which of the planet's poles is tipped toward Earth, and whether the planet's axis is straight up and down or tipped clockwise or counterclockwise.
		The Martian Moons in 2003 Have you ever seen Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos, in your telescope? From July through September 2003, conditions for glimpsing the fleet orbs are as good as they ever get. Just don't expect to have an easy time of it!
		Martian Flare Watch Will Martian flares like those observed in 2001 appear again in 2003? It appears so! Two transient brightenings have already been reported, and amateur and professional astronomers will be watching the red planet closely for more.
		Fun When the Sun Goes Down Summertime may mean longer days and shorter nights, but the beautiful weather keeps people outdoors until the last rays of sunshine have disappeared beyond the horizon, and the night sky is soon glittering with stars. Every week this summer the universe offers observers something new to explore. From meteor showers to Milky Way splendors to Mars at its best in thousands of years, a bevy of unique opportunities awaits the eager observer in the summer of 2003.
		The 2003 Perseids in Moonlight The Perseid meteor shower, an annual celestial event that's a favorite of skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere, peaks at 1:00 a.m. EDT on August 13, 2003. But light from the Moon, one day past full, will wash out many of the shower's faint meteors.
		Approaching Mars Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter in August. The red planet is already an appealing target for sky watchers.
		A Star Prepares to Blow Its Top Keep an eye on Cassiopeia it contains a naked-eye star that may brighten and dim dramatically in the coming months.
		September Meteor Showers - a listing of showers which occur this month
		September Messier Objects - a list of objects visible this month. All are possible with binoculars, most are easy even with small binoculars.
		Asteroid and Planetary Occultation Predictions - a list of upcoming occultations [from the BAA]
		Occultation Alert - occultation alerts [from the BAA]