Discover Celestial Sights With Your New Scope and Debate the Existence of a Superkilonova

Having trouble viewing this email? {Click here to read it on the Web.}

Read news from the world of astronomy for the week of December 26, 2025.

Subscribe to Sky & Telescope Magazine to receive full access to the articles below.

Visit our FAQ page to learn more.

This week in the world of astronomy, learn what you can see with your new telescope and find out if a star really exploded twice.

Moon-nearly-first-quarter_wide_Seronik image

How To Start with Your New Telescope


Maybe you just got a shiny new telescope to call your own. Congratulations — you could be on your way to making lifelong friends with stupendous, faraway cosmic immensities floating high over your roof every night, things you never knew were right up there waiting all along for you to find them.

Astro-News Highlights

Did Astronomers See a Star Explode Twice?


The complex stellar explosion might have produced a gravitational-wave signal detected on Earth along with light.

Observing Highlights

This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 26 – January 4


On the evening of December 26th, Boxing Day, you'll find the Moon and Saturn close enough together to fit in a box 3° square.

Exploring Massive New Stars in Orion with Binoculars


Waves of recent star formation have made Orion winter's most scintillating constellation. You can see how it all came to be.

December Podcast: Find the “Demon Star”


During December you can watch for some impressive shooting stars and spend some time with the “Demon Star,” which can’t decide how bright it wants to be.

Presented by: Celestron.

Community

NJAG-Logo-2016-White image

North Jersey Astronomical Group


Monthly meetings of the North Jersey Astronomical Group (NJAG) are free and open to the public - all are welcomed. Meetings usually feature a presentation about astronomy or space science.

Dark and Quiet Skies Survey


The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has been discussing the issue of Dark and Quiet Skies as an official agenda item as of 2025. By filling out this survey, you can help shape these discussions.

The Smartest Out of the Box Smart Telescope On Sale


Spectrum’s Sky Pilot 127 may be the best combination of visual and imaging available. It includes a 53mm ED guider / imager with Intelligent camera, 127 Mak optics, alt-AZ mount, Vixen-style dovetail receiver, full-size tripod with 1.5″ diameter legs, removeable color camera with IMX662 sensor and dual band Wi-Fi and the free MirroSky APP.


From a trusted S&T partner

Webb’s Cosmos, the Astronomy Book Everyone Will Want!


Explore breathtaking cosmic images and captivating discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope — revealing the universe as we’ve never seen it before.


From a trusted S&T partner

Pro-Am Collaboration Session at AAS Winter Meeting


Attending the AAS winter meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, in January? Join our session on pro-am collaboration efforts.

Facebook  X  Instagram  YouTube  TikTok