In the Sky Tonight

Curious what's in tonight's sky? Here's a summary of this month's astronomical events. Plus, learn about the joy of astronomy binoculars, a mini telescope you can take anywhere.


2024 Best Observing Nights

Want to know which nights to observe? Consult this list of nights in 2024 when Moon conditions are optimal for night sky observing.


Ask the Astronomer

Recent questions answered by our astronomers:

If galaxies have black holes and two such galaxies were colliding, would the two colliding galaxies form one giant black hole?


See the Space Station!

The International Space Station circumnavigates the Earth once every 90 minutes. Check out this schedule for dates and times when it passes overhead in your neighborhood. With the brightness of Jupiter, it can be seen even in big cities where light pollution is high.


About the Observatory

Windowpane Observatory: A Complete History. We have dug up and scanned never-before-seen slides and analog photos of the early days. How WPO the observatory and WPO the website came about.


Astronomical Tales

What do the Bubonic Plague, a nervous breakdown, and failing as a farmer have to do with the greatest scientific publication of all time?


Telescope Advice and Consulting

Shopping for a telescope? Talk to us first. Personal and precise telescope advice from real astronomers.



Orion Telescope Reviews

A review of the Orion telescope and intelliscope product lines by astronomers at WPO.


Celestron Reviews

Personal experiences of the Celestron line of telescopes and binoculars, told by the astronomer who worked alongside Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto.


Exoplanetary Discoveries

NASA is working on a new space-based telescope that is 2,000 times more sensitive than the Hubble. They're calling it the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope and they say it will be capable of detecting life on Earth-like planets orbiting other stars.