While the moon is pretty to look at and easy to find, its light outshines a lot of deep sky objects. Galaxies, star clusters, nebulae. So moonless nights are what amateur astronomers live for.

This weekend, let's identify a classic northern hemisphere constellation.

This weekend, two rare lunar treats. And the trick is, they always happen at the same time.

This weekend, look for a classic target known and celebrated since time immemorial.

This weekend's target is a classic cold weather cluster right next door to its famous half-sisters.

This weekend, if we're lucky to get clear enough skies, check out one of the best moon phases for lunar observation.

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, AND Neptune will all be in the evening sky this weekend. And so will Pluto, if you still consider it to be a planet, but most amateur telescopes won't have a chance of spotting it.

This weekend, the gibbous moon lights up the night.

Hiding in the constellation Cassiopeia is a star cluster that goes by many names. Its most official name is NGC 457 for its place in Danish astronomer John Lewis Emil Dreyer's New General Catalogue.

The Alpha Persei (PER-see-EYE) Cluster is an open cluster of hot, bluish-white B-type stars. These kinds of stars are so energetic, they don't live long. So most of the B-type stars we can see in the night sky are, on the cosmic scale, practically newborns.