Night Watchman: Cosmic Clutter

The night sky seldom offers a first—an event never before seen, even by the most grizzled observer. This past January featured one of those rare spectacles, when the asteroid-observing spacecraft near became the first interplanetary craft visible to the naked eye. As the craft zipped in for a close approach (using Earth’s gravity to change its trajectory), the sun glinted off its large solar panels, resulting in star-bright flashes in the northwestern sky.