astronomy

Jupiter is often the brightest planet in the night sky and an rewarding target for casual stargazers and astrophotographers. Finding Jupiter starts with knowing when and where t...

The full Moon in November 2025 occurs on Wednesday, November 12 , with peak illumination at 6:36 a.m. UTC (1:36 a.m. EST / 10:36 p.m. PST on November 11 in North America). At th...

Where is the meteor shower today depends on your time zone, local sky brightness, and the current Moon phase, but you can usually locate the radiant by stepping outside between...

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and timing depends on your exact location and the type of eclipse. To find what time the solar eclipse wil...

To answer whether Jupiter is in retrograde right now: Jupiter spends about 3 to 4 months each year in retrograde motion as seen from Earth, and its precise timing shifts slightl...

A new moon eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, aligning closely with the Sun and the nodes of the Moon’s orbit. During a new moon, the side of...

A super moon occurs when a full moon coincides with or is very close to perigee, the point in the Moon’s elliptical orbit nearest to Earth. On November 5, the full moon will f...

The Strawberry Moon, the full moon of mid‑ to late‑June, often sparks questions about whether it will appear pink. In practice, the moon usually looks white or pale yellow t...

The September night sky marks a reliable transition from summer to autumn constellations, offering observers distinct patterns that return year after year. As summer brilliance...

Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and a gas giant whose main qualities include a massive size, low average density, powerful magnetic field, banded atmosphere, a...

The best time to view the Strawberry Moon depends on moonrise and moonset timings in your location, the phase of the Moon, and local sky conditions such as twilight, weather, an...

Venus rise and set occur because Venus, like the Moon and planets, orbits the Sun while Earth rotates beneath it. As an inner planet closer to the Sun than Earth, Venus appears...

The winter solstice is the astronomical moment marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. For most locations in the Northern Hemisphere, this occurs when the North...

The Perseids are one of the most consistent and accessible meteor showers of the year, peaking in mid-August when Earth passes through debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle. Because...

When you see the phrase current retrograde in headlines or feeds, it usually refers to a planet that appears to move backward in the sky from our vantage point on Earth. This ap...

A new moon occurs when the Moon sits between Earth and the Sun. The side illuminated by the Sun faces away from us, so the lunar disk is nearly invisible in the night sky. This...

When a planet is described as retrograde, it means that from Earth we observe the planet appearing to move backward in the sky relative to the stars. This optical effect occurs...

A quasi-moon is a small Solar System body whose orbit around the Sun is temporarily captured by a planet in a way that makes it appear to orbit the planet in the short term. For...

The full moon this month is commonly called the Harvest Moon in the Northern Hemisphere (or another month-specific name depending on date). A full moon occurs roughly once a mon...

Seeing a shooting star in Los Angeles is common, but knowing when and where to look makes a measurable difference. A shooting star is simply a meteoroid burning up in Earth’s...

To answer which two planets are visible tonight: check a current nightly sky chart for your location, and note that the evening planets depend on the time of year and planetary...

The short answer is: it depends on your location, the time of night, and local sky and weather conditions. The Strawberry Moon is the traditional name for the full Moon that occ...

Mars retrograde is a predictable astronomical pattern in which Mars appears to move backward against the background of stars from Earth’s perspective. This apparent reversal i...

A planet appears strikingly bright in the evening or pre-dawn sky when a combination of geometry and reflectivity puts it at its brightest from Earth’s perspective. The main d...

The phrase Great Comet of 2026 refers to a yet-to-be-fully-characterized long-period comet expected to become bright enough to be visible to the naked eye in 2026. As of now, no...

Comet SWAN25F is a dynamically new comet discovered by SOHO’s SWAN instrument, notable for brightening close to the Sun and becoming observable in twilight from lower latitude...

Venus retrograde motion is an apparent backward (westward) shift of Venus across the sky as observed from Earth. This optical illusion occurs when Earth, orbiting closer to the...

A new moon occurs when the Moon and the Sun share the same ecliptic longitude, positioning the Moon between Earth and the Sun. During this phase, the side illuminated by the Sun...

A new moon occurs when the Moon and Sun share the same ecliptic longitude, placing the Moon between Earth and the Sun. The lunar side facing Earth is not illuminated by direct s...

The Geminid meteor shower is a dependable annual event that produces bright, slow-moving meteors visible from many parts of Earth. Unlike most showers, which originate from come...

Saturn retrograde occurs roughly once a year, lasting approximately four to five months per cycle. During this period Saturn appears to move backward through the zodiac constell...

When a planet is described as in retrograde, it means that from Earth the planet appears to move backward, or westward, through the stars for a period of time rather than the us...

“Is Venus next to the moon tonight?” is one of the most common sky-watching queries because the Moon visits every planet in the night sky over a roughly monthly cycle. As th...

The crescent moon and planet Venus frequently share the evening or morning sky because both orbit the Sun within Earth’s line of sight. Venus is the brightest planet and follo...

The summer and winter solstice mark two key moments each year when the Sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost extreme relative to Earth’s equator. They occur because Ear...

Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through streams of debris left by comets or asteroids, causing particles to enter the atmosphere and burn up as streaks of light. South Fl...

The 2024 super blue moon combines two astronomical circumstances: the full moon coincides with perigee, making it appear larger and brighter, and it occurs near the second full...

The Ursid meteor shower is an annual event active in late December, favoring observers in the Northern Hemisphere. The core activity spans a predictable window each year, with t...

When skywatchers ask which planet will be aligned with the Moon tonight, the answer depends on the date, your location, and how you define alignment. In an astronomical sense, a...

The seven stars constellation refers to any prominent asterism of seven bright stars that stand out in the night sky, with the Plough (Big Dipper) asterism in Ursa Major being t...

Full moon names originate from Indigenous, European, and other regional calendars that tracked the year by natural signs and agricultural rhythms. Before standardized months, co...

A full moon occurs when the Moon is opposite the Sun in ecliptic longitude, fully illuminated as seen from Earth. For September 2024, the full moon provides a reliable, predicta...

The Strawberry Moon is the traditional name in North America for the full moon that typically rises in June. It is not a unique astronomical event, but the ordinary full moon oc...

Images of a partial lunar eclipse capture the Moon subtly dimmed as it passes through Earth’s penumbra and, deeper, through the central umbra, creating a gradual darkening tha...

A new moon happens when the Moon sits between Earth and the Sun, with its unlit side facing us. This alignment makes the Moon largely invisible from Earth and defines the start...

After Comet NEOWISE in 2020 and earlier events around 2019, attention turned to future visitors from the outer Solar System. The next comet expected to pass Earth after 2019 is...

The short answer is that the identity of the planet in the eastern sky at dusk depends on the date, your latitude, and the planet’s current orbital motion. In the early evenin...

The November 2025 full moon occurs on Friday, November 7, reaching peak illumination at 20:27 UTC. For most U.S. time zones, this translates to early evening on Thursday, Novemb...

A planetary parade, where all planets appear lined in the pre-dawn sky, last occurred in 2022 and can be summarized as follows: June 2022 presented the most widely visible, tele...

January meteor activity centers on the Quadrantids, a reliable but short-lived shower that can produce bright fireballs under ideal conditions. Unlike longer-lasting showers, th...

A comet becomes visible from Earth when it passes close enough to the Sun and Earth that its ice vaporizes, forming a bright coma and sometimes a tail that reflects sunlight and...

The Southern Taurids are a long-lasting, reliable annual meteor shower active from early September to mid-November, producing modest but consistent rates of slow-moving, bright...

In Disney’s Frozen , the night sky filled with stars is both backdrop and narrative device, framing moments of wonder, danger, and guidance. This evergreen explainer examines...

A February planet alignment refers to a pattern in which multiple planets appear within the same region of the pre-dawn or early evening sky during February. This is typically a...

A full moon occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, fully illuminated as seen from our planet. In October, the full moon often coincides with notable...

Pisces is a faint yet historically rich zodiac constellation best known for its representation of two fish swimming in opposite directions. Located in the northern sky between A...

The date of the May full moon is set by lunar cycles rather than a fixed calendar date, typically falling in late April or May. A full moon occurs when the Moon is opposite the...

An opposition occurs when two bodies lie on opposite sides of Earth in ecliptic longitude, placing them approximately 180° apart in the sky. For an outer planet like Pluto, the...

The Leonids peak is the moment each year when the Leonids meteor shower reaches its highest expected activity, producing the most meteors per hour. The Leonids are the debris st...

Whether you are new to stargazing or have a backyard telescope, knowing how to view Jupiter tonight can turn an ordinary evening into a memorable sky tour. Jupiter is often brig...