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This Week's Amazing Sky
October 25, 2022
It’s an annual autumn ritual: The reappearance of Pleiades—the glorious “Seven Sisters.” Around Halloween, they always rise in the east before 7 PM and are nicely up after 8 PM. Learn more about the Pleiades—and their strange connection to All Hallows’ Eve.
What Are the Pleiades?
The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, is a tightly packed cluster of stars. It’…
October 11, 2022
What exactly IS a Blood Moon? There are boatloads of celestial hype about this phenomenon as well as reference to a strange prophesy. I’ll help you separate fact from fiction.
What Is a Blood Moon?
In simple terms, a Blood Moon is another name for a total lunar eclipse—like the one taking place this November 8, 2022.
→ Learn more about the November 8 total lunar eclipse!…
September 27, 2022
No, those aren’t Saturn’s rings! This is the first (stunning!) image of planet Neptune by the new Webb telescope, showing off several narrow rings on our outermost planet. Here’s Bob Berman’s latest post about the news—plus, some facts about the outermost planet.
What is Neptune?
The eighth and farthest planet from our Sun, Neptune is an ice giant that is…
September 22, 2022
Have you seen Jupiter getting brighter nightly? The Giant Planet reaches “opposition” on Monday, September 26—and its closest approach to Earth in 70 years! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime treat to view Jupiter at its best, including Jupiter’s moons. See some amazing photos and viewing tips.
Jupiter in Opposition
Great Jupiter reaches opposition on Monday, the 26th of September…
September 20, 2022
Want to see the kind of inspirational, star-filled panorama experienced in planetariums? Late September is the perfect time for that. Right now, we’re aimed toward the most concentrated part of the Milky Way Galaxy. How many stars are in the Milky Way? Let’s find out!
What is the Milky Way?
In case you didn’t know, the Milky Way is our home galaxy. It a “barred spiral”…
September 14, 2022
Earth’s magnificent Moon isn’t the only one in the solar system. Let’s take a tour through some of the other lunar landscapes that inhabit our space. Which is your favorite?
Our System’s Many Moons
There are at least 214 known natural satellites, or “moons,” that orbit planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids in our solar system. Most of the planets in our system…
September 9, 2022
Can you balance an egg on the autumnal equinox? Does the Sun rise due east and set due west for all of us on Earth? Why did the date of the equinox change? How is it related to the Harvest Moon? Bob separates autumnal equinox facts from fiction.
We have an equinox coming up on Thursday, September 22, 2022. Read all about the Autumnal Equinox!
There are a number of questions…
August 24, 2022
Seen any shooting stars lately? Worried about being clobbered by a meteor? Let’s talk about the chances of a meteor hitting Earth—and one of us!
For reasons no one can explain, meteors are mostly crammed into the final five months of the year. The most famous is the Perseids, which peak in August. These “falling stars” are mostly the size of apple seeds. But larger ones are out…
August 24, 2022
It’s a new Moon! For astronomers, a new Moon means no Moon. For many cultures, however, the new Moon carries special meaning. So, what exactly IS a new Moon, when are the new Moons in 2022, and what does a new Moon look like? Let’s explore, fellow Moon lovers …
What Is a New Moon?
A new Moon is essentially the opposite of a full Moon. During a full Moon, we see…
August 12, 2022
In this age of hype, Saturn remains one of the true show-stoppers. But timing is everything. On August 14, Saturn stands at opposition, shining its brightest. It’s the ideal time to view this ringed gem of a planet!
The true “Lord of the Rings” overwhelms neophyte telescope owners and seasoned observers alike. Saturn may be our solar system’s most beautiful planet; it’s the…
August 8, 2022
Discover 10 amazing facts about planet Venus, our neighbor! We call her our sister planet, goddess of love, “morning star,” and—apparently—UFO! Read on…
Planet Venus is always brilliant and shines with a steady silvery light. For almost all of 2022, our brightest planet is a “morning star” in the eastern sky just before day breaks. Venus will disappear into the Sun’s glare at…
August 5, 2022
This year, the great Perseid meteor shower (peaking August 11–13) will be marred by the sky-brightening mischief of the full Moon. So we may as well amuse ourselves by making the Moon the scapegoat for other problems, too! Read on—and get a couple tips to boost your chances of seeing meteors despite the Moon’s interference.
Moon Myths
It’s not a weird idea to think that…