This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 23 – October 1
Cygnus and the Milky Way cross the zenith after the end of twilight. Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars await your scope through the night. A thin crescent Moon poses favorably at dawn — because it's cupped.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 16 – 24
The late-night Moon aligns with Mars and Aldebaran. Delta Cephei pulses on high. And constellations all over the sky signal the change from summer to fall.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 9 – 17
As the Moon wanes from full to last quarter, passing Jupiter and Mars along the way, darkness returns to the evening sky for constellation spotters and deep-sly observers.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 2 – 10
As the Moon waxes from first quarter to full, watch it cross the southernmost zodiac constellations, then pass Saturn and Jupiter. Along the way it occults a Teapot star.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, Aug. 26 – Sept. 3
Scorpius lies down after dark and the Moon walks across it. Jupiter shines high in the southeast by midnight just about as big and bright as it can ever get. An hour or two earlier, Saturn reaches a good observing height.
Observe Vesta — and Own a Piece of It, Too
Vesta's bright and easy to find in binoculars and maybe even with the naked eye in late summer skies. It's also just as easy to acquire a piece of it without a multi-billion dollar space mission.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 19 – 27
Late these nights, Saturn and Jupiter are about at their very biggest telescopically. Vega passes the zenith, and the Milky Way displays itself in moonless dark.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 12 – 20
Saturn is at opposition, the Perseids contend with moonlight, and once the Moon is gone from the evening sky, the summer Milky Way arches high.
Perseids Are Coming, Full Moon or Not
Don't use a full Moon pass to skip this year's Perseid meteor shower. Right here, right now, we're going to help you make the most of it.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 5 – 13
The Moon and Saturn come to opposition this week, showing us their full sunlit faces. Jupiter looms big late in the night, Vega attains the zenith, and we cross the midpoint of summer. The Perseid meteors get partly mooned out.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 29 – August 6
As the Big Dipper dips and the Guardians of the Pole align one over the other, Saturn looms low in the southeast and the False Comet teases at its highest.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 22 – 30
Bright Arcturus is still pretty high after dark, but as summer progresses, it moves down the western side of the evening sky. Its pale ginger-ale tint always helps identify it.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 15 – 23
The waning Moon says hi to late-night Saturn, the Teapot starts tilting, the Great Square thrusts up, and the Milky Way arches high.
See a Rare Transit of Iapetus on July 17–18
It's tiny. It's challenging. But you won't get the chance to see Iapetus transit the globe of Saturn again until 2037!
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 8 – 16
July is Scorpius season. Maybe you know of the Cat's Eyes in the Scorpion's tail, but how about the Little Cat's Eyes in the Scorpion's body? The Sagittarius Teapot follows not far behind.
Titan Occults a Bright Star, Mira Awakens, and Comet PanSTARRS Shines
Pick one or see them all. July offers a potpourri of celestial events for both naked-eye observers and telescope users that include a rare occultation by Saturn's moon Titan, a bright comet, and Mira at maximum.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 1 – 9
The Moon waxes across the evening sky from Leo to Scorpius. The five-planet lineup in the dawn is now four. And amateur astronomers plan to be recording as Saturn's hazy moon Titan occult a star about as bright as Titan itself for most of North America.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 24 – July 2
The crescent Moon returns to the evening, crossing Leo. The five-planet lineup continues at dawn; catch it while you still can. And for skywatchers at northern latitudes, we're entering noctilucent cloud season.
Solar System Gets its Ducks in a Row
We'll have not one but many opportunities to enjoy a rare lineup of the bright planets over the next few weeks. Amazingly, they'll be aligned in order of their distance from the Sun.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 17 – 25
The five naked-eye planets form a diagonal line in the dawn this week — in order of their distance from the Sun, no less. And the waning Moon visits each one in turn, day by day.
