SUNSET: 
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 10 – 18
Some daily sky sights among the ever-changing stars, Moon, and planets.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 3 – 11
Some daily celestial sights among the ever-changing stars and planets Friday, October 3 As evening twilight fades away, look very far to the lower left of the Moon for Fomalhaut, the Autumn Star, already climbing up from the southeast horizon. Saturday, October 4 The W pattern of Cassiopeia stands vertically…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, Sept. 26 – Oct. 4
Mars shines above Antares in the southwest at dusk this week.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 19–27
Arcturus is the bright star fairly high due west at nightfall. It's an orange giant 37 light-years away. Off to its right in the northwest is the Big Dipper, most of whose stars are about 80 light-years away.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 12–20
Follow the lineup of Saturn, Mars, and Antares as it changes day by day.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 5 – 13
Friday, September 5 Saturn, Mars, Delta (δ) Scorpii, and Antares form an equally-spaced ragged line in the southwest at dusk, as shown at right. Delta Scorpii used to be a bit dimmer than Beta above it. Then in July 2000 it doubled in brightness. It has remained bright, with slow…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 29 – September 6
The Moon is coming back into the evening sky. Look for the waxing crescent low in the west-southwest in twilight, as shown at lower right. Can you make out Spica twinkling beneath it?
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 22 – 30
Friday, August 22 Altair is the brightest star shining halfway up the southeastern sky after nightfall. Look to its left, by a little more than a fist at arm's length, for the dim but distinctive constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin. He's leaping leftward, just below the Milky Way. In Saturday's dawn,…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 15 – 23
Jupiter and Venus join together in the dawn sky, while Vega bejewels the zenith and the Milky Way's center reaches its highest in the south.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 8 – 16;
Friday, August 8 Already you may see an occasional Perseid meteor if you keep an eye on the night sky. The shower's peak night is predicted for next Tuesday (August 12–13), but moonlight will compromise the view all week. Look northeast as the stars come out for W-shaped Cassiopeia. It's…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 1 – 9
Friday, August 1 At dusk this evening, the Moon forms the lower-right end of a very long, curving line of celestial objects. Counting to the Moon's upper left, these are Spica, Mars, and Saturn, as shown here. Today is Lammas Day or Lughnasadh, one of the four traditional "cross-quarter" days…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 25 – August 2
Friday, July 25 Mars and Spica shine in the southwest at nightfall. Mars keeps pulling farther away from Spica; they're now 6° apart. Saturn glows pale yellow to their upper left. Arcturus sparkles high to their upper right. Saturday, July 26 New Moon (exact at 6:42 p.m. EDT). Summer is…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 18 - 26
Mars at dusk is still slightly less than 3° (two finger widths at arm's length) from Spica in the southwestern sky at the beginning of the week. But they're widening and sinking lower day by day.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 11 – 19
Friday, July 11 Mars and Spica form a striking pair in the southwestern sky at dusk! They're now just under 2° apart. On Sunday evening they'll be at their minimum separation, 1.3°. Watch them change day by day. Full Moon tonight and Saturday night (exactly full at 7:25 a.m. Saturday…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 4-12
Friday, July 4 Out to watch fireworks? As you're waiting for twilight to end, spot the Moon in the west-southwest with Mars and Spica off to its left, as shown for July 4 here. High above them all shines brighter Arcturus. Saturn is farther left (off the left edge of…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 27 - July 5
Friday, June 27 This is the time of year when, at the end of dusk, the dim Little Dipper floats straight upward from Polaris (the end of its handle) — like a helium balloon on a string, escaped from some summer evening party. Look due north. (Through light pollution, all…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 20 - 28
A calendar of daily sky sights, from Sky & Telescope magazine.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 13 - 21
Friday, June 13 Vega is the brightest star shining in the east after dusk. It's currently the top star of the big Summer Triangle. The brightest star to Vega's lower left is Deneb. Look farther to Vega's lower right for Altair. The Summer Triangle will climb higher in early evening…
Sky at a Glance, June 6 - 14
Friday, June 6 Look left of the Moon this evening for Mars, then Spica, as shown at right. With June under way, the Big Dipper is swinging around after dark to hang down by its handle high in the northwest. The middle star of its handle is Mizar, with tiny…
Sky at a Glance, May 30 - June 7
The crescent Moon passes Mercury and Jupiter as it waxes across the sky this week.
