This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 8 – 16
Astronomy is an outdoor nature hobby. For an easy constellation guide to the evening sky, use the map in the center of Sky & Telescope magazine.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 1 – 9
Now that the Pleiades and Aldebaran are up in due east, can Orion be far behind? Orion's entire iconic figure, formed by its brightest seven stars, takes about an hour and a quarter to cross the horizon below them.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 24 – December 2
When Fomalhaut is due south, you'll always find the first stars of Orion beginning to rise in the east, and the Pointers of the Big Dipper due north below Polaris.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 17 – 25
As twilight fades, look low in the southwest for Saturn and Mercury.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 10 – 18
Vega is the brightest star in the west in early evening. Its little constellation Lyra extends to the left. Somewhat farther left is 3rd-magnitude Albireo, the beak of Cygnus.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 3 – 11
The full Moon of November always rides very high in the middle of the night, almost as high as the full Moon of December.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 27 – November 4
Saturn, in southern Ophiuchus, glows low in the southwest at dusk this week. It's the only bright planet in evening view.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 20 – 28
Look northeast in the starry sky these evenings. Capella shines low and brightest. Upper right of Capella, and upper left of the Pleiades, the stars of Perseus stand astride the Milky Way.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 13 – 21
Want to become an amateur astronomer? First, learn your way around the constellations! They're the key to locating everything fainter and deeper to hunt with binoculars or a telescope.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 6 – 14
Want to become an amateur astronomer? Learn your way around the constellations! They're the key to locating everything fainter and deeper to hunt with binoculars or a telescope.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 29 – October 7
Sky at a Glance, Friday, September 29 -- As the stars come out in late twilight, look high above the Moon for Altair.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 22 – 30
Friday, September 22 • Low in the west-southwest during twilight, spot the thin waxing crescent Moon. Can you see Jupiter to the lower right of it, by about 7°? (for North America.) • Equinox: Autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere, and spring in the Southern Hemisphere, at 4:02 p.m.…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 15 – 23
Saturn (magnitude +0.4, in Ophiuchus above Scorpius) glows in the south-southwest at dusk. Antares twinkles 13° to Saturn's lower right.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 8 – 16
Mercury and Mars are passing each other very low in the glow of sunrise, well to the lower left of Venus. Regulus is also with them, as shown in sky scenes here.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, September 1 – 9
The waxing gibbous Moon is appears equally distant from Saturn, well to its right, and Altair, high to its upper left.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 25 – September 2
Look low in the west in twilight for the waxing crescent Moon. It forms a triangle with Jupiter and Spica below it.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 18 – 26
The Milky Way runs from Sagittarius in the south, up and left across Aquila and the Summer Triangle very high in the east, and down through Cassiopeia to Perseus low in the north-northeast.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 11 – 19
The Perseid meteor shower should be at its maximum late Friday and Saturday nights, August 11-12 and 12-13.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 4 – 12
Saturn glows in the south at nightfall. Fiery Antares, less bright, twinkles 13° to Saturn's lower right.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 28 – August 5
The Sagittarius Teapot is in the south after darkness is complete.
