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This Week's Sky at a Glance logo

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, May 1 – 9

Look high in the west for Pollux and Castor, the heads of the Gemini twins. They form the top of the enormous Arch of Spring. To their lower left is Procyon, the left end of the Arch. Farther to their lower right is brilliant Capella.

This Week's Sky at a Glance logo

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 24 – May 2

Astronomy is an outdoor nature hobby. For an easy-to-use constellation guide covering the whole evening sky, use the big monthly map in the center of Sky & Telescope magazine.

This Week's Sky at a Glance logo

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 17 – 25

Venus continues to blaze in the west during and after twilight. This evening it's passing north (upper right) of Aldebaran.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 10 – 18

Right after dark, look southwest and find Procyon high above brilliant Sirius. Look upper left of Procyon by 15° for the dim head of Hydra.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, April 3 – 11

Venus shines in the edge of the Pleiades, as shown above. How soon before the end of twilight can you first begin to see the little cluster?

Moon passing Venus at dusk, March 26-28, 2020

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 27 – April 4

Venus and the waxing crescent Moon shine in the west during and after twilight. As night deepens, you'll find the Pleiades a little above Venus.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 20 – 28

Venus is the big, bright "Evening Star" high in the west at dusk. Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are low in the southeast in early dawn.

In early dawn, watch the waning Moon step toward and then past Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn -- March 16-20, 2020..

This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 13 – 21

Venus continues to shine high in the west at nightfall for many weeks on end. But as the season advances, its starry background slides toward the lower right behind it. For instance not long ago the Pleiades were very high above it, but as of this evening they're 20° apart.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, February 21 – 29

Venus is the big bright "Evening Star" shining in the west during and after dusk. To its right or lower right as the stars come out is the Great Square of Pegasus, sinking down on one corner.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, February 14 – 22

By 8 or 9 p.m. the Big Dipper stands on its handle in the northeast. In the northwest, Cassiopeia stands on end at about the same height.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, February 7 – 15

Venus is the bright "star" shining in the southwest during and after twilight. Fainter Mercury is far down to its lower left as twilight fades.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 17 – 25

Is your sky dark enough for you to see the winter Milky Way? In mid-evening now it runs vertically up and across the zenith: from Canis Major low in the southeast, up between Orion and Gemini, through Auriga and Perseus almost straight overhead, and down through Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Cygnus to the northwest horizon.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 10 – 18

Venus, shining at magnitude –4.0 in Capricornus, dominates the southwest during and after twilight, higher each week. It will shine as the grand "Evening Star" all winter and into the spring.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, January 3 – 11

Astronomy? Skywatching? Daily sky sights for the unaided eye, binoculars, and telescopes, from Sky & Telescope magazine.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, Jan. 31 – Feb. 8

Betelgeuse remains dim. The red supergiant Betelgeuse in Orion's shoulder has always been slightly variable, but for the last month or so it's been in an unusually low dip. Now magnitude 1.6!

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, December 27 – January 4

Want to become a better 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.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, December 20 – 28

Have you ever watched Sirius rise? Watch for Sirius about two fists below Orion's vertical Belt. When a star is very low, it tends to twinkle slowly and often in vivid colors.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, December 13 – 21

Venus shines in the southwest in evening twilight, a little higher each week now. It's on its way up to a grand, high "Evening Star" apparition this winter.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, December 6 – 14

This week, Jupiter is disappearing deep into the sunset, while Venus, having ditched Jupiter, is on its way to flirt with Saturn.

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This Week's Sky At a Glance

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, Nov. 29 – Dec. 7

In the southwest at dusk, Jupiter is going bye-bye and Venus, having ditched Jupiter, is closing in on Saturn.