Tag: Stargazing

Few sights are as memorable as Venus, the brightest planet, passing very close to a crescent moon in a twilight sky. Such an event may have inspired the symbols on the flag of Turkey or the famous lines penned by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner:” Till clomb above the eastern barThe horned Moon, with one bright star Within the nether tip Unfortunately, the very close conjunction of Venus on Monday evening, Aug. 5 will prove far more challenging than most. Indeed, the moon itself will appear…

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Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical “Skyscapes” that connect both Earth and the night sky.  This unusual portrait appears to depict what could be a giant eye, viewed from our lovely planet Earth while staring deep into the beauty of the Milky Way galaxy. It is important to remember that this collection of…

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Stargazers will soon be able to witness a “double” meteor shower as both the Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquariids peak next week.  The twin-skywatching event is “just an amazing coincidence,” Nicholas Moskovitz, a planetary astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, told Live Science. Meteor showers occur when Earth’s orbit intersects a comet’s path. The rocky debris left behind by the comet burns up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. During the double meteor showers this month, Earth will cross the orbits of comet 96P/Machholz — which causes the Southern…

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If you want to enjoy the night sky, all you need is curiosity, patience and good weather.  A good telescope or pair of binoculars will help you see some of the night sky’s fainter objects. However, the unaided eye is enough to learn its stars and constellations, watch the moon, experience meteor showers and see satellites whizz across the night sky.  Read on to find out what you can see in the night sky this week without any equipment, from the moon close to planets and bright stars to catching…

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These incredibly detailed images of the sun were captured by astrophotographer Mark Johnston from his backyard in Scottsdale, Arizona. As we approach solar maximum, the peak of solar activity during the sun‘s approximately 11-year solar cycle, the sun has been anything but quiet. Spawning huge sunspots, unleashing powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and triggering impressive widespread aurora displays, the sun has certainly been keeping us on our toes.  It’s no wonder astrophotographers like Johnston are turning their attention to our home star, because you never quite know…

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The new moon of July 2024 occurs today as Earth reaches its farthest point from the sun, known as aphelion. The new moon arrives on July 5 at 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time (2257 UTC), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and two days later the young moon will make a close pass to Mercury in the evening sky.  Earth reached aphelion today, meaning our was farther away from the sun than at any other period in its yearly orbit. Earth’s orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical, or oval-shaped, meaning…

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I would suppose that just about any good book on astronomy would contain a photograph of what might best be described as the “smoke ring” of the sky. Others might call it a doughnut or a cosmic bagel, but the popular name for this object is simply the Ring Nebula, located in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre. Although generally considered a summer constellation, Lyra, it is still very well placed for viewing, now more than two weeks into the autumn season. Head outside this week at around 10 p.m.…

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