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What makes the Harvest Moon special?
The Northern Hemisphere's Harvest Moon falls overnight September 17-18, 2024, or almost 5 days before the September equinox. It's also a supermoon!
January 28, 2024
1st of 5 new supermoons in a row starting today
We will have 5 new supermoons in a row, starting on January 11, 2024. The April 8, 2924, new supermoon will result in the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse!
January 11, 2024
Which spiral arm of the Milky Way is ours?
Where do we live in the Milky Way galaxy? We lie between the major arms in a smaller spiral arm known as the Orion Arm. See diagrams here.
January 5, 2024
Are the December solstice and January perihelion related?
December solstice 2023 comes on December 21-22. Earth will be closest to the sun just 2 weeks later, on January 2-3. Coincidence?
January 2, 2024
What is a penumbral eclipse of the moon?
There are 3 kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral. A penumbral eclipse is very subtle. You can notice a shading on the moon's face.
January 1, 2024
What is the Milky Way? It’s our home galaxy
When someone says "Milky Way," do you think of the starry pathway across our sky, or of the great pinwheel-shaped galaxy in space? Both are correct!
January 1, 2024
Year’s earliest solar noon on November 3
November 3 brings the year's earliest solar noon - that is, earliest midday - by nature's clock. It's a harbinger of the Northern Hemisphere's earliest sunset.
January 1, 2024
Greatest elongation, superior and inferior conjunction
When Mercury and Venus are as far from the sun as they get from our earthly point of view, they are at greatest elongation. It is the best time to observe them.
January 1, 2024
What is stellar magnitude?
The brightest stars to the eye are 1st magnitude, and dimmest stars to the eye are 6th magnitude. How does stellar magnitude work in astronomy?
January 1, 2024
The star Sirius rings in the New Year
The Dog Star Sirius reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight every New Year's Eve. For this reason, it could also be called the New Year's star.
December 31, 2023
