Astronomy Essentials
Brightest Stars
Mirach is your guide star to finding 3 galaxies
Mirach in the constellation Andromeda helps stargazers locate the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and "Mirach's Ghost."
Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for November
Visible planets and night sky guide: Look west shortly after sunset to see earthshine on the crescent moon. And watch a video here about the Leonid meteors.
Space

‘Rosetta Stone for Mars:’ Martian meteorite hints at ancient life

A rare 4.1-billion-year-old Martian meteorite, Teghaza 001, provides new clues about Mars' ancient and more habitable past.
Astronomy Essentials

Is there a North Star for Mars?

Is there a North Star for Mars ... a guide star for future explorers? Not in any satisfying way. But Martian stargazers wouldn't lack for things to see!
Space

This active asteroid has grown a tail! What happened?

Active asteroid 1995 BJ4 has grown a cometlike tail, leaving astronomers wondering what’s happening.
Space

A runaway star speeds in an unusual direction

A runaway star moves faster and in a different direction from the general stream of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. Why?
Astronomy Essentials

Taurid meteors in 2026: All you need to know

You might see Taurid meteors from late October to early November. Expect up to 10 meteors per hour, and some of them might be fireballs.
Space

Celebrate as Voyager 1 reaches 1 light-day from Earth! Here’s how

The Voyager 1 spacecraft - launched from Earth in 1977 - will become the 1st human-made object to reach 1 light-day from Earth on November 18.
Space

Atmosphere of lava planet: ‘A cloudy, reflective sunscreen’

New observations of super-Earth TOI-561 b by the Webb telescope show again that the atmosphere of lava planet TOI-561 b does exist, and is very reflective.
Tonight

See the Summer Triangle in the northern autumn sky

Look west in the evening to see the Summer Triangle in autumn. Its 3 bright stars - Vega, Deneb and Altair - are in 3 different constellations.