Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for August
Visible planets and night sky guide: Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd live today at noon CDT (17 UTC) for a preview of the August 27-28 near total lunar eclipse.
Today's Image
See the August 12 solar eclipse from the moon’s perspective
Korean's lunar orbiter, Danuri, captured a view of the solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. This unique perspective includes the moon's limb in the foreground.
Sun

Sun news: Auroras continued last night, and more to come!

Sun news August 19, 2026: A pair of geomagnetic storms brought auroras to northerly latitudes overnight, with more likely today and tomorrow.
Space

Super-Earths might be solid deep on the inside

Super-Earths might be solid in their deep insides, a new study says. Minerals might take unusual forms and remain solid despite the intense heat and pressure.
Clusters Nebulae Galaxies

The Great Rift is a dark swath in the Milky Way

The Great Rift or Dark Rift is a darkened swath of the Milky Way where new stars are forming. It's best seen from a rural location away from light pollution.
Constellations

Is Ophiuchus the 13th constellation of the zodiac?

The sun passes through Ophiuchus for about 2 weeks every year, so why isn’t this constellation considered the zodiac’s 13th sign?
Space

1st ultra-faint Milky Way satellite galaxy found by Rubin

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has only just begun its survey, yet it has already discovered its first ultra-faint Milky Way satellite, Aquarius IV.
Astronomy Essentials

Give me 5 minutes and I’ll give you Saturn

We're now in the best months for viewing Saturn in 2026. It'll be at it's best around October 4 when it's closest to Earth and visible all night.
Space

A moon for Mars! Asaph Hall finds Phobos 149 years ago

On this date in 1877, astronomer Asaph Hall discovered a moon for Mars: Phobos, the larger of 2 moons. He discovered the other moon, Deimos, later that year.
Space

Were these polygonal cracks on Venus once on a seafloor?

Sprawling, huge cracks on Venus have long puzzled scientists. A new study suggests the polygon shapes formed from drying mud on an ancient seafloor.