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Mercury is up before sunrise and visible until mid-June
Watch for Mercury before sunup, the bright planet Jupiter will be nearby. Mercury reaches greatest elongation on May 29. It's best from the Southern Hemisphere.
May 29, 2023
How is stellar magnitude used in astronomy?
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?
May 28, 2023
What’s a safe distance from a supernova for Earth?
What's a safe distance from a supernova? To survive a supernova, recent data says Earth would have to be at least 160 light-years away from the exploding star.
May 26, 2023
Visible planets and night sky for May and June 2023
May's visible planets: Brilliant Venus and Mars are in the western evening sky. Morning planets are Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury.
May 26, 2023
How many red dwarf stars in nearby space?
Astronomer Guy Ottewell uses 2 charts - showing 2 different volumes of space - to contemplate and question the density of red dwarf stars in our Milky Way.
May 23, 2023
Sky measurements: Degrees, arcminutes and arcseconds
What are sky measurements - or distances - in the night sky? Here's what it means for objects to be several degrees (or arcminutes or arcseconds) apart.
May 21, 2023
Meteor shower guide: Next up the daytime the Arietids
The daytime Arietid meteor shower is in early June, followed by the Delta Aquariids starting in late July. Your 2023 meteor shower guide here.
May 9, 2023
A deep penumbral lunar eclipse overnight tonight
A penumbral lunar eclipse happens tonight, May 5-6, 2023. It's visible from eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and Indonesia.
May 5, 2023
A penumbral eclipse of the moon is subtle
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.
May 1, 2023
Mars in 2023: Still bright in May and June
Mars is still bright, but it's destined to fade in brightness and appear for fewer hours each night. See Mars while you can! Charts for May and June 2023 here.
May 1, 2023
