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Why is Venus so bright in our Earth’s sky?
You can't miss dazzling Venus in the east before dawn. It's the 3rd brightest object in the sky, after the sun and moon. But why is Venus so bright?
January 1, 2026
What’s a Blood Moon? All you need to know
By this definition, Blood Moon is a member of a special kind of lunar tetrad : four total lunar eclipses in a row. Now it's used for any total lunar eclipse.
January 1, 2026
Earthshine is a lovely glow on the unlit portion of the moon
Earthshine - the dim glow on the darkened portion of a crescent moon - is light from Earth cast on the night side of the moon. Watch for it around the new moon.
January 1, 2026
Saturn at opposition – brightest for 2026 – on October 4
Don't miss Saturn at opposition on and around the night of October 4, 2026. That's when our planet Earth passes between the sun and Saturn.
January 1, 2026
Radiant point of meteor showers: All you need to know
Meteors enter Earth's atmosphere on parallel paths. So, you'll see meteors appear to come from a single point in the sky: the radiant point!
January 1, 2026
Why is there no eclipse every full and new moon?
If the moon orbited Earth on the same plane that Earth circles the sun, we'd have an eclipse at every full and new moon. Here's why we don't.
January 1, 2026
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, 2026
The moon illusion makes the moon look huge!
When you see a large-looking moon low in the sky, does the moon look bigger to you? That's the moon illusion that makes the moon look so big.
January 1, 2026
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, 2026
Neptune at opposition on September 26, 2026
Neptune at opposition - when it's 180 degrees from the sun on the sky's dome - comes on September 26, 2026. You'll need optical aid to spot it.
January 1, 2026
