Sign Up for Our Amazing Newsletter!
A daily update by email. Science news, great photos, sky alerts.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Posts by
Bruce McClure
Orionid meteors 2020 peak the morning of October 21
The Orionid meteor shower will peak around mid-week, with the best morning likely being Wednesday, October 21.
October 19, 2020
Birth of young moon at day’s end, October 17-20
You might or might not see the moon on October 17, 2020. But you'll more easily catch it on October 18, 19 or 20. Look west after sunset!
October 17, 2020
Year’s closest new moon October 16
October 16 brings us the closest new moon of 2020. Some will call it a supermoon. You won't see this extra-close new moon because it'll travel across the daytime sky with the sun. But you might see its gravitational effect on the tides along ocean shorelines in the days following new moon.
October 16, 2020
Summer Triangle and galactic equator
You can use the Summer Triangle - and the constellation Cygnus the Swan - to locate the edgewise disk of our Milky Way galaxy.
October 15, 2020
Autumn’s false dawn, the zodiacal light
The coming weeks are great for catching the zodiacal light or false dawn from northerly latitudes? Southern Hemisphere? Look for the false dusk.
October 14, 2020
Mars to reach opposition October 13
Earth passes between Mars and the sun, at opposition, on October 13, 2020, yet the Earth and Mars actually come closest together on October 6, 2020.
October 12, 2020
Moon, Venus, Regulus October 12 to 15
Watch for the moon, Venus and the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the Lion, as they beautify the eastern sky before sunup on October 12, 13, 14 and 15, 2020!
October 11, 2020
Last quarter moon in Gemini, waning moon in Cancer
Last quarter moon comes on October 10. That morning, the moon will be in front of Gemini the Twins. The next morning - October 11 - the moon will be in front of Cancer the Crab.
October 9, 2020
The cycle of close and far Martian oppositions
Like so much in the sky, very close approaches of Mars happen in cycles. Become a Mars guru, here.
October 6, 2020
Moon and Mars rendezvous in early October
The moon and Mars are near each other on the sky's dome on the night of October 2, 2020. From South America, the moon will appear to occult (cover over) Mars.
October 2, 2020
