Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Comet A3 is the brightest comet in 27 years! Don’t miss it

Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is now in the evening sky! Look west after sunset. Get tips and star charts here. If you capture an image, submit it to EarthSky!

Visible planets and night sky guide for October

Visible planets and night sky guide for October 2024. Comet Tsuchinchan-ATLAS (or A3) is visible in the west. Look after sunset near the planet Venus.

Super Hunter’s Moon: Closest supermoon in 2024

The Super Hunter's Moon - this year's October full moon - is on October 17, 2024. It's the closest - and brightest - supermoon of 2024.

The Big Dipper: Why can’t you see it now?

The Big Dipper is easy to recognize at most times of the year. But the Big Dipper in autumn rides low in the northern sky in the evening hours.

Proxima Centauri discovered 109 years ago

Astronomers thought Alpha Centauri was the closest star to Earth. Then they found a smaller, fainter star that's even closer. They named it Proxima Centauri.

Celestial ocean: The watery constellations in the autumn sky

In Northern Hemisphere autumn (Southern Hemisphere spring), you can see some constellations representing a "celestial ocean in the sky" to early stargazers.

Alpheratz belongs to Andromeda, but is part of the Great Square

Alpheratz appears to our eyes as a single star but it is actually a close binary star system. Many stargazers use it to locate the Andromeda galaxy.

Hera mission: Keeping Earth safe from an asteroid collision

The Hera mission successfully launched on October 7, 2024. Hera will explore Dimorphos, which DART hit as a test of planetary defense in 2022.

1st planet orbiting a sunlike star discovered 29 years ago

On October 6, 1995, astronomers announced the discovery of the first planet orbiting around a distant sunlike star. This planet is known as 51 Pegasi b.

Flashing star in autumn? Here are 3 candidates

Some October night, check out 3 of the flashiest stars in the night sky ... at least at this time of year. And here's why you see these as a flashing star.