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
Editors of EarthSky
The February birthstone is the purple amethyst
Are you a February baby? Here's some cool info about your February birthstone, the amethyst. Read the lore of this purple stone, a variety of quartz.
February 1, 2026
Watch for the February full moon – or Snow Moon – on February 1
The full Snow Moon will shine brightly all night on February 1-2, 2026. This February full moon will glow near the star Regulus in Leo the Lion.
January 31, 2026
Betelgeuse will explode someday, but WHEN?
Will Betelgeuse have another period of noticeable dimming? Betelgeuse will explode as a supernova someday. When it does, it'll be visible in daylight.
January 27, 2026
Astronomy Essentials
Venus in the daytime: Best ways to see it
You can spot Venus in the daytime. One of the best ways is when its near the moon. Here are the tips to help you spot the brilliant planet Venus in daylight.
January 23, 2026
Voyager 2 met Uranus 40 years ago
Voyager 2 met Uranus on January 24, 1986. The spacecraft sent data that revealed 2 new rings, 10 new moons, radiation belts, and a very unusual magnetic field.
January 23, 2026
Which Milky Way spiral arm contains our sun?
Where do we live in the Milky Way galaxy? We lie between the major arms in a smaller spiral arm known as the Orion Arm. See diagrams here.
January 22, 2026
See Mira the Wonderful waking up!
Catch elusive wonderful Mira, a famous variable star in the constellation Cetus, at its maximum brightness in February or March 2026.
January 8, 2026
Capella is one of the sky’s brightest stars
The 6th-brightest star in the night sky, Capella, in the Northern Hemisphere constellation Auriga the Charioteer, is also a point of the Winter Hexagon.
January 8, 2026
Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper in January skies
Watch the celestial clock and its 2 great big hour hands - Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper - as they swing around the North Star each and every night!
January 7, 2026
Venus superior conjunction (beyond sun) on January 6
The moment of the Venus superior conjunction - when it passes most nearly behind the sun as viewed from Earth - occurs today, January 6, 2026.
January 6, 2026
