Posts by 

Marcy Curran

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.

Meteor shower guide 2024: The Orionids best around Oct 20

The Draconids will be best before dawn around the nights of October 7-8. Your 2024 meteor shower guide here. Under dark skies you might catch about 10 per hour.

3rd of 4 full supermoons in a row is the Super Hunter’s Moon

There are 4 full supermoons in a row in 2024. The third one is October 17. It's the Full Hunter's Moon. Supermoons look brighter than ordinary full moons.

Weird galaxy: Did Webb find the missing link to first stars?

Researchers using the Webb telescope discovered a weird galaxy in the early universe where gas outshines its stars and may offer clues to the early universe.

Partial lunar eclipse September 17-18, 2024

A shallow partial lunar eclipse takes place on September 17-18, 2024. It's visible in most of the Western Hemisphere. Maps and details here.
Favorite Star Patterns

Teapot of Sagittarius points to Milky Way center

As you gaze toward the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, you're looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

What’s a supermoon? The closest one for 2024 is coming

What's a supermoon? We had 5 new supermoons earlier in 2024. Now we're having 4 full supermoons in a row. The October 17 supermoon will be the closest of the year.

Dog days of summer: Hottest in July and August

The dog days of summer are named for the Dog Star Sirius - the brightest star in the sky - in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog. Learn why here.

Venus superior conjunction: Venus is behind the sun today

The moment of the Venus superior conjunction - passing between the sun and Earth - in 2024 is at 16 UTC (11 a.m. CDT) today, June 4.

Penumbral lunar eclipse March 24-25, 2024

A penumbral lunar eclipse happens overnight on March 24-25, 2024, bringing a subtle shading to the moon. See where it's visible and more, here.