EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world

6th batch of Pentagon UAP files: Air Force talk and more

September 20, 2026

Sun news: Quiet sun with a stormy outlook later this week

Sun news September 20, 2026: The sun is taking a breather with only faint flares. But a coronal hole stream due September 23 could bring a G1 storm.

C. Alex Young

September 20, 2026

Astronomy Essentials

Tonight

Visible planets and night sky guide for September

Visible planets and night sky guide: This week, look for the September equinox and — on September 26 — the Harvest Moon. Venus is still bright, too. See a video.

September 20, 2026

Favorite Star Patterns

Great Square of Pegasus gallops into the autumn sky

The Great Square of Pegasus consists of 4 stars of nearly equal brightness in a large square pattern. It's a great jumping-off point for star-hopping.

Deborah Byrd

September 20, 2026

Tonight

The equinox sun rises due east and sets due west

The 2026 September equinox occurs at 00:05 UTC on September 23, 2026. And the equinox sun rises and sets due east and due west.

Editors of EarthSky

September 20, 2026

Earth

Scientists discover a new tiger cat hiding in plain sight

Scientists studying the tiger cat have found 5 distinct species, revealing more diversity among these familiar-looking wild cats than previously known.

Cristina Ortiz

September 19, 2026

Astronomy Essentials

International Observe the Moon Night 2026 is tonight

International Observe the Moon Night is September 19, 2026. It's a global event for celebrating the moon. Here's how you can participate online or in person.

EarthSky Voices

September 19, 2026

Space

Newly formed moon crater is once-in-a-century discovery

In 2024, a space rock slammed into the moon, creating a new crater in the surface. The newly formed moon crater is about 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep.

EarthSky Voices

September 18, 2026

Astronomy Essentials

Forms of aurora: Arcs, curtains, coronas and more

Here are some of the forms of aurora that you might see. Some are more common, such as diffuse glows, while others are a sign of a big geomagnetic storm.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

September 18, 2026

Sun

Yes, there’s an aurora season, and it’s here

There's an aurora season around the equinoxes, due to the way the magnetic fields of the sun and the Earth work in conjunction with sun-Earth geometry.

September 18, 2026

Huge new Webb image is chock-full of space delights

ESA has unveiled a spectacular new Webb image. One of the largest shots yet, it features protostars, jets, distant spiral galaxies and a gravitational lens.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

September 17, 2026