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Last quarter moon rises around midnight
You might spot the moon after sunrise on April 18 or 19, high in the sky. Did you know a last quarter moon is slightly fainter than a first quarter moon? Learn why here.
April 18, 2017
Mars near Pleiades cluster at nightfall
Mars and the Pleiades star cluster will fit (or nearly fit) in the same binocular field all this week. They'll come closest together on the sky’s dome on or near April 22.
April 17, 2017
Moon and Saturn close in morning sky
From anywhere on Earth - on the mornings of April 15, 16 and 17 - Saturn will be a bright golden object near the waning gibbous moon. The red star Antares is also nearby.
April 14, 2017
A star whose magnetic field flipped
Tau Boötis was the first star, other than our sun, ever seen to undergo a magnetic field reversal. This post also includes 2 great videos about our sun's magnetic reversals.
April 13, 2017
Moon follows Jupiter April 11-12
Jupiter rises before the moon. Then, as Earth spins under the sky, the moon chases Jupiter for the remainder of the night.
April 11, 2017
Full moon near Jupiter April 10-11
Full moon comes on April 11 at 6:08 UTC. For the Americas, that means full moon happens tonight. As the 1st full moon of northern spring, it fixes the date of Easter Sunday.
April 10, 2017
Mercury after sunset in early April
For northerly latitudes, we're now in the middle of Mercury's best showing in the evening sky for 2017.
April 1, 2017
Extend Big Dipper’s handle to Spica
Use the Big Dipper to arc to the star Arcturus. Then drive a spike to the star Spica on these springtime evenings!
April 1, 2017
Moon and Mars at nightfall March 30
Look in your western sky at nightfall and early evening. Mars will be the reddish "star" right next to the waxing moon.
March 30, 2017
Moon, Mercury, Mars on March 29
It's a very slim crescent moon you'll find in the west - shortly after sunset - Wednesday evening. Mercury is exceedingly near the sunset glare. Mars is higher up.
March 29, 2017
