Friday, September 11Already high in the north after sunset, the planetary nebula NGC 6543 in Draco is famously called the Cat’s Eye Nebula. It’s best seen with a large telescope, but even a small scope will pick it up and show it off in tonight’s moonless sky.  Two hours after sunset, you’ll find the Cat’sContinue reading "The Sky This Week from September 11 to 18: Catch the zodiacal light"

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Friday, August 7The Moon passes 5° north of Uranus at 1 P.M. EDT. The pair is visible in the early-morning sky, along with a lunar occultation of the Pleiades just after moonrise. Check out the August 7 entry in last week’s Sky This Week column for more details.  Late tonight, there’s a good hour ofContinue reading "The Sky This Week from August 7 to 14: A solar eclipse and shooting stars"

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Friday, July 24The Moon passes 0.6° south of the bright red star Antares in Scorpius at 6 P.M. EDT. This evening, the two remain nestled close, a lovely sight in the southern sky after sunset. You’ll find the pair in the south early this evening, slowly arcing down toward the west throughout the evening. AtContinue reading "The Sky This Week from July 24 to 31: The Southern Delta Aquariids peak"

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Friday, June 19The Moon passes 0.3°  south of Regulus at 11 A.M. EDT. By evening, our satellite has moved farther east to lie to the bright star’s upper left as they slowly set in the west after sunset.  Bright Venus is now located in central Cancer and is just 45’ north of M44, the BeehiveContinue reading "The Sky This Week from June June 19 to 26: The summer solstice"

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Friday, June 12The Moon passes 6° north of Mars at 5 P.M. EDT. You can catch the pair in the early-morning sky today (see The Sky Today on Friday, June 12) or tomorrow (June 13) before dawn, when they will stand about 8° above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, with the Moon toContinue reading "The Sky This Week from June 12 to 19: A daytime occultation of Venus"

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Friday, June 5Standing some 50° high in the south by 10 P.M. local daylight time, M5 is a fabulous globular cluster well within the reach of any instrument, from binoculars to telescopes. It is even visible to some observers without optical aid at all on a clear, dark night, so if your southern horizon isContinue reading "The Sky This Week from June 5 to 12: Jupiter and Venus meet"

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