Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 16: Triangle in the sky The Moon passes 0.6° south of the bright star Antares at 9 A.M. EDT. By evening, our satellite sits near the border of Scorpius and Ophiuchus, some 6° east (to the upper left) of Antares. TheyContinue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, September 17: The Moon and the Scorpion"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 15: View the false dawn Rising around sunset and highest in the early-morning hours before sunrise is the constellation Triangulum. This tiny triangular star pattern is perfect for evening or morning observers: Around 10 P.M. local daylight time, it’s high enoughContinue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, September 16: Triangle in the sky"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 14: Connect four The time around the equinox is one of the best opportunities to catch sight of the ethereal zodiacal light, the soft glow generated by dust that orbits the Sun along the plane of the solar system, the ecliptic.Continue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, September 15: View the false dawn"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 10: Uranus is stationary With dark, moonless skies tonight, let’s go galaxy hunting. By 9 P.M. local daylight time, Pegasus is already high in the east, the Great Square easily giving away its location. The northern part of this constellation holdsContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, September 11: Visit the Deer Lick Group"

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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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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 9: Visualize the ecliptic Uranus reaches a stationary point at 2 P.M. EDT, coming to a halt amid the stars of Taurus the Bull. Rising around 10:40 P.M. local daylight time, the best time to view the ice giant is inContinue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, September 10: Uranus is stationary"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 8: The Moon joins Jupiter The waning Moon has moved from Cancer to Leo and is nearing the bright star Regulus, which marks the Lion’s heart. Our satellite will pass 0.6° south of Regulus at 4 P.M. EDT this afternoon.  AnContinue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, September 9: Visualize the ecliptic"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 7: Venus and Spica, side by side The Moon has now skimmed through the morning sky over to Cancer, where it checks in on Jupiter — and you can check in on them both before dawn.  The Moon rises around 3:30Continue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, September 8: The Moon joins Jupiter"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  September 6: The Moon and Mars in Gemini Venus has pulled away from the bright star Spica in Virgo, which it met in the sky last week, and tonight stands side by side with the star as they set together following sunset.Continue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, September 7: Venus and Spica, side by side"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 17: Mars at Gemini’s feet Wait until after about 10 P.M. tonight to begin your deep-sky observing and the Moon won’t be a bother. An excellent target is NGC 6939, an open cluster in Cepheus the King. This cluster is quiteContinue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 18: Stars and sparklers"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 16: The Moon hangs with Venus Mars has been making its way eastward through the constellation Gemini, pulling away from open cluster M35 and approaching the two bright stars Eta (η) and Mu (μ) Geminorum. Eta shines at magnitude 3.3 and MuContinue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, August 17: Mars at Gemini’s feet"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 10: Open cluster NGC 7243 In the evening sky, Venus is reaching dichotomy, the moment when it is exactly half-lit. You’ll find magnitude –4.4 Venus some 20° high in the west as the Sun sets. It’s so bright, it will beContinue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, August 11: Venus, half-lit "

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 9: The Moon and Mars This evening, the small constellation Lacerta sits just below cross-shaped Cygnus in the eastern sky after dark. The zig-zagging outline of the Lizard lies roughly 20° east (to the lower left early in the evening) ofContinue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, August 10: Open cluster NGC 7243 "

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 8: Sagittarius’ Little Gem The Moon passes 4° north of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT; the pair is visible together in the early-morning sky, some 30° high in the east an hour before sunrise. They straddle the border of Gemini andContinue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, August 9: The Moon and Mars"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 7: A lunar occultation of the Pleiades Let’s spend tonight with the Little Gem, a planetary nebula also cataloged as NGC 6818. It is highest in the sky around 11 P.M., when it is some 35° above the southern horizon. It’sContinue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, August 8: Sagittarius’ Little Gem"

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On August 12, the New Moon’s shadow will fall over a portion of Earth’s surface. When that happens, the Sun will temporarily disappear from the sky in a total solar eclipse. These breathtaking events are spectacular and ethereal, as the sky falls dark during the day, leaving only the soft glow of our star’s outerContinue reading "How to see the August 12 total solar eclipse"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 6: Mercury moves south of Pollux The Moon passes 5° north of Uranus in Taurus at 1 P.M. EDT. The pair is visible earlier in the morning, with the Moon rising shortly before midnight on the 6th along with the PleiadesContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, August 7: A lunar occultation of the Pleiades"

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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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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  August 1: Open cluster NGC 6709 Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation at 4 A.M. EDT, standing 19° from the Sun. The tiny planet reaches an altitude of almost 5° above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, glowing at magnitude 0.2.Continue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, August 2: Mercury at greatest western elongation"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  July 31: Mercury brightening With the Moon rising later each night as it wanes, there’s a slightly longer dark window tonight for deep-sky observing. Let’s use it to track down NGC 6709, a lovely open cluster in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. Continue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, August 1: Open cluster NGC 6709"

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