This Week's Amazing Sky
September 23, 2021
It’s an annual autumn ritual: The reappearance of Pleiades, the glorious “Seven Sisters.” Around Halloween, they always rise in the east before 7 PM and are nicely up after 8 PM. Learn more about the Pleiades—and their connection to All Hallows’ Eve.
The Pleiades is a tightly packed cluster of stars. There’s nothing else like it. No obstetrician attended the birth of the Pleiades, 60 million years ago. As these fiercely hot suns awakened from the dazzling and dangerous gaseous nursery, the... more
September 13, 2021
On Tuesday, September 14, planet Neptune reaches its closest approach to us for the year. Why should we care about the only planet that cannot be seen with the naked eye? Well, if size matters, then it deserves attention on that basis alone, since it’s such an enormous blue ball, 58 planet Earths could fit inside it. Discover the “other” blue planet.
Discovering Neptune
We really should start this story in 1845 when French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier realized that Uranus—faintly visible to the... more
September 13, 2021
This year, the full Hunter’s Moon rises on Wednesday, October 20! This is one of the two full Moons that enjoy an official astronomical name. So, will it be bigger, brighter, and redder? Here’s all you need to know!
What Is the Hunter’s Moon?
People like objects to have names. While the full Moon is always recognizable and indeed the only phase that’s out all night long, perhaps most folks wish that each was a bit more special. There are 13 full Moons each year, making each one nice but far... more
September 9, 2021
Can you balance an egg on the autumnal equinox? Does the Sun rise due east and set due west for all of us on Earth? Why did the date of the equinox change? How is it related to the Harvest Moon? Bob separates autumnal equinox facts from fiction.
We have an equinox coming up on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. Read all about the Autumnal Equinox!
There are a number of questions and misperceptions commonly sent my way. Let’s clear this up, and talk a little about the reasons for the seasons.
A... more
August 17, 2021
This weekend’s Full Moon on August 22 is really worth watching. Although it’s technically “full” this Sunday, you ought to give it a look-see each clear night starting Friday the 20th. I’ll explain why it’s a special weekend of Moons worth watching.
A Full Moon Worth Watching
On all three nights, the Moon will be tangled together with the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Very close to Saturn on Friday night, right amidst both brilliant Jupiter and less-bright Saturn on Saturday, and forming a line... more
August 16, 2021
Both of our neighboring planets, Venus and Mars, are carbon dioxide (CO2) worlds. On Earth, there is only a trace amount. So why all the fuss about carbon dioxide? In half a minute, you can fully grasp how CO2 does its dirty work. Interested?
Earth’s Carbon Dioxide Levels
Six years ago, for the first time in 800,000 years, our own world’s carbon dioxide level passed 400 parts per million (ppm). This was the milestone we’d long been anticipating. CO2 was just 330 ppm when the Beatles were big.... more
August 15, 2021
The universe is a strange place, and the things we don’t know keep hounding astronomers to where the whole thing often feels frustrating. Of course, if we knew everything, science wouldn’t be as much fun. Countless challenges and juicy new mysteries pop up every year. The journey is too exciting to ever be over. Let’s muse about a few of these mysteries …
Does your mind puzzle over the cosmos as it spreads across the heavens during these carefree summer nights? It’s probably the lure of the... more
August 5, 2021
The Sturgeon Blue Moon will occur on August 21-22, 2021! What is a Blue Moon, exactly? Read all about Blue Moons.
Catch the Sturgeon Blue Moon
August’s full Moon, which is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon, is extra-special this year: it’s a seasonal Blue Moon!
Most of the time, a season (winter, spring, summer, or fall) contains three full Moons. However, if the dates of the full Moons and the seasons line up just right, a season may end up containing four full Moons instead. If that... more
July 27, 2021
In this age of hype, Saturn remains one of the true show-stoppers. But, as with earthly affairs, timing is everything. Right now, Saturn shines at its brightest this year, making it the ideal to time to view our beautiful neighbor. It’s really easy to find. We’ll get to that in a minute.
The Lord of the Rings overwhelms neophyte telescope owners and seasoned observers alike. Saturn may be our solar system’s most beautiful planet; it’s the jewel of our solar system. Through any telescope with... more
July 9, 2021
What a treat! Venus, Mars, and the young Moon meet July 11–12 just after sunset. It’s the finest three-way conjunction of 2021. Venus and Mars will appear only a finger’s width apart and the slender crescent Moon points the way. See Bob Berman’s viewing tips.
Young Moon, Venus, and Mars Meet
In most of the United States, a romantic meeting of the three nearest worlds could be an arctic experience, and usually happens in icy conditions. Not this time. You needn’t be an incurable romantic to... more
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Welcome to “This Week’s Amazing Sky,” the Almanac’s hub for everything stargazing and astronomy. Bob Berman, longtime and famous astronomer for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, will help bring alive the wonders of our universe. From the beautiful stars and planets to magical auroras and eclipses, he covers everything under the Sun (and Moon)! Bob, the world’s mostly widely read astronomer, also has a new weekly podcast, Astounding Universe!
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