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This Week's Amazing Sky
September 27, 2022
No, those aren’t Saturn’s rings! This is the first (stunning!) image of planet Neptune by the new Webb telescope, showing off several narrow rings on our outermost planet. Here’s Bob Berman’s latest post about the news—plus, some facts about the outermost planet.
What is Neptune?
The eighth and farthest planet from our Sun, Neptune is an ice giant…
September 22, 2022
Have you seen Jupiter getting brighter nightly? The Giant Planet reaches “opposition” on Monday, September 26—and its closest approach to Earth in 70 years! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime treat to view Jupiter at its best, including Jupiter’s moons. See some amazing photos and viewing tips.
Jupiter in Opposition
Great Jupiter reaches opposition on Monday, the 26th of…
September 20, 2022
Want to see the kind of inspirational, star-filled panorama experienced in planetariums? Late September is the perfect time for that. Right now, we’re aimed toward the most concentrated part of the Milky Way Galaxy. How many stars are in the Milky Way? Let’s find out!
What is the Milky Way?
In case you didn’t know, the Milky Way is our home galaxy. It a “barred spiral”…
September 14, 2022
Earth’s magnificent Moon isn’t the only one in the solar system. Let’s take a tour through some of the other lunar landscapes that inhabit our space. Which is your favorite?
Our System’s Many Moons
There are at least 214 known natural satellites, or “moons,” that orbit planets, dwarf planets, and asteroids in our solar system. Most of the planets in our system…
September 9, 2022
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 Thursday, September 22, 2022. Read all about the Autumnal Equinox!
There are a number of questions…
August 24, 2022
Seen any shooting stars lately? Worried about being clobbered by a meteor? Let’s talk about the chances of a meteor hitting Earth—and one of us!
For reasons no one can explain, meteors are mostly crammed into the final five months of the year. The most famous is the Perseids, which peak in August. These “falling stars” are mostly the size of apple seeds. But larger ones are out…
August 12, 2022
In this age of hype, Saturn remains one of the true show-stoppers. But timing is everything. On August 14, Saturn stands at opposition, shining its brightest. It’s the ideal time to view this ringed gem of a planet!
The true “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…
August 8, 2022
Discover 10 amazing facts about planet Venus, our neighbor! We call her our sister planet, goddess of love, “morning star,” and—apparently—UFO! Read on…
Planet Venus is always brilliant and shines with a steady silvery light. For almost all of 2022, our brightest planet is a “morning star” in the eastern sky just before day breaks. Venus will disappear into the Sun’s glare at…
August 3, 2022
July may bring us the first supermoon of the year, but August has two—and one is also a Blue Moon! What is a supermoon, exactly? We agree that it’s a catchy word—and anything that encourages us to explore the night sky is positive—but let’s also get our facts straight.What Is a Supermoon?Generally speaking, a supermoon is a full moon that appears larger than a typical full…
July 27, 2022
We’ve all heard of the Big Bang Theory. One of the goals of the new James Webb Telescope is to reveal what happened after the Big Bang. Why do we need to understand the Big Bang? And how will the Webb telescope help us understand the secrets of the origins of the universe—and of life itself?
July’s first-ever James Webb Telescope images, released just a couple of weeks ago,…
June 27, 2022
You finish dinner at a restaurant and it’s suddenly pouring. You gaze at your car parked not so far away. Is it better to walk or run in the rain?
Believe it or not, scientists have debated this for years. If you run you get there faster, so less rain hits you. But meanwhile you’re slamming more frontwise into the droplets, making them preferentially…
June 24, 2022
In early summer, night falls at its latest hour—around 9:30 to 10 PM. Not a single bright planet is around. Instead, high in the east shines summer’s brightest star—the famous Vega. It’s the “candle” by which brightness is measured. Learn fascinating facts about Vega, a favorite of stargazers and astronomers.
Away from city lights in mid-July, one could see as many as 2,…