The month starts with a new moon. It soon joins the inner planets in the evening sky. A thin crescent will be near Mercury on the 3rd and then pass in front of Antares for some viewers on the 4th. A thicker crescent is near Venus later on the 4th. The moon is heading southward […]
One of the big astronomical events this month is an annular eclipse. The moon will pass in front of the sun for observers in much of the Pacific and South America. Along the path of annularity, which starts a little north of Christmas Island or Kiritimati, crosses Easter Island or Rapa Nui, and then moves […]
The closest full moon of the year is on the 18th of this month. And it happens with a partial eclipse. On its way, the moon starts the month as a waning crescent near Mercury in the morning sky. On the 2nd, an even thinner crescent is near Regulus. Seeing the moon may not be […]
The moon’s at northern lunistice when August starts. It’s 28.5 degrees north of the equator on the 1st. It’s an old moon in the morning sky. You’ll see the waning crescent below Jupiter, Mars, and Aldebaran. The moon will be below and left of that trio from most of the northern hemisphere and below right […]
Most of the planet watching this month is from midnight to dawn. Saturn rises in the late evening and appears stationary next to Aquarius. It’s actually retrograde, but since it just began that motion at the end of June, it takes a few weeks into July to notice with casual naked eye observations. Even then, […]
Evening planet watching doesn’t have much to offer this month. The planets are mostly lined up in the morning at the start of June. It starts with Saturn rising a little after local midnight in Aquarius. Mars is next in the wee hours in Pisces. Next are Uranus, Mercury, and Jupiter in Taurus rising closer […]
The moon’s at last quarter on the first day of May. It’ll rise around local midnight in Capricornus. A thinning crescent will be near Saturn in the morning sky on the 4th. Then it’s by Mars on the 5th, the same day the moon crosses the equator going north and is at perigee at 363,100 […]
The big event this month is the total solar eclipse. The path of totality begins in the Pacific Ocean. It reaches Isla Socorro and keeps going to mainland Mexico. After is crosses Mexico, it goes across part of the United States from Texas to the Great Lakes, goes into southeastern Canada, and the United States […]
Jupiter is high up in the west in the evening as darkness begins this month. Uranus is nearby and you’ll probably need binoculars or a telescope to see it. Both are moving prograde or eastward. Jupiter is faster. A growing crescent moon visits on the 13th. Jupiter is catching up to Uranus and there will […]
Mercury, Mars, and Venus are leaving the morning sky. Mercury is at the bottom of the heap and already impossible to see from much of the world as February begins. The view’s good though from 15° to 25° south. Even from there, Mercury heads into the sunrise glow by mid-month. By that time, Venus has […]