Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 26: Iapetus at inferior conjunction Jupiter passes 7° south of Pollux in Gemini at 11 A.M. EDT. You can catch the pair late this evening, visible by midnight local daylight time in the east and rising higher into the early-morning hours.Continue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, October 27: Jupiter passes south of Pollux"

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On Oct. 26, 2004, the Cassini spacecraft made its first close pass by Saturn’s planet-size moon, Titan (later known as Titan Flyby A). After a seven-year journey — the last four months of which were spent in orbit around Saturn — Cassini plunged within 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) of the world’s surface. It snapped hundredsContinue reading "Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 25: Two shadows on Jupiter’s cloud tops Saturn’s moon Iapetus reaches inferior conjunction tonight, sitting 1.3′ due north of Saturn and glowing at roughly 11th magnitude. This oft-elusive moon is easier to find when it is close to its parent planet,Continue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, October 26: Iapetus at inferior conjunction"

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In 1669, French-Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini arrived at the still-under-construction Paris Observatory as its new director. He quickly talked Louis XIV’s minister of finance into buying a 34-foot Campani refractor for the observatory, and on Oct. 25, 1671, used that refractor to discover Saturn’s moon Iapetus. The second saturnian moon discovered, after Christaan Huygens’ 1655Continue reading "Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 24: The Moon and Antares U.S. West Coast observers are in luck this morning, as Io and Europa cast their shadows together on Jupiter’s cloud tops as twilight is brightening the sky — an event that occurs after sunrise for theContinue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, October 25: Two shadows on Jupiter’s cloud tops"

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As humanity sets its sights on returning to the Moon and venturing to Mars, protecting the travelers who make the journey is a big challenge. A new guide to the emerging field of “astroimmunology” details one of the most critical threats astronauts face — that spaceflight cripples the human immune system — and offers aContinue reading "How spaceflight impacts the immune system"

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If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and are looking for a great object to observe on a fall night, M15 is a showpiece globular cluster that resides within the boundaries of the constellation Pegasus the Winged Horse. It’s fairly sizeable, having a diameter of 12.3′. From a dark observing site, sharp-eyed observers can spotContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe M15"

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For the first time, astronomers have detected intense, fast-changing radio signals from a tidal disruption event, dubbed AT2024tvd, located outside its galaxy’s core. Now, astronomers are trying to understand what the black hole is doing 2,600 light-years from where they expected it to be, what its strange signals mean, and whether there are more off-kilterContinue reading "Black hole caught snacking on star far from host galaxy’s center"

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Author(s): Susan Curtis

A quantum algorithm that can simulate a temporal interference effect delivers a performance advantage that has the potential to benefit real-world applications.

[Physics 18, 173] Published Thu Oct 23, 2025

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

Data protected by quantum physics have been sent alongside classical data through 120 km of optical fiber.

[Physics 18, s136] Published Thu Oct 23, 2025

In Astronomy’s 2022 list of the 20 greatest astronomers of all time, Associate Editor Michael Bakich ranked Tycho Brahe No. 2, second only to Galileo, noting: “Danish astronomer Tyge (Tycho) Ottesen Brahe was history’s greatest pre-telescopic observer.” Born Dec. 14, 1546, Tycho was raised by an uncle who funded his education at the University ofContinue reading "Oct. 24, 1601: The death of Tycho Brahe"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 23: The Moon visits Mars and Mercury The Moon passes 0.5° south of Antares at 9 P.M. EDT. However, the pair sets an hour and a half earlier; try catching them about 40 minutes after sunset, when they are low inContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, October 24: The Moon and Antares"

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Fernando Oliveira de Menezes, taken from Munhoz, Brazil The Eagle Nebula (M16) is one of the most famous deep-sky objects and home to the iconic Pillars of Creation. This starless SHO rendition, taken over 58 hours with a 6-inch scope, emphasizes the dark nebulae that surround it.

The post The Eagle’s Cave appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, October 24The Moon passes 0.5° south of Antares at 9 P.M. EDT. However, the pair sets an hour and a half earlier; try catching them about 40 minutes after sunset, when they are low in the southwest.  Already high in the sky afterContinue reading "The Sky This Week from October 24 to 31: Iapetus stands near Saturn"

The post The Sky This Week from October 24 to 31: Iapetus stands near Saturn appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

In a recent study, a team of researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State suggested that future missions to Mars search for microbes or their remains in that planet’s ice, rather than in its rocks, clay, or soil. In a lab, the team recreated conditions that exist in the permafrost and iceContinue reading "Can Mars’ ice confirm past life?"

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Author(s): Matteo Rosati

An improved algorithm for learning the static and dynamic properties of a quantum system could have applications in quantum computing, simulation, and sensing.

[Physics 18, 165] Published Wed Oct 22, 2025

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

A new study suggests that a simple feedback mechanism enables the steady hovering of flapping insects and hummingbirds.

[Physics 18, s132] Published Wed Oct 22, 2025

Author(s): David Ehrenstein

A theory for the motion of a fluid “bump” inside a cylinder may lead to improved drugs for lung diseases.

[Physics 18, s142] Published Wed Oct 22, 2025

Born Oct. 23, 1893, in Estonia, Ernest Opik was based at the Astronomical Observatory in Tartu from 1921-1944. It was there in the 1920s that he began to research meteors and comets, their frequencies, and their speeds. In 1932, he proposed a reservoir of long-period comets that formed a large cloud, orbiting the Sun atContinue reading "Oct. 23, 1893: Birth of Ernest Opik"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 22: Check out the California Nebula The Moon passes 5° south of Mars at 9 A.M. EDT, then skims 2° south of Mercury at noon EDT. This evening, our satellite reaches apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, atContinue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, October 23: The Moon visits Mars and Mercury"

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Chris Schur, taken from Payson, Arizona Comet SWAN (C/2025 R2) glides between the Eagle Nebula (M16) and the Swan Nebula (M17) in this image taken Oct. 17 over 45 minutes with an 8-inch RASA.

The post Flocking through the galaxy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

With available spots left to travel to Egypt and witness the grand spectacle of a total solar eclipse filling up fast, I was happy to learn that Astronomy magazine’s tour provider, Eclipse Traveler, has added another trip. This one, called 2027 Luxor, is a 5-day/4-night adventure beginning July 30 and ending August 3, 2027. August 2, ofContinue reading "Don’t miss the eclipse of our lifetimes"

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Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

A new approach stores and retrieves quantum states with record reliability, paving the way for improved quantum information processing.

[Physics 18, s138] Published Tue Oct 21, 2025

U.S. Transportation Secretary and interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy on Monday revealed a potentially seismic shakeup to the agency’s Artemis lunar landing program. During an interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen on Squawk Box Monday morning, Duffy said NASA will reopen a contract to build the human landing system (HLS) for the Artemis 3 mission, which will put American astronautsContinue reading "Duffy: NASA to reopen Artemis 3 HLS contract"

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The earliest solar eclipse for which we have a record appears in the ancient Chinese text Shujing, traditionally said to have been compiled by the philosopher Confucius, which reads: “On the first day of the last month of autumn, the Sun and Moon did not meet harmoniously in Fang.” What an understated way to describe anContinue reading "Oct. 22, 2137 B.C.E.: An eclipse darkens skies over ancient China"

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“Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man,” said Abraham Lincoln on the train platform as he addressed a crowd of his friends, ready to leave Springfield, Illinois. I suppose I feel a slightly analogous way. In September 1982, I moved to Milwaukee, straightContinue reading "A fond farewell: Editor-in-Chief David J. Eicher signs off"

The post A fond farewell: Editor-in-Chief David J. Eicher signs off appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 21: The Orionids peak, Comet Lemmon is closest to Earth, and Titan makes a transit With the sky clear of the nighttime Moon, try checking out the California Nebula (NGC 1499), located in southern Perseus. It reaches 45° in altitude byContinue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 22: Check out the California Nebula"

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From Galileo’s meticulous sketches of Jupiter’s moons in 1610 to Caroline Herschel’s handwritten notes of comet discoveries, the history of astronomy is built on careful note-taking. Logbooks with descriptions of as-yet-unknown objects, sketches of Saturn’s rings, and hand-drawn plots of the stars led to numerous discoveries. Today, whether you’re a newcomer scanning the sky withContinue reading "Why every stargazer needs a logbook"

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In 1892, George Ellery Hale, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Chicago, convinced the university president to acquire two 40-inch telescope lens blanks. With funding from Charles Yerkes, a Chicago mass-transit tycoon looking to refurbish his image, Hale spearheaded the creation of an observatory to house the Great Refractor made with these blanks.Continue reading "Oct. 21, 1897: Yerkes Observatory is dedicated"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 20: Visit the Pleiades Today is a busy day! Mercury passes 2° south of Mars at 2 A.M. EDT — we’ll observe the pair in the evening sky, along with a Titan transit of Saturn. But first, the Orionid meteor showerContinue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 21: The Orionids peak, Comet Lemmon is closest to Earth, and Titan makes a transit"

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Chris Cook from Long Beach, California Half Dome and Nevada Fall are lit by a crescent Moon in this nightscape taken at Yosemite National Park’s Glacier Point. The imager used a modified Canon DSLR and 15–30mm f/2.8 lens to take six 25-second exposures at ISO 6400.

The post Galaxyrise over Yosemite appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Mission highlight: SPAINSAT New Generation II This week’s highlighted mission is the launch of the SPAINSAT New Generation (NG) II satellite for the Spanish satellite operator hisdeSat. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 9:30 p.m. EDT. hisdeSat wasContinue reading "Spain’s new communications satellite to launch this week"

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For the first time, astronomers have gotten a detailed look at how a supermassive black hole (SMBH) eats, discovering two large spiral arms of gas that are funneling its meals inward. The finding, made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. It offers aContinue reading "Supermassive black hole seen feeding via a pair of spiral arms"

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In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Emeritus Dave Eicher invites you to head out in the early morning hours between midnight at 4 a.m. to view meteors, also known as shooting stars, that appear to originate from the constellation Orion the Hunter. The peak activity will be during the morning of October 21, but you’ll see OrionidContinue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: The Orionid meteor shower"

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BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launched Oct. 20, 2018. The spacecraft is actually two satellites in one, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), commissioned with investigating one of the least-visited planets in our solar system. To reach its final position,Continue reading "Oct. 20, 2018: BepiColombo launches"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 19: The Moon and Venus before dawn By 10 P.M. local daylight time, the Pleiades (M45) is already 30° high in the east. This lovely naked-eye cluster is well known across the world, sparkling in northwestern Taurus. Several of its starsContinue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, October 20: Visit the Pleiades"

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Chury Wang from Jinan, China The summer Milky Way arches above a site in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, with millennia-old Buddhist stone carvings. The photographer used a Nikon DSLR and 35mm lens at f/1.4 to take 30-second sky frames at ISO 800, plus 10-second foreground frames at f/2 and ISO 3200. The finalContinue reading "Sanctity of starlight"

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Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is currently a 5th-magnitude fuzzball low in the northwestern sky. This means that, from a dark site, sharp-eyed observers could glimpse it with their naked eyes. And it’s predicted to get brighter. By how much? Between two and six times as bright as it is now. (We hope. Comets are fickle.) On Sunday night, the comet will be inContinue reading "See Comet Lemmon at its brightest"

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Sometime around the year 1837, a strange object passed an invisible cosmic mile marker: 1,000 astronomical units from the Sun. (One astronomical unit, or AU, is the average Earth-Sun distance.) For more than a century, it continued undetected toward our star. Finally, on Oct. 19, 2017, humans noticed the visitor. That night, a faint, thinContinue reading "Oct. 19, 2017: The discovery of ‘Oumuamua"

The post Oct. 19, 2017: The discovery of ‘Oumuamua appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 18: Io, Europa, and their shadows cross Jupiter The Moon and Venus hang close together in the predawn sky, sharing the sky in the constellation Virgo. An hour before sunrise, look east to spot Venus, the brightest point of light, blazingContinue reading "The Sky Today on Sunday, October 19: The Moon and Venus before dawn"

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Author(s): Philip Ball

Large-scale obstacles to crystal growth can throw the whole lattice off kilter, but quasicrystals can accommodate them without losing their atomic-scale order.  

[Physics 18, 171] Published Fri Oct 17, 2025

On Oct. 18, 1977, Charles Kowal was at the 1.2-meter Schmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory in California – reportedly his favorite equipment at the facility to observe with – when he unwittingly discovered an entirely new class of objects. Kowal was conducting a survey for slow-moving objects beyond the Main Belt, taking two plates ofContinue reading "Oct. 18, 1977: The enigma of Chiron"

The post Oct. 18, 1977: The enigma of Chiron appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 17: Catch open cluster M34 Jupiter stands high in the sky early this morning, ripe for viewing as two of its four Galilean moons chase their shadows across the cloud tops.  By 6 A.M. EDT, the gas giant stands nearly 60°Continue reading "The Sky Today on Saturday, October 18: Io, Europa, and their shadows cross Jupiter"

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How can a celestial object be bright and faint at the same time? The answer hinges on its surface brightness. In the case of spiral galaxy NGC 6946, its overall brightness, magnitude 9.6, is high for a galaxy. Unfortunately, that light spreads over an area 1/20 of 1° across. For comparison, that area is one-quarter ofContinue reading "Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy"

The post Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Born Oct. 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, Mae Jemison showed a passion and talent for science from early in her childhood. After graduating high school by the age of 16, Jemison attended Stanford University and earned a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in African American studies. She went onContinue reading "Oct. 17, 1956: Birth of Mae Jemison"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 16: The Moon rises with Regulus Rising higher as the evening progresses is the constellation Perseus, perhaps most famous for its so-called Demon Star, the variable star Algol. But the Hero hosts many other treasures, including M34, a bright open clusterContinue reading "The Sky Today on Friday, October 17: Catch open cluster M34"

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Jeffrey Horne/Drew Evans The Cygnus Rift is a dark, broad lane of dust often captured in images of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070), occupying the gulf between the two and forming their outlines. But this inky, swirling complex takes center stage in this image comprising nearly 365 hoursContinue reading "Negative space"

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Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, October 17The Summer Triangle is now sinking in the west late in the evening as the winter constellations prepare to take over the sky. Look west around 10 P.M. local daylight time and you can still see the three bright stars of theContinue reading "The Sky This Week from October 17 to 24: The Orionids peak"

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During the past week, you had to get up before morning twilight to spot Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon). And you still can. But thanks to its position in the north, now you also can see it in the evening sky. The comet is currently passing in front of the stars of the constellation Canes VenaticiContinue reading "Now’s the time to see Comet Lemmon"

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A joint project of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) program provides continuous monitoring of weather both on Earth and in space. The GOES satellites map lightning activity, measure and image atmospheric conditions, and track solar activity and space weather. This constant flow of data isContinue reading "Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches"

The post Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 15: Check out Comet Lemmon The waning Moon has moved into Leo and stands close to Regulus, the Lion’s bright heart, in the early-morning sky today. An hour before sunrise, they are 40° high in the east, with the crescent Moon justContinue reading "The Sky Today on Thursday, October 16: The Moon rises with Regulus"

The post The Sky Today on Thursday, October 16: The Moon rises with Regulus appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Rod Pommier from Portland, Oregon Spiral galaxy M94 earns the nickname of the Cat’s Eye Galaxy for its hypnotic visual appearance — the disk surrounding its core is highlighted by a bright blue ring of star formation, called a starburst ring. Outside the disk lies what appears to be a faint outer ring that isContinue reading "A galactic eye"

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Author(s): Charles Day

Electrostatic repulsion between electrons usually impairs the performance of electron microscopes. Now it can be turned into an advantage.

[Physics 18, s123] Published Wed Oct 15, 2025

Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

A new spectroscopy method outperforms its rivals by pairing an ordinary frequency comb with an entangled one.

[Physics 18, s139] Published Wed Oct 15, 2025

In April, I wrote a story inviting readers to join me in Egypt for the 2027 total solar eclipse. Well, that adventure is completely sold out. But if you still want to go, Astronomy magazine’s tour provider, Eclipse Traveler, has created another excursion you can sign up for. Called “2027 Pharaoh’s Shadow,” this six-night tour begins withContinue reading "Don’t miss the eclipse of our lifetime"

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Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson

A newly devised cylindrical metamaterial could protect sensitive engineering equipment by isolating vibrations.

[Physics 18, s129] Published Tue Oct 14, 2025

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Monday announced that it will lay off about 550 employees, or about 11 percent of its workforce. According to JPL director Dave Gallagher, the move has nothing to do with the ongoing government shutdown, which the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has pledged to use as anContinue reading "NASA’s JPL lays off 550 employees"

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Since its arrival this summer, scientists have been racing to understand as much as possible about 3I/ATLAS, the third recorded visitor from outside our solar system. A breakthrough study published on Sept. 30 has scientists exclaiming, “OH!”: the first detection of hydroxyl gas (OH) from an interstellar object. The finding provides a crucial touchstone forContinue reading "Comet 3I/ATLAS shows signs of water"

The post Comet 3I/ATLAS shows signs of water appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

The Moon may seem like a lifeless, unchanging world, but new research reveals it’s more geologically active than previously understood. A team of Chinese scientists has identified 41 new landslides on the lunar surface that formed since 2009, concluding they were most likely triggered by seismic activity. This discovery has significant implications for our understandingContinue reading "Moonquakes are the primary trigger for lunar landslides, study finds"

The post Moonquakes are the primary trigger for lunar landslides, study finds appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

At 4:43 A.M. on Oct. 15, 1997, the staccato crackle of the Titan IVB/Centaur’s two side-mounted solid rocket boosters shattered the predawn gloom. Pushing Cassini-Huygens off the pad with a thrust of 3.4 million pounds (1.5 million kilograms), their bright glare turned night into day (and set off numerous car alarms) above a sleeping Florida.Continue reading "Oct. 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75 Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is currently making a splash across the sky, recently observed at magnitude 5.7 and visible in the predawn sky about an hour and a half before the Sun rises.  ThisContinue reading "The Sky Today on Wednesday, October 15: Check out Comet Lemmon"

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Andrew Stone The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) in Cassiopeia glows at around magnitude 7, but that brightness is spread across an area slightly larger than the Full Moon. This image comprises around 28 hours of exposure in Hα/OIII and SII/OIII dual-band filters, taken with a 5.5-inch scope at f/4.3 and processed in the Hubble palette.

The post Waka-waka-waka… appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket successfully completed its 11th test flight on Monday, capping a tumultuous year for the hulking vehicle as the company looks to push the envelope with a more powerful configuration. Monday’s test continued Starship’s return to form, marking its second consecutive reentry and splashdown following a string of in-flight and test stand mishaps. It was Starship’s finalContinue reading "Starship’s 11th Test Flight marks new era for SpaceX rocket"

The post Starship’s 11th Test Flight marks new era for SpaceX rocket appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

One of the big questions about Mars is how wet was it in the past, and why is it so dry today? A new study published online September 2, 2025, in the journal Geology, examined a number of martian craters. Scientists were looking for past ice deposits, which act like archives where the planet’s geological history can be studied. TheyContinue reading "Mars’ ice has been disappearing"

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When Glamorous Glennis, an experimental Bell X-1 aircraft built to mimic the shape of a .50 caliber bullet, shot to 700 mph (1,127 km/h) with Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager inside, it paved the way for Americans to one day travel to space. On Oct. 14, 1947, the X-1 was launched from the bomb bayContinue reading "Oct. 14, 1947: Flying faster than sound"

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📷: Ogetay Kayali from Houghton, Michigan Three objects fill this frame in the constellation Cepheus. At far right is the Shark Nebula (LDN 1235), at center left is the Wolf’s Cave Nebula (LDN 1217), and in the upper left corner is … well, what looks like a piece of toast to this imager, who proposedContinue reading "I propose a Toast"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 13: The Moon reaches Last Quarter The Moon rises together with Jupiter around midnight on October 13 and are visible into the early-morning hours of October 14.  The Moon lies just to the lower left of bright Jupiter; the planet isContinue reading "The Sky Today on Tuesday, October 14: Look south for Pluto and M75"

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On Oct. 13, 1773, Charles Messier spotted the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) for the first time. Writing of it a few months later, he described the object as a “very faint nebula without any stars”; it would become the 51st entry in his famous catalog of non-comets. In 1781, Messier’s friend and fellow astronomer Pierre MechainContinue reading "Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy"

The post Oct. 13, 1773: The discovery of the Whirlpool Galaxy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Mission highlight: SpaceX Starship Test Flight 11 This week’s highlighted mission is the eleventh integrated flight test of SpaceX’s Starship. Liftoff from Starbase in Texas is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, with the launch window opening at 7:15 p.m. EDT. A livestream will begin here about 30 minutes before liftoff. The upcoming flight will buildContinue reading "How to watch today’s Starship Test Flight 11 launch"

The post How to watch today’s Starship Test Flight 11 launch appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Nearly 300 space advocates from across the United States converged on Capitol Hill on Oct. 6 for a “Save NASA Science” Day of Action, pressing lawmakers to protect the agency’s budget. The event, organized by The Planetary Society and a coalition of 20 science and education organizations, took place against the backdrop of a federalContinue reading "Advocates rally to “Save NASA Science” amidst government shutdown"

The post Advocates rally to “Save NASA Science” amidst government shutdown appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Emeritus Dave Eicher invites you to head out in the early morning hours of October 14 to view the Moon close to Jupiter, which lies in the constellation Gemini the Twins. Although the Moon won’t be at its brightest, it still spreads a lot of light into the sky. But JupiterContinue reading "This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: The Moon meets Jupiter"

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Is the New Moon ever visible? If so, can it be seen without a telescope? Esther BockMilwaukee, Wisconsin The New Moon is typically invisible to the naked eye. It occurs when the Moon is positioned between Earth and the Sun, with its illuminated side facing away from us. As a result, the side we seeContinue reading "Is the New Moon ever visible?"

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Looking for a sky event this week? Check out our full Sky This Week column.  October 12: The Saturn Nebula shines Last Quarter Moon occurs this afternoon at 2:13 P.M. EDT. A few hours later, the Moon passes 4° north of Jupiter at 6 P.M. EDT. The pair rises around midnight and are visible into the early-morningContinue reading "The Sky Today on Monday, October 13: The Moon reaches Last Quarter"

The post The Sky Today on Monday, October 13: The Moon reaches Last Quarter appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

Wang Zhipu, taken from Fuzhou, China The evening of Nov. 8 2022 offered skywatchers in parts of Asia and North America a rare chance to see a totally eclipsed Moon occult Uranus. Under normal circumstances, Uranus (at around magnitude 5.7) would be lost in the Moon’s glare, but the dimmed Moon during totality allowed bothContinue reading "Uranus plays lunar peekaboo"

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