The sky, June 8-15: Full ‘honey moon’ low in the sky

The sky, June 8-15: Full ‘honey moon’ low in the sky

Special to CosmicTribune.com, June 9, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, JUNE 8 ■ The nearly full Moon (it’ll be full on Tuesday night the 10th) shines well to the upper right of Antares this evening, as shown below. MONDAY, JUNE 9 ■ Bright Arcturus, magnitude 0, shines pale yellow-orange very high overhead toward the south […]

The sky, May 19-25: Saturn, Venus rising at dawn’s light

The sky, May 19-25: Saturn, Venus rising at dawn’s light

Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 19, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, MAY 19 ■ The brightest asteroid, 4 Vesta, is nicely placed in a moonless dark sky in late evening. It’s about two weeks past opposition and still about magnitude 6.0. It’s located 24° below Arcturus, near the Virgo-Libra border, and about 9° and 10° above Beta and […]

The sky, May 11-18: The rise of Vega

The sky, May 11-18: The rise of Vega

Special to CosmicTribune.com, May 11, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, MAY 11 ■ What is the oldest thing you have ever seen? For everyone in the world it’s at least the Sun and other objects of the solar system, age 4.6 billion years. (Virtually everything on or a little way under Earth’s surface is much younger.) Next […]

The sky, April 20-27: Arcturus is brightest star, high in the East

The sky, April 20-27: Arcturus is brightest star, high in the East

Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 20, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 20 ■ Find Procyon high above brilliant Sirius in the southwest right after dark. Look upper left of Procyon by 15° (about a fist and a half at arm’s length) for the dim head of Hydra, the enormous Sea Serpent. His head is a […]

The sky, April 13-20: Rise of Vega, the ‘Summer Star’

The sky, April 13-20: Rise of Vega, the ‘Summer Star’

Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 14, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 13 ■ Vega, the bright “Summer Star,” rises in the northeast these evenings. How early or late depends on your latitude and also on your longitude within your time zone. Exactly where should you watch for Vega to come up? Spot the Big Dipper […]

The sky, April 6-13: The full Moon and Spica on April 12

The sky, April 6-13: The full Moon and Spica on April 12

Special to CosmicTribune.com, April 8, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, APRIL 6 ■ The Big Dipper stands high in the northeast these evenings, tipping over to the left dumping water. Its handle plus the two stars of its bowl closest to the handle form a broad, rough arc. To the right of the arc, not […]

The sky, March 2-9: Seeing the Venus crescent

The sky, March 2-9: Seeing the Venus crescent

Special to CosmicTribune.com, August 28, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, MARCH 2 ■ February was Orion’s month to stand at his highest in the south in early evening. Now March pushes him westward and spotlights his dog, Canis Major with Sirius on his chest, standing center stage on the meridian. Sirius is not only the […]

The sky, Feb. 23-March 2: Sirius, the closest brightest star and it dwarf companion

The sky, Feb. 23-March 2: Sirius, the closest brightest star and it dwarf companion

Special to CosmicTribune.com, February 24, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 ■ Have you ever seen Canopus, the second-brightest star after Sirius? It lies almost due south of Sirius, by 36°. That’s far enough south that it never appears above your horizon unless you’re below latitude 37° N (southern Virginia, southern Missouri, central California). […]

The sky, Jan. 27-Feb. 2: Moon, Saturn and Venus put on a show

The sky, Jan. 27-Feb. 2: Moon, Saturn and Venus put on a show

Special to CosmicTribune.com, January 27, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JANUARY 27 ■ While the evenings are still dark and moonless, use big binoculars or a telescope to hunt down the 8th-magnitude globular cluster M79 in Lepus below the feet of Orion. Summer is the season for most globular clusters, but here we have a rare […]

The sky, Jan. 20-26

The sky, Jan. 20-26

Special to CosmicTribune.com, January 20, 2025 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, JANUARY 20 ■ Zero-magnitude Capella high overhead, and zero-magnitude Rigel in Orion’s foot, have almost the same right ascension. This means they cross your sky’s meridian at almost exactly the same time: around 9 p.m. now, depending on how far east or west you live in […]