Comet NEOWISE remains visible in the early evening sky to the left of the Big Dipper. It was closest to the sun on July 3 and closest to the earth on the 23rd, and it’s now fading as it leaves the earth and sun behind. According to predictions, it might still be visible to the […]
This spring two comets that were expected to become bright failed us, but a third comet discovered only in late March snuck up on us and put on an unexpectedly great show in the morning sky during the first week of July when it was easily visible to the naked eye. Named Comet NEOWISE, it […]
This week Jupiter and Saturn lie exactly opposite the sun, Jupiter on the 14th and Saturn on the 20th. Being opposite the sun, they rise in the southeast as the sun sets in the northwest. Look for them beginning at about 10 PM as a pair, Jupiter being the brighter of the two. They’re visible […]
Summer is definitely here, and so is the summer Milky Way. Most people who live in the United States never see it except when on vacation in dark areas, but some of us lucky ones see it nightly. This month it arcs across the eastern sky as darkness falls, but it rises higher as the […]
There are four bright planets in the sky tonight, two rising shortly before midnight, one a few hours later, and one rising just before the sun. Jupiter and Saturn come up together and they’re low in the southeast at 11 p.m. Jupiter is the brighter of the two while Saturn is a few degrees to […]
All the planetary action is in the morning sky, so if you want to see a planet this month the best strategy is to get up early, when it’s nice and cool, and enjoy the sight of four planets plus the summer Milky Way. The easiest-to-see planets are Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, in that order […]
Sunday June 20 is the summer solstice – the first day of summer. This day marks the sun’s northernmost rising and setting points and it’s the longest day (14 hours 37 minutes in Kanab) with the earliest sunrise and latest sunset. We have seasons because our earth is tilted in our orbit around the sun, so from […]
This week three planets are visible, all in the morning sky. The best time to look is in the hour or so before dawn, and then you’ll see, from west to east, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. They are all low in the south and southeast where they’re less than a third of the way up […]
Last month we watched Venus disappear from the evening sky, to be replaced briefly by little Mercury. Mercury is a poor substitute, being both fainter and closer to the horizon, and whereas Venus dominated the early evening sky it’s a challenge to even see Mercury and most people never have. This is your chance. Mercury […]
The sole planet in the evening sky is little Mercury – an elusive planet that most people have never seen. It’s hard to see because it orbits close to the sun, so it never strays far from the sun and it can be seen only shortly after sunset in the evening sky or shortly before […]
© 2019. All rights reserved.