Tag:

Stargazing

Saturn’s Brightest Night, Fall Equinox Coming Back-To-Back Saturn’s Brightest Night, Fall Equinox Coming Back-To-Back
Saturn’s Brightest Night, Fall Equinox Coming Back-To-Back Two marquee celestial moments will headline late September, giving stargazers a bright planet to admire and a seasonal reset back on Earth.  Forecasters say Saturn will hit its brightest night of the year on Sunday, Sept. 21, followed by the autumnal equinox at 2:19 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Sept. 22. Sunday, Sept. 21: Saturn At Opposition (Brightest Of 2025) At opposition, Earth sits directly between the Sun and Saturn, putting the ringed planet opposite the Sun in our sky. This is when Saturn appears at its closest, brightest, and largest for the year. Saturn will rise at sunset…
Double Celestial Treat: Venus Meets Jupiter, Meteor Showers Follow Hours Later Double Celestial Treat: Venus Meets Jupiter, Meteor Showers Follow Hours Later
Double Celestial Treat: Venus Meets Jupiter, Meteor Showers Follow Hours Later Skywatchers are in for a two-part cosmic spectacle: a rare Venus-Jupiter pairing followed by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.  Tuesday, Aug. 12 will dawn with brilliant Venus sidling up to mighty Jupiter in the eastern twilight, and by nightfall the year’s most dependable meteor show will be streaking overhead. The planetary rendezvous starts around 4 a.m. local time when Venus, the brightest beacon in the sky, slides to within less than one degree of Jupiter.  Hold a pinky finger at arm’s length and you will cover the gap. The duo rises higher through dawn and repeats almo…
Super Sturgeon Moon Will Rise With Biggest, Brightest Glow Of Summer: Here's Timing Super Sturgeon Moon Will Rise With Biggest, Brightest Glow Of Summer: Here's Timing
Super Sturgeon Moon Will Rise With Biggest, Brightest Glow Of Summer: Here's Timing The Full Sturgeon Moon is about to crest the eastern horizon swelling into one of 2025’s brightest and largest supermoons. Unlike an ordinary full moon, a supermoon occurs when our satellite reaches or nears perigee — its closest orbital point to Earth — making it appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than when it hangs at apogee.  This month’s lunar show peaks precisely at 3:55 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 9, but astronomers say the moon will seem full and strikingly luminous from Thursday evening, Aug. 7 through early Monday, Aug. 11. Why “Sturgeon”? The August full m…
Night Skies To Sparkle As Meteor Showers Peak: Here’s Timing Night Skies To Sparkle As Meteor Showers Peak: Here’s Timing
Night Skies To Sparkle As Meteor Showers Peak: Here’s Timing Stargazers are in for a rare treat at month’s end, when two separate meteor showers each peak activity on the same night, promising a combined rate of up to 30 “shooting stars” an hour. According to the American Meteor Society, some of those streaks could blaze across the sky as brilliant fireballs, outshining everything but the Moon and brightest planets The dual peak — Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids — will unfold from the evening of Tuesday, July 29, through the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, July 30. The spectacle will give observers across the Northern Hemisphere a fron…
Thunder Moon First In Trio Of Upcoming Celestial Shows: Here's When To Watch Thunder Moon First In Trio Of Upcoming Celestial Shows: Here's When To Watch
Thunder Moon First In Trio Of Upcoming Celestial Shows: Here's When To Watch Stargazers will be treated to a trio of celestial shows in the weeks ahead, starting with the rise of the Thunder Moon on Thursday night, July 10.  Named for the seasonal storms that rumble across North America, this bright full moon will rise in the southeastern sky around nightfall. It will shine through the night before setting near sunrise. It's also known as the Full Buck Moon, a term connected to the quick growth of antlers on male deer in the middle of the summer. Later in the month, skies will glow with something even more dramatic: a rare meteor shower doubleheader. …
Best Viewing Chances Coming In 'Parade Of Planets': Here's When To Keep Eye On Sky Best Viewing Chances Coming In 'Parade Of Planets': Here's When To Keep Eye On Sky
Best Viewing Chances Coming In 'Parade Of Planets': Here's When To Keep Eye On Sky Skywatchers, get ready for an unforgettable weeks-long celestial spectacle. This rare phenomenon, nicknamed the "Parade of Planets," offers a unique opportunity for viewers to observe multiple planets in the night sky. What to Expect Shortly after sunset through mid-February, the six planets -- Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Venus -- will align across the night sky.  "Venus, Saturn and Neptune will be bunched together low in the southwestern sky, while Mars, with its distinct reddish hue, Jupiter and Uranus will glow higher in the southern sky," according to AccuWea…
Here's When To Watch Most Popular Meteor Show Of Year Here's When To Watch Most Popular Meteor Show Of Year
Here's When To Watch Most Popular Meteor Show Of Year The best meteor shower of the year is about to peak. The Perseid meteor shower, marked by swift and bright streaks, frequently leaves long "wakes" of light and color behind as it moves through Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA.  The most significant activity is expected to occur on the night of Sunday, Aug. 11, into the early morning hours of Monday, Aug. 12, and possibly Tuesday, Aug. 13. Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, though meteors from this shower can be seen as early as 10 p.m. NASA says. EarthSky.com says that "the best t…
Here's When The International Space Station Will Be Visible In Baltimore This Week Here's When The International Space Station Will Be Visible In Baltimore This Week
Here's When The International Space Station Will Be Visible In Baltimore This Week It's a bird … It’s a plane ... It’s the International Space Station! In Maryland, stargazers will get a special treat this week in Baltimore, when the International Space Station will be clearly visible, with the best viewing expected at 6:06 p.m. on Monday, Dec 5. On Monday, Baltimore residents who go outside and look to the northwest will see the station visible for several minutes, looking like a bright star gliding across the sky for approximately five minutes to the southeast. The following day, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, the International Space Station will be visible twice, first to the n…
Here's What You Need To Know About Tuesday's Lunar Eclipse In Maryland, Virginia Here's What You Need To Know About Tuesday's Lunar Eclipse In Maryland, Virginia
Here's What You Need To Know About Tuesday's Lunar Eclipse In Maryland, Virginia The stars are aligning perfectly for those in Maryland and Virginia looking forward to Tuesday morning's total lunar eclipse. A partial eclipse will begin at approximately 4:09 a.m., then, beginning at around 5:15 a.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the moon will appear a deep shade of red and orange for approximately an hour and a half until nearly 6:45 a.m. The timing coincides with sunrise in the region, which is expected shortly after 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday morning. According to the National Weather Service, conditions will be prime for stargazers in the DMV area, with the Baltimore/Washington off…
Best Chance To See Jupiter In 59 Years Best Chance To See Jupiter In 59 Years
Best Chance To See Jupiter In 59 Years If you've never seen Jupiter, you'll get your best chance in 59 years tonight, officials say. With a good set of binoculars, the giant planet should be the second brightest image in the sky after the moon for several nights, NASA said on its blog. Stargazers can expect excellent views of Jupiter the entire night of Monday, Sept. 26 when the giant planet reaches opposition, NASA said. From the viewpoint of Earth’s surface, opposition happens when an astronomical object rises in the east as the Sun sets in the west, placing the object and the Sun on opposite sides of Earth. Jupiter’s opposi…