naked eye

The rare, green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is making its first trip through our solar system in 50,000 years. So, how can you view this glowing beauty before it’s too late?

When it comes to astronomy, every year is a little different and every year brings its highlights. This year starts with the Quadrantid meteor shower and every planet, except Mercury, is visible in the evening sky. Learn more about what we'll see in the sky in 2023!

The Moon doesn’t have any light of its own, but (like the Earth) it reflects the light of the Sun. It takes the Moon about 27 days to complete an orbit of the Earth, and as it moves, sunlight strikes its surface. Half of the Moon’s surface is illuminated by sunlight while the other half remains in darkness. The phase of the Moon is determined by how much of the sunlit side we can see from the Earth.

Look up at the sky on any clear, dark night and you’ll find yourself staring at hundreds of stars. It’s impossible to tell, but these stars are actually slowly moving through space. Of course, you’d have to wait a long time to notice any change, but very occasionally you might see what looks like a star go streaking across the sky. Obviously, the stars don’t move that quickly or fall from the sky, so what exactly is a shooting star? What’s a fireball? And why do meteor showers occur?

If there’s one thing that draws almost every observer, with or without a telescope, it’s the Moon. It’s understandable; it’s frequently easily seen in the evening sky and, with its changing phases, it’s been an object of fascination for millennia. Nowadays, with the inexpensive and easy availability of telescopes, more and more people are turning their attention toward it. But what, exactly, can you see on the Moon?

It’s been said that astronomy is the oldest science. Before our ancestors even invented language and learned how to write, they were staring up at the heavens. The stars themselves were unimaginable mysteries; tiny points of light that seemed to burn like unmoving embers from a far distant fire. And yet, five were still. Five appeared to move.

You’ve probably heard of a nebula before. Maybe it’s because you’ve seen them in sci-fi movies and TV shows, where they’ll hang in the background to make the blackness of space look more appealing. They’re often stunningly beautiful in photographs and can sometimes hit the headlines, usually thanks to discoveries by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Turn off your lights and head outside on a clear, dark night. Leave your cell phone behind. If you have a planisphere, bring it with you. A planisphere, or star wheel, is a simple way to locate which constellations are up and where they are placed in the night sky for a particular date and time.