Jesse Emspak
Jesse Emspak is a freelance journalist who has contributed to several publications, including Space.com, Scientific American, New Scientist, Smithsonian.com and Undark. He focuses on physics and cool technologies but has been known to write about the odder stories of human health and science as it relates to culture. Jesse has a Master of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley School of Journalism, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester. Jesse spent years covering finance and cut his teeth at local newspapers, working local politics and police beats. Jesse likes to stay active and holds a fourth degree black belt in Karate, which just means he now knows how much he has to learn and the importance of good teaching.
Latest articles by Jesse Emspak
![buck moon shines behind a buck deer silhouette.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gBDgs4rN6HB3FPfhkBE2wg-320-80.jpg)
July full moon 2024: See the Buck Moon share the sky with Mercury
By Jesse Emspak last updated
The July full moon, also known as the Buck Moon, occurs on July 21. It will share the evening sky with Mercury, which will be at its greatest apparent distance from the sun that day.
![A horizontal green line bisects through the middle. At its center, a bright yellow circled labeled Sun. Blue lines that for a long downward slanted C connect stars to show a constellation.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pTSFyA4kzQJKL3PK5RxoVT-320-80.jpg)
New moon of July 2024: Dark skies tonight as Earth is farthest from the sun today
By Jesse Emspak published
The new moon of July 2024 occurs today as Earth reaches its farthest point from the sun, known as aphelion.
![the full moon rises behind a domed building with a clock on its face. the silouhette of the top of a tree sits in the bottom right corner.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7WcxhYt66DQsomD4EB8bua-320-80.jpg)
The Strawberry Full Moon of 2024 rises near the June solstice with an Antares encounter
By Jesse Emspak published
When June 2024's Strawberry Moon is almost full, it will occult the bright star Antares.
![June 2024 night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GUwynFBXzThUXc9fmweiwj-320-80.jpg)
New moon of June 2024 tonight lets Saturn, Mars and Jupiter shine
By Jesse Emspak published
The dark skies of the new moon of June 2024 will allow some of the naked eye planets to stand out late in the night after midnight.
![a full moon rises above a small pagoda](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T8BEdMPtqYQSqUkpuZseUR-320-80.jpg)
June full moon 2024: The Strawberry Moon follows the solstice
By Jesse Emspak last updated
Reference The Full Strawberry Moon of June 2024 moon will pass in front of – or occult – the red supergiant star Antares the day before the full moon.
![a transparent ram is angled head-down on the right, with the transparent limbs of an unidentifiable beast splashing out of a layer of transparent water on the left half. Stars within the transparencies are connected with blue lines to indicate constellation shapes. A bright yelllow/white star in the center is neighbored to the immediate upper right by the black circle of a new moon, and bisected diagonally from the upper left.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sXeQLqgPqJGDkak3W59a4V-320-80.jpg)
New moon of May 2024 tonight welcomes the stars of summer
By Jesse Emspak published
The new moon of May 2024 will see the bright constellations of summer begin to rise just as those of winter sink below the horizon.
![a bright full moon in the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/z46tBMVRUamXXVJec3R2RJ-320-80.jpg)
May full moon 2024: The Flower Moon crosses the Scorpion's Heart
By Jesse Emspak last updated
Reference The Full Flower Moon of May 2024 will see the moon pass in front of the red star Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius, the Scorpion.
![a bright full moon in the sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nQDkuLcotC3UModg9FVqQi-320-80.jpg)
April full moon 2024: The Pink Moon joins Mars and Saturn in the night sky
By Jesse Emspak last updated
The full moon of April 2024, called the Pink Moon, will occur during the evening hours of April 23. Later that night, Mars and Saturn will rise in the predawn hours.
![Lyrid meteor shower streaks across the sky with silhouetted trees in the foreground and the milky way stretching across the night sky in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kjiexvA8BRQfWz4dqa3Ee8-320-80.jpg)
Lyrid meteor shower 2024: When, where & how to see it
By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference The 2024 Lyrid meteor shower will occur between April 16-25 and peak on the night of April 22. A typical shower displays between five and 20 meteors per hour.
![photo of a solar eclipse, showing the moon's dark outline blocking out the sun](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UKzs8JJGHkt5hbfzHPfSqZ-320-80.jpg)
New moon phase on April 8 will bring on the 2024 total solar eclipse
By Jesse Emspak published
This month's new moon, which occurs on April 8, is a special one: It will cause a total solar eclipse, the last such event to grace the contiguous United States for two decades.
![a bright moon rises above the ruins of a castle](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NPHLKontxqHUMpdGgz8dSc-320-80.jpg)
March full moon 2024: The Worm Moon gets eclipsed
By Jesse Emspak last updated
Reference The full moon of March 2024, the Worm Moon, will experience a penumbral lunar eclipse as it passes through the outer part of Earth's shadow.
![a bright full moon above a snowy mountain range](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JJwkKW4iAdrMDBgYDgpjEY-320-80.jpg)
February full moon 2024: The Snow Moon rises as a 'minimoon' on Feb. 24
By Jesse Emspak last updated
The Full Snow Moon of February 2024, will occur on Feb. 24, about a day before reaching apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, creating the opposite of a supermoon: a "minimoon."
![a bright central circle is the sun, bisecected by a green line, just above a darkened moon, also crossed by a green line.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ogfLVGCPvApUiqWMZsuTTP-320-80.jpg)
February's 'super' new moon leaves the night sky nice and dark tonight
By Jesse Emspak published
February's new moon coincides with lunar perigee, during which time the moon will reach its closest point to Earth in its orbit.
![a green line cuts across the center, a small yellow sun is bisected in the middle. the large top half of a translucent centaur is seen, outlined in blue within to show the constellation](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cTeSuN94xY7aqJEWJwCTzb-320-80.jpg)
January's new moon welcomes Mercury as a 'morning star'
By Jesse Emspak published
The first new moon of 2024 occurs on January 11, leaving the skies dark for stargazers to find Mercury at its most visible during its greatest separation from the sun.
![the full moon shines bright in a dark night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mayjnMW7pTQSe2h7o9MhmW-320-80.jpg)
January full moon 2024: The 'Wolf Moon' howls at the Gemini twins
By Jesse Emspak last updated
The January full moon is often called the Wolf Moon, a name which may date back to when wolves would howl outside villages.
![a bright, full moon taking up most of the photo in a starry sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PSNERaqdmdWgjwGVTEA6nd-320-80.jpg)
December full moon: The Cold Moon says goodbye to 2023
By Jesse Emspak last updated
December's full moon, called the Cold Moon, falls on Dec. 26 and will be situated amidst the season's brightest constellations as it says goodbye to 2023.
![the path of the sun, which is center, is outlined in green, falling diagonally left to right. the shadowed new moon hangs below the shining star.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z25UQu7oCxkTcoxbqEncVa-320-80.jpg)
December's new moon allows the Geminid meteor shower to shine tonight
By Jesse Emspak published
The new moon of December 2023 offers skywatchers dark skies for catching the Geminid meteor shower, one of the year's best celestial spectacles.
![november full moon shining brightly against a black background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JigGHrhsXXdRLsn2r7kx4W-320-80.jpg)
November full moon 2023: Full Beaver Moon is joined by Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn
By Jesse Emspak last updated
November's full "Beaver Moon" will occur on Nov. 27 and will be joined by several bright planets in the evening and early morning sky.
![green lines indicate the paths of the moon and mars across the night sky, through the constellation libra](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qZsNMgiN9bpQMYfiBnKrcA-320-80.jpg)
November's new moon lets the winter constellations shine bright tonight
By Jesse Emspak published
November is when the winter constellations of the Northern Hemisphere become more prominent; it's the time of year when Orion, Taurus and Gemini are visible almost all night long.
![a full moon hangs in a dark blue sky with the silhouettes of tree branches on the left](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8m8Qe3oYAjiRSaboBeGqtn-320-80.jpg)
October full moon 2023 guide: The Hunter's Moon gets eclipsed this weekend
By Jesse Emspak last updated
The Hunter's Moon officially becomes full on Oct. 28 at 4:23 p.m. EDT (2023 UTC).
![The moon obscures most of the sun during an annular eclipse, leaving a "ring of fire" visible.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qeiWdVHc9akN5tXtXzom2j-320-80.png)
October's new moon brings us a 'ring of fire' solar eclipse
By Jesse Emspak published
October's new moon rises today (Oct. 14) and causes an annular or 'ring of fire' solar eclipse, which will delight skywatchers across the Americas.
![a diagram showing the phases of the moon.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n6NCrT3Dg7UymZrgy5oDZo-320-80.jpg)
September's new moon points the way to Mars, Jupiter and more
By Jesse Emspak published
September's new moon rises tonight (Sept. 14). Here's what you can expect to see in the night sky around this time.
![The full moon rises over the Bondi Beach in Sydney on September 21, 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yCFxBhZSo7XnhexJqX5rzF-320-80.jpg)
September full moon 2023 guide: The Super Harvest Moon joins Jupiter and Saturn
By Jesse Emspak last updated
The full moon tends to overwhelm the fainter stars. But in the late September sky there are still constellations that can be seen despite the brightness of both the moon and city lights.