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Joe Rao
SPACE.COM SKYWATCHING COLUMNIST — Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for Verizon FiOS1 News in New York's lower Hudson Valley.

Articles by: Joe Rao

Rey's "Great Hexagon" of winter stars

How to see the 'Great Hexagon' of bright winter stars this weekend

By Joe Rao

Eight bright stars dominate our current winter sky. Depending on how you look at them, you might see a graceful arc, a hexagon or a giant "G."

Spot several star clusters in the winter night sky.

How to spot the Pleiades, Hyades and other star clusters in the winter night sky

By Joe Rao

Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury as seen shortly after sunset on Jan. 10, 2021.

Don't miss Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury shine in a triple-conjunction this weekend

By Joe Rao

A spectacular gathering of bright planets will be the chief celestial attraction in the evening sky this weekend as Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury appear to crowd into tight quarters.

Photographer Jeff Berkes captured several Quadrantid meteors in this long-exposure image taken in the Florida Keys on Jan. 2, 2012, during the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. The 2020 Quadrantids will peak on Jan. 2 and 3.

The Quadrantid meteor shower, usually one of the best, peaks at the wrong time this weekend

By Joe Rao

The Quadrantid meteor shower of 2021 peaks overnight on Jan. 2 and 3, but the bright moon will spoil the view.

night sky January 2021 mercury below jupiter and saturn

The brightest planets in January's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in January's night sky.

The moon and Venus shine in the skies of Cerro Paranal, home of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The band of the Milky Way can also be seen glowing beneath them.

When, where and how to see the planets in the 2021 night sky

By Joe Rao

Here is a guide to when certain planets will appear brightest and most visible in the 2021 night sky, including a dazzling Venus display at the year's end!

An astrophotography student stands before the Milky Way galaxy and the bright planet Jupiter during an astrophotography workshop in Campinho, Portugal, on May 5, 2019.

The 10 must-see night sky events to see in 2021

By Joe Rao

Here are the 10 most noteworthy sky events — including meteor showers and eclipses — that will take place in 2021.

Jupiter (left) and Saturn (right) are seen after sunset above Jordan Lake during the "great conjunction" on Dec. 21, 2020, near Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The Christmas Night Sky: A 2020 Yuletide Stargazing Guide

By Joe Rao

December is the month of the winter solstice, which a large part of the world associates with such celebrations as Nativity festivals.

December is usually marked by a series of meteor showers. Geminid meteors (like the one seen in this picture of Florida) light up the skies at the beginning of the month, while the Ursids — which peak tonight (Dec. 21-22) — put on a show just before Christmas.

The Ursid meteor shower of 2020 is peaking now! Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

There is one more meteor shower to consider before we close the book on 2020: the December Ursid meteor shower, which usually occurs during the overnight hours of Dec. 21-22.

dec 21, 2020 great conjunction jupiter saturn

'Christmas star' 2020: Here's some fun facts about the 'great conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn

By Joe Rao

We are now closing in on the long-awaited night of Dec. 21, when Jupiter and Saturn will engage in their "great conjunction."

This sky map shows the crescent moon with Jupiter and Saturn as seen from New York City on Dec. 16, 2020, at 6 p.m. local time.

Jupiter and Saturn swing by the moon this week ahead of a 'Great Conjunction'

By Joe Rao

Before the historic "great conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec. 21, the planets will have a close encounter with the crescent moon on Wednesday and Thursday (Dec. 16-17).

Joe Matus, an engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, captured this image of the Great American Total Solar Eclipse from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on Aug. 21, 2017.

Solar eclipses: When is the next one?

By Joe Rao

Solar eclipses are one of nature’s most spectacular events.

This composite image shows the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019, over the La Silla Observatory in Chile.

The only total solar eclipse of 2020 may be one few get a chance to see

By Joe Rao

It would only seem appropriate that the final eclipse in this eccentric year of 2020 will be visible only from Patagonia — nicknamed "the end of the world."

A long-exposure photograph shows Perseid meteors in August 2009.

The Geminid meteor shower, the best of 2020, peaks this weekend. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

The Geminid meteor shower, which will likely be the very best meteor display of the year, is just around the corner, predicted to peak late on Sunday night (Dec. 13).

Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project captured this photo of the penumbral lunar eclipse over Rome, Italy, on June 5, 2020. Masi took this photo at the moment of greatest eclipse, at 3:25 p.m. EDT (1925 GMT), when about 57% of the moon's surface was covered by Earth's outer shadow, called the penumbra.

A Beaver Full Moon lunar eclipse occurs Monday. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

Early on Monday morning (Nov. 30), careful skywatchers across all of North America can watch the full moon undergo a slight penumbral eclipse.

Taken in 2007 by Expedition 16 astronauts aboard the International Space Station, this digital image shows Cape Cod, where the Pilgrims first set foot.

The first Thanksgiving night sky: What did the Pilgrims see when they looked up?

By Joe Rao

What did the starry sky look like on the occasion of the very first Thanksgiving?

See the moon and Mars make a close approach in the evening sky on Nov. 25, 2020.

See the moon and Mars shine close together on Thanksgiving eve tonight

By Joe Rao

See the moon and Mars rendezvous in the evening sky this Wednesday (Nov. 25).

Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes captured this shot of Leonid meteors over a house in New Jersey in 2012. The 2015 Leonids will peak overnight Nov. 17-18.

The Leonid meteor shower of 2020 peaks tonight! Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

One of the most famous annual meteor showers is reaching its peak — the Leonids. These ultrafast meteors are due to crest overnight tonight and into early Tuesday morning (Nov. 16-17).

This sky map shows where to see Mercury and Venus before sunrise on Nov. 12, 2020.

See Mercury and Venus in the predawn sky this week

By Joe Rao

The two "inferior" planets are teaming up with the moon and one of the brightest stars in the sky to put on a lovely show in the predawn morning skies of Thursday and Friday (Nov. 12-13).

A Taurid fireball descends in glowing aurora over Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 9, 2015.

The Taurid meteor shower of 2020 peaks soon. Here's what to expect.

By Joe Rao

If skies are clear during this upcoming week, be sure to take a few moments to gaze upward. You just might be lucky and catch a glimpse of a spectacularly bright meteor — a Taurid meteor.

night sky fall 2020 baseball diamonds

Spot two 'baseball diamonds' in the night sky

By Joe Rao

t's World Series time once again, so it may be of interest to baseball fans that there are two star patterns that very much resemble two baseball diamonds in our current evening sky.

dec 21, 2020 great conjunction jupiter saturn

Get ready for the 'Great Conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn

By Joe Rao

During the "Great Conjunction" on Dec. 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be about one-tenth of a degree apart, their closest approach since 1623.

Star trails swirl over three smiling jack-o'-lanterns in this night-sky photo by amateur astronomer Gowrishankar L.

Halloween night sky 2020: Rare 'Blue Moon' shines with Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

By Joe Rao

Skies will be mainly clear on Saturday night (Oct. 31) across the contiguous United States, as costumed kids arrive at the door looking for candy or some other Halloween treat.

The "Demon Star" Algol is located in the Perseus constellation.

See the 'Demon Star' Algol wink in the night sky this week

By Joe Rao

Algol, also known as the Demon Star, is quite possibly the most interesting star in the fall and winter skies, if you know when to look for its brightness changes.

The moon, Jupiter and Saturn will form a triangle in the sky on the evening of Oct. 22, 2020.

Look up! The moon will pay Jupiter and Saturn a visit tonight

By Joe Rao

Skywatchers will be treated to an eye-catching gathering in the south-southwest sky about an hour after sunset on Thursday (Oct. 22) — a large triangle formed by the moon, Jupiter and Saturn.