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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

Skywatcher James Tse snapped this view of the partial solar eclipse on Nov. 25, 2011 from Christchurch, New Zealand.

Solar eclipses: When is the next one?

By Joe Rao

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

The waning crescent moon and the planet Mars will put on a show Feb. 18, appearing quite close to each other in the southeastern sky. The moon will pass in front of Mars, blocking the planet from view, but for the eastern half of the U.S. this will occur during daylight and will not be visible without a telescope. For much of the western half of North America, the occultation of Mars by the moon should be visible to the naked eye.

The moon will 'eclipse' Mars before dawn Tuesday! Here's how to see it.

By Joe Rao

As the waning crescent moon rises in the small hours of the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 18, skywatchers will be preparing for an unusual event.

A night scene captured in Achada do Gamo, Dark Sky Alqueva Mértola, shows the silhouette of a skywatcher who is trying to show us where to find Polaris, the North Star.

For stargazers, the Big Dipper is a celestial compass, clock, calendar and ruler. Here’s how to use it.

By Joe Rao

The Dipper is more than just a bright and familiar star pattern. It's a compass, a clock, a calendar and a ruler all rolled into one!

As November begins, Mercury will be in the western evening sky and swinging sunward towards inferior conjunction on November 11, when the speedy planet will transit the sun. The transit will be visible in whole or in part from westernmost Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, North America (except for the extreme north), most of the Pacific Ocean, and New Zealand. After mid-month, Mercury will return to view with an excellent morning apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a poor one for the Southern Hemisphere. The planet will reach peak visibility at greatest western elongation on November 28. Viewed in a telescope during mornings in November, Mercury's disk will diminish in apparent size and wax in illuminated phase from a thin crescent to a 68% full. Over the same period, the planet will brighten. The old crescent moon will pass north of Mercury on November 24-25.

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

By Joe Rao

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

During the first half of February, Mercury will complete its best evening appearance for mid-northern latitude observers during 2020, climbing higher in the west-southwestern sky every evening.

How to see the 'elusive planet' Mercury in the night sky in February

By Joe Rao

Mercury is often cited as the most difficult of the naked-eye planets to see due its proximity to the sun, but there are times during the year when Mercury can be surprisingly easy to spot.

This graphic shows the close encounter between two pieces of space junk, the dead satellites IRAS and GGSE-4, over Pittsburgh on the evening of Jan. 29, 2020.

2 old satellites will buzz each other over Pittsburgh tonight. Here's how to see the space junk.

By Joe Rao

The potential (but unlikely) collision of two old satellites will be visible in the eastern U.S. today (Jan. 29) at at 6:39 p.m. EST. Here's how to see it.

Spot Auriga the charioteer (and goat tender) in the winter sky

By Joe Rao

Auriga is one of those star patterns whose exact origin is a hopeless mix of antique conceptions.

This color photograph of Comet Kohoutek (C/1973 E1) was captured from the Catalina Observatory in Arizona, on Jan. 11, 1974.

How the 'comet of the century' became an astronomical disappointment

By Joe Rao

Christened for months as "The Comet of the Century," Comet Kohoutek never came remotely close to living up to expectations.

Supermoon

Full Moon Names (and More) for 2020

By Joe Rao

Here is a list of all the full moon names, dates and times in 2020, beginning with the "Wolf Moon" in January, to the "Cold Moon" in December.

Jennifer Cenker captured this photo of the penumbral lunar eclipse in Rockledge, Florida, on Feb. 10, 2017.

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Occurs Friday: Here's What to Expect

By Joe Rao

A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on Jan. 10-11, and it will be visible from Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Here's what to expect.

Look to the northeastern sky overnight on Jan. 3-4, 2020 for the peak of the 2020 Quadrantid meteor shower.

The 2020 Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peaks Soon. Here's What to Expect.

By Joe Rao

Early Saturday morning (Jan. 4), a strong display of Quadrantid meteors is likely for Europe and North America.

Moon and Venus

When, Where and How to See the Planets in the 2020 Night Sky

By Joe Rao

Here is a guide to when certain planets will appear brightest and most visible in the 2020 night sky, including a dazzling conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec. 21!

Venus and the moon will share a dazzling conjunction on the evening of Dec. 28, 2019 at sunset.

See Venus and the Moon Shine Together in Post-Christmas Gift (Earthshine, Too!)

By Joe Rao

On Saturday evening (Dec. 28), a lovely crescent moon will join Venus in the twilight sky, making for an eye-catching post-Christmas celestial ornament.

A spacecraft's view of an annular solar eclipse in 2012.

'Ring of Fire' to Wreath the Sun in Last Eclipse of 2019

By Joe Rao

If you're planning to spend Christmas in the Eastern Hemisphere, you'll have a celestial treat to look forward to the next day as the new moon eclipses the sun.

A big, bright Venus dominates the sky beside a tiny sliver of a crescent moon in this photo by European Southern Observatory photographer Yuri Beletsky.

The Christmas Night Sky: A 2019 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.

Multiple Geminid meteors streak through the sky in this photo captured by Tony Corso just south of Paris, Texas.

The 2019 Ursid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight!

By Joe Rao

The annual Ursid meteor shower will peak during the overnight hours of Sunday (Dec. 22), into the morning hours of Monday (Dec. 23).

A meteor falls through the sky.

How to See the 2019 Geminid Meteor Shower Peak Tonight, Despite Bright Moon

By Joe Rao

So far, 2019 has been a disaster if you are an enthusiastic watcher of "shooting stars."

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 Skywatching Events to Look for in 2020

By Joe Rao

Here are the 10 most noteworthy sky events — including meteor showers and eclipses — that will take place in 2020.

Venus will spend November hugging the west-southwestern horizon while steadily swinging wider of the evening sun and dropping farther south of the ecliptic. This apparition will be a poor one for mid-northern latitude observers, but a good one for more southerly observers. During November, Venus will maintain a very high visual magnitude of -3.86, allowing it to be easily seen, even while embedded within the evening twilight.

Examining the Phases of Venus

By Joe Rao

Ever since it returned to the evening sky just over a month ago, our "sister planet," as Venus is often called, has slowly become increasingly prominent in our early evening sky.

See Venus, Jupiter and the crescent moon in the night sky this Thanksgiving. The trio will be above the southwest horizon in the evenings all week.

Thanksgiving Night Sky 2019: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon Gather for Skywatching Feast

By Joe Rao

This week, Venus and Jupiter are very low in the southwest during the chilly November dusk.

Saturn will be in conjunction with the moon on Nov. 29, at 4:03 p.m. EST (2103 GMT). The pair will be visible above the southwest horizon shortly after sunset.

Cosmic Deal: You Can See Saturn with the Moon on Black Friday (It's Free!)

By Joe Rao

After its Thanksgiving rendezvous with Jupiter and Venus, the moon will pay Saturn a visit on Black Friday (Nov. 29).

This map from Sky & Telescope shows the sky facing southeast from Philadelphia at 11:50 p.m. EST on Nov. 21, when the rare Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower will have a very brief outburst. Two Alpha Monocerotid radiants are marked, 1985 and 1995.

Legendary Meteor Outburst May Occur Thursday Night. Here's What to Know

By Joe Rao

It could come from The Unicorn.

A visible-light image of the star Mira, captured by the UK Schmidt Telescope in Australia, via the Digitized Sky Survey, a program affiliated with the Hubble team.

Mira, the Pulsing 'Wonderful Star,' Flashes into Sight This Week

By Joe Rao

This week, the variable star Mira reaches its highest point, roughly halfway up in the southern sky at around 10 p.m. local time.

This year's Leonid meteor shower will likely be disappointing.

The Leonid Meteor Shower 2019 Is Peaking Now: Here's What to Expect

By Joe Rao

It's going to be a poor year for one of the most famous meteor showers, the Leonids.

This weather map shows the national forecast for Nov. 11, 2019, the day of the Transit of Mercury.

Here's the US Weather Forecast for the Monday's Rare Mercury Transit of 2019

By Joe Rao

For those hoping to get a glimpse of Nov. 11's rare transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the sun, the weather across the United States will either be very good.