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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

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.

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 Visible Planets in December's Night Sky: How to See them (and When)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in December's night 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.

The planet Mercury transiting in front of the sun in 2003, as captured by a NASA satellite.

Mercury Transit 2019: The Astronomical History of This Rare Celestial Event

By Joe Rao

The sun rises behind midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City. On the morning of Nov. 11, 2019, Mercury will transit the rising sun.

A Mercury Transit for the Ages: November 1973

By Joe Rao

In my long career as an assiduous amateur astronomer, I've seen other transits of Mercury, but one from November 1973 stands out.

Mercury crossed the face of the sun on May 9, 2016 during a rare transit that delighted skywatchers around the world. This image is a composite view of Mercury during the 7.5 hour event as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory during the event.

Mercury Transit 2019: Here's Why This Celestial Event Is So Rare

By Joe Rao

On Monday, Nov. 11, a most unusual event will take place: the transit (passage) of the planet Mercury across the sun's disk.

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

Halloween Night Sky 2019: Don't Miss These Celestial Treats

By Joe Rao

Skies will be mainly clear tonight (Oct. 31) across the western half of the United States, as costumed kids arrive at the door looking for candy or some other Halloween treat.

Astrophotographer Sébastien Joly captured this photo of a Taurid meteor captured over Lake Cerknica in Slovenia, on Nov. 10, 2015.

The 2019 Taurid Meteor Shower Peaks Soon. Here's What to Expect.

By Joe Rao

The next few weeks might be a good time to keep a close watch on the night sky, for if you're lucky, you just might catch sight of a spectacularly bright meteor, also known as a fireball.

The constellation Orion the Hunter takes center stage in this Orionid meteor shower shot by astrophotographer Gowrishankar Lakshminarayanan. He captured these Orionid meteors streaking through the sky over New York's Catskill Mountains on Oct. 21, 2017.

The Orionid Meteor Shower 2019 Peaks Tonight! Here's What to Expect

By Joe Rao

October's Orionid meteor shower is one of the most reliable of the annual displays of "shooting stars." Unfortunately, this year, the Orionids are going to face a handicap.

Venus as it will appear in the evening sky on Oct. 29, 2019.

Venus Returns to Evening Sky After Weeks of Hiding Behind the Sun

By Joe Rao

After an absence of more than a year, the most brilliant planet returns to the evening sky.

On Oct. 3, 2019, the waxing crescent moon will pass less than 2 degrees from the planet Jupiter. With binoculars or a telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons, too.

Moon Will Pay Visits to Jupiter and Saturn This Week. Here's How to See It

By Joe Rao

This week the moon is going to rendezvous with two bright "superior" planets.

This sky map shows the location of the constellation Capricornus in the October evening sky as viewed from mid-northern latitudes.

Capricornus the Sea-Goat Rises into the Autumn Night Sky

By Joe Rao

It has always seemed to me that the ancient skywatchers had an incredible imagination.

A wide-field image of Fomalhaut, the 18th-brightest star in the night sky,

Fomalhaut, 'Royal' Star of Autumn, Swims with the Southern Fish

By Joe Rao

Fomalhaut, a "royal" star associated with the autumn season, sits low in the southern part of the sky, all by itself, on early autumn nights.

The Harvest Moon of 2017 rises over NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in this photo by NASA photographer Debbie McCallum.

Harvest Moon 2019: When and How to See September's 'Micro' Moon

By Joe Rao

The full moon of September 2019 also carries the title of the Harvest Moon for those living in the Northern Hemisphere.

In this image we can see the asterism of the Summer Triangle a giant triangle in the sky composed of the three bright stars Vega (top left), Altair (lower middle) and Deneb (far left).

Why Do We Call It the 'Summer' Triangle?

By Joe Rao

Step outside this week as soon as darkness falls and look directly overhead, and you will see the famous and very distinctive trio of bright stars collectively known as The Summer Triangle.

This sky chart shows the locations of the star patterns known as the Summer Triangle, Vulpecula (the little fox), Delphinus (the dolphin) and Sagitta (the arrow)

See a Dolphin, Fox, Foal and More in the Night Sky This Week

By Joe Rao

In this week's evening sky, four small, faint constellations spread out near and within the Summer Triangle can be seen.

opiuchus and his serpent constellations

How to See Ophiuchus and His Serpent in the Night Sky

By Joe Rao

Here's a pair of constellations that easily slithers out of the grasp of a beginning skywatcher: Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer, and his snake.

A skywatcher in silhouette appears to hold up the night sky in the Azores, Portugal, in this photo by Miguel Claro. The constellation Sagittarius glows at the left, with Scorpius on the right.

Sagittarius Carries a 'Milk Dipper' and 'Teapot' into the Summer Sky

By Joe Rao

Dozens of Perseid meteors appear to sprint toward the Milky Way over Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park in this composite taken by astrophotographer Cody Limber during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12, 2018.

The 2019 Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Soon: Here's What to Expect

By Joe Rao

August is regarded as "meteor month" with the appearance of one of the best displays of the year: the annual performance of the Perseid meteor shower, the most famous of all meteor showers.

In the southern sky on the evening of Friday, Aug. 9, the waxing gibbous moon will land just to the upper left (celestial northeast) of the bright planet Jupiter. Both objects will fit within the field of view of binoculars (red circle).

See the Moon Near Jupiter (and Twinkly Red Antares, Too!) This Friday

By Joe Rao

On Friday evening, assuming your skies are reasonably clear, you'll be able to see the moon passing near to the largest planet in the solar system: Jupiter.