Joe Rao

Mars is lighting up the night sky as the planet heads toward an unusually close approach to Earth on Oct. 6.

Autumn officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9:31 a.m. EDT (1331 GMT). And consequently, our evening sky is now one in transition.

The moon and Venus will form a triangle with the Beehive star cluster in the predawn sky on Monday (Sept. 14).

Just how many planets are visible without a telescope? Most people will answer "five," but there is a sixth planet that can be glimpsed without visual aid: the planet Uranus.

At this time of year, some might be attracted by the presence of an unusually bright star sparkling over the north-northeast horizon.

Every once in a while, something will appear in the sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up.

Step outside around 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 28-29) and in a single glance you'll be able to partake in a gathering of the moon and the two gas giants of the solar system.

You can see the moon's famous Copernicus crater along the lunar terminator — the line lunar between day and night — on Thursday (Aug. 27).

As Venus makes a close approach to the moon Saturday morning (Aug. 15), you can catch some winter constellations without the cold.

The 2020 Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight tonight (Aug. 11 and 12). Here's the U.S. weather forecast.

Skywatchers beware: the moon will hinder attempts to observe the Perseids, typically one of the best meteor displays of the year.

Small asterisms, or star patterns, are often overlooked. One striking example of this than the Coat Hanger, which is now well placed for evening viewing in the constellation of Vulpecula.

The brightest comet to appear in Northern Hemisphere skies in nearly a quarter of a century will soon be ending its run as a naked-eye object.

This week, Jupiter and Saturn appear at their very best, with Jupiter having just arrived at opposition July 14 and Saturn to reach its own opposition July 20.

The early reviews are in: Comet NEOWISE is a hit!

After putting on a great show in our evening sky during the first half of this year, dazzling Venus puts on a spectacular showing for early morning risers for the balance of 2020.

Comet NEOWISE could become a tantalizing object for skywatchers in the July 2020 night sky.

The Full Buck moon of July 2020 will experience a minor penumbral lunar eclipse this weekend (July 4 and 5), but don't expect much.

Nature has its own fireworks in store this Independence Day weekend with a stunning full moon ornamented by two shining planets.

A "ring of fire" solar eclipse, the only annular eclipse of 2020, will wow skywatchers in the Eastern Hemisphere. Here's how it works.

Summer will arrive in the Northern Hemisphere on Saturday (June 20) at 5:43:32 p.m. EDT (21:43:32 GMT). The June solstice also marks the beginning of winter for those in the Southern Hemisphere.

If you live in the northeast U.S. or Canada, mark Friday, June 19, on your calendar. That morning the moon will rise with the brilliant planet Venus hidden behind it.

During June and early July, it is eclipse season once again. In the coming weeks, there will be three eclipses that take place: one of the sun and two of the moon.

If the skies are clear this evening (May 30), observers across the central and northern United States and southern Canada could get an opportunity to see Crew Dragon move across their local skies.