Joe Rao

On the evening of Oct. 9, a waning gibbous moon visits the famous Pleiades Star Cluster  — the Seven Sisters  — in the Taurus constellation.

Look up Oct. 5: the nearly Harvest Moon will guide you to Saturn, where a telescope reveals its famous rings — even if they're just a thin line for now.

The 2025 Harvest Moon won't shine in September; instead, October claims the title. Here's why it happens and when to see it.

Newly discovered comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) will soon be gracing our evening sky. Here's how to see it and what to expect.

The autumn equinox brings fall to the Northern Hemisphere today when the sun passes over our planet's equator at noon.

The moon is near new phase this week, and clearer skies and cooler overnight temperatures means that this is also an optimum week to check out the beautiful summer Milky Way.

A striking sight to the unaided eye; even more so with binoculars.

The comet will come closest to Earth on Oct. 20. There's hope that it may become bright enough to glimpse with the naked eye.

A rare August morning alignment brings Mercury, a thin crescent moon and the Beehive Cluster together in the predawn sky. Here's how you can see it for yourself.

Spot Saturn near the moon on Aug. 11! See them with the naked eye and learn what to expect through a telescope.

While moonlight might steal the spotlight, it won't steal the Perseids' show.

Venus and Jupiter meet in the morning sky on Aug. 12. Catch their dazzling conjunction just before sunrise with the crescent moon joining later!

What could we choose as the seven most remarkable celestial objects visible either with our eyes or with a small telescope?

The moon's crescent limb will cloak and uncover stars from the iconic cluster before sunrise.

Rise and shine! Venus, Aldebaran and the moon team up for a dazzling dawn display.

Each summer, skywatchers around the world look forward to the famous Perseid meteor shower, but often overlook four lesser showers that peak between July 29 and Aug. 16.

The International Space Station and China's Tiangong Space Station will be visible for early risers. Here's how to make a dual sighting.

Earth is at its farthest point from the sun on July 3. So why are temperatures so high across the U.S.?

Most people have never seen the Little Dipper, because most of its stars are too dim to be seen through light-polluted skies.

On June 26, you'll have an opportunity to behold the sight of a slender waxing crescent moon positioned just to the right of Mercury.

The sun will reach its most northern point on June 20, marking the start of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere.

During the latter part of June, Mars will put on a couple of eye-catching shows, teaming up first with a bright star and then, late this month, with the moon.

Mizar, a star in the Big Dipper's handle, has a tiny companion. This star, Alcor, was known to the ancients. The pair was popularly known as the "Horse and Rider."

Astronomy has lost one of its most assiduous calculators of eclipses with the passing of astronomer Fred Espenak, known widely as "Mr. Eclipse."

Jupiter teams up with an exceedingly narrow crescent moon for the last time this year in the evening sky on May 27.