The June full moon occurs at 7:57 p.m. EDT (2357 GMT) on June 29. That's when the lunar disk will pass opposite the sun in Earth's sky, appearing fully lit by the sun's rays.

This month's full moon is also known as the "Strawberry Moon," reflecting the time of year when Native American tribes harvest the ripened fruit. It is also the first full moon of summer, following soon after the June 21 summer solstice, which marks the astronomical start of the season and the longest day of the year.

June's full moon tracks the lowest path of any full moon throughout the year, and that's thanks to its proximity to the summer solstice — when the sun is at its highest in the daytime sky.

When to see the June full moon

Look to the southeastern horizon at sunset on June 29 to see the Strawberry Moon climb into the early summer sky, embedded among the stars of the constellation Sagittarius. Seeing those stars may prove a challenge, in fact, due to the deluge of moonlight pouring from the lunar disk.

Beyond brightness, Earth's natural satellite will also appear particularly large to the unaided eye as it rests close to the horizon because of a phenomenon known as the moon illusion. You may also see the lunar disk adopt a yellow-orange glow in the period directly following moonrise, when its light will be scattered and filtered by the atmosphere.

Full moon timings for when the moon is 100% illuminated (note local moonrise and moonset times will vary depending on your location):

Why it's called the Strawberry Moon

The most famous name for the June full moon is probably the "Strawberry Moon" in reference to the wild fruit that ripen and are harvested by Native American Algonquian tribes around the time it rises, per the Old Farmer's Almanac. However, it does have other titles.

It is, for instance, also known as the "Berries Ripen Moon" by the indigenous Haida people, the "Green Corn Moon" by the Cherokee and the "Birth Moon" by the Tlingit. The latter reflects the period when certain animals are born in the Pacific Northwest.

Europeans, meanwhile, traditionally call it the "Horse Moon," "Hot Moon" and the "Mead Moon," the final one owes itself to the Anglo-Saxons because its appearance in the sky coincides with the time that meadows are mown, according to Time and Date.

Cultural traditions and festivals

The June 29 full moon coincides with the Buddhist festival of Poson Poya, which celebrates the introduction of the religion to Sri Lanka over 2,000 years ago. Worshipers mark the day by visiting holy sites and temples, the giving of alms and practicing mindfulness and spiritual purity, as noted by the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

What else to see in the sky around the full moon

Look 10 degrees to the upper right of the Strawberry Moon at sunset on June 29 to find the red light of Antares — derived from Greek for "rival of Ares" — glowing at the heart of the constellation Scorpius. To its upper left will shine Altair — a bright star that lives about 16.8 light-years from Earth — marking the tail of the great eagle represented in the constellation Aquila.

Next, look to the upper right of Altair to find Vega — the fifth brightest star in the night sky and a once and future north star. To its lower left will be the supergiant star Deneb. These three stars form a famous asterism known as the Summer Triangle, a staple of the summer night sky.

Steal your gaze away from the moon and look to the west to find Jupiter low on the western horizon, with Venus glowing brightly to its upper left in the golden glow of the setting sun. Mercury will also be present to the lower right of Jupiter, though you'd need a perfectly clear view to the west to stand a chance of spotting it.

Early risers will have a chance to spot a different planetary grouping in the hours preceding dawn on June 30, as the lunar disk draws close to the southwestern horizon. The steady light of Saturn will shine below the Great Square of Pegasus with Mars lower still on the eastern horizon, close to the glow of the Pleiades open cluster.

Observing tips

The lunar disk is entirely bereft of shadows during the full moon phase, making this the perfect time to trace the outline of lunar maria — where lava flows filled colossal impact basins billions of years ago before hardening to form sweeping basaltic plains. This phase is also an ideal chance to spot the bright streaks of material cast out during violent impact events.

You can use a DSLR camera with a telephoto lens, or even a modern smartphone camera — particularly one with a bespoke astronomy function — to capture gorgeous images of the full moon. The following tips will help, but for best results, you should read our expert guide to imaging the moon, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography if you want to upgrade your equipment.

Top tips to photograph the moon

• Use a tripod to keep your camera as steady as possible.
• Use a remote shutter/timer to prevent camera wobble.
• A smartphone stargazing app can help you find the exact point of moonrise on your local horizon.
• A lens with a focal length of 12-50 mm is useful for landscape photography, while a focal length of at least 400 mm is advised for capturing more detailed views of the lunar surface.
• The moon can be made to appear particularly large while close to the horizon next to foreground objects, where it may take on an orange-yellow appearance thanks to Rayleigh scattering. A cleaner, more "classic" view can be captured as it soars high overhead.

Why not try and capture an image of the moon during each major phase (excluding the new moon) as the line separating night from day sweeps across the lunar surface throwing ancient craters, ravines and mountain ranges into relief. You can also find your way to the lunar south pole using our handy crater-hopping guide, which could well serve as the location of humanity's next landing site on the moon's surface.

These times mark the exact instant of full illumination. Your specific moonrise or moonset may be hours earlier or later, depending on your location. For the best viewing plan, use an app such as Stellarium or SkySafari 7 Pro to find your local moonrise time.

Editor's Note: Did you capture a beautiful picture of the moon and want to share it with Space.com's readers? Then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The May full moon phase will occur at 1:23 p.m. EDT (1723 GMT) on May 1, when the lunar disk will appear opposite the sun in the sky, with its familiar Earth-facing side fully lit. The May full moon is known as the "Flower Moon", in reference to the plentiful blooms that burst to life as the warm spring weather takes hold.

May will feature not one, but two full moons, with the second peaking at 4:45 a.m. EDT on May 31 (0845 GMT) on May 31. The second full moon in any given month is known as a Blue Moon. A monthly Blue Moon occurs roughly once every 2.5-3 years, so we won't see another month with two full moons until December 2028, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich.

When to see the May full moon

May's moon reaches its full moon phase while below the horizon for viewers in the U.S., who will get their chance to see the Flower Moon rise at sunset on May 1, as the lunar disk climbs over the southeastern horizon.

The moon may appear particularly impressive during moonrise thanks to a phenomenon known as the Moon Illusion, wherein our brains trick us into thinking that the lunar disk is larger than it actually is as it glows close to the horizon, with foreground objects like buildings nearby.

You may also see the moon take on a vivid yellow-orange hue as it sits close to the horizon. This happens because its light passes through more of Earth's atmosphere, which scatters away the shorter blue wavelengths and lets the longer red tones pass through, an effect known as Rayleigh scattering.

The table below notes local full moon timings for when the moon is 100% illuminated in a selection of cities around the world (moonset and moonrise times will vary by location). For precise timings where you are, check out Time and Date's moonrise tracker.

Why it's called the Flower Moon

The May full moon is called the Flower Moon, reflecting the abundance of colorful blooms that appear across the northern hemisphere at this time of year. It is also known as the Leafing Moon and the Budding Moon by the Native American Cree people, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, while the European Anglo-Saxons called it the Milking Moon, in reference to the ample milk produced by cows in May, per Time and Date.

It is also known as the Egg-Laying Moon and the Moon of the Shedding Ponies and as the Planting Moon by the Dakota and Lakota people of North America.

Cultural traditions and festivals

The May 1 full moon coincides with the festival of May Day in Europe, when revellers gather to celebrate the beginning of summer — a celebration that is often accompanied by traditionally dressed performers who dance around a wooden pole decorated with ribbons or greenery known as a Maypole. The festival's origins stretch back to the Roman festival of Floralia, which was held to celebrate the goddess of spring and fertility and has been reinvented numerous times in the centuries that followed, according to the National Trust.

The May 1 full moon will also rise on Labour Day, or International Workers Day, which celebrates the struggle for fair rights and conditions in the workplace. Over 160 countries observe Labour Day on May 1, the anniversary of the Haymarket Riot, when several protesters and policemen were killed during a demonstration to reduce working hours, according to Time and Date. Other countries, including the U.S. and Canada, choose to celebrate the day on Sept. 7.

For Buddhists, this May 1 will also mark Vesak Day — one of the most sacred days in the spiritual calendar, which celebrates the birth of Gautama Buddha in the year 623 B.C., along with the day he achieved enlightenment and the day that he passed, at eighty years of age, per the United Nations. Buddhists often celebrate Vesak with processions, by visiting temples, meditating and through acts of fasting, while adherents in India may immerse themselves in the river Ganga to wash away their sins.

What else to see in the sky around the full moon

The moon will rise above the southeastern horizon at sunset on May 1, flooding the spring sky with reflected sunlight and making it challenging to spot all but the brightest nearby stars.

The blue-white light of the star Spica will be visible twinkling to the upper right of the lunar disk in the constellation Virgo, while the red supergiant Arcturus glows to its upper left in Bootes.

Venus will be visible as a bright point of light shining above the western sky at moonrise, roughly 20 degrees — or the width of two clenched fists held at arm's length — above the horizon. Be sure to catch it before it sets, just a little over two hours after the sun!

Look to the upper left of Venus to find Jupiter, the second brightest object in the night sky, glowing in the constellation Gemini, with Sirius — the brightest star in the night sky — shining off to the left, close to the southwestern horizon. Together, the three bodies form a kind of cosmic triangle, with the baleful light of the red giant star Betelgeuse at its heart.

Saturn, meanwhile, will appear as a steady star-like object shining low on the eastern horizon in the hour preceding dawn on May 2, with the red light of Mars glowing to its lower left, almost lost in the glow of the rising sun.

Observing tips

May's full moon is a great time to explore the lesser-known lunar seas such as Sinus Medii and Mare Frigoris, as the entirety of Earth's natural satellite bathes in the light of the sun.

Why not try to immortalize your view of the Flower Moon by capturing it using a DSLR camera and a telephoto lens? You could also take images throughout the month to track how the shifting shadows alter the moon's appearance as it circles our planet. Be sure to make use of our expert guide to photographing the moon, along with our picks of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, if you want to upgrade your equipment.

• Use a tripod to keep your camera as steady as possible.
• Use a remote shutter/timer to prevent camera wobble.
• A smartphone stargazing app can help you find the exact point of moonrise on your local horizon.
• A lens with a focal length of 12-50 mm is useful for landscape photography, while a focal length of at least 400 mm is advised for capturing more detailed views of the lunar surface.
• The moon can be made to appear particularly large while close to the horizon next to foreground objects, where it may take on an orange-yellow appearance thanks to Rayleigh scattering. A cleaner, more "classic" view can be captured as it soars high overhead.

Upcoming full moons

These times mark the exact instant of full illumination. Your own moonrise or moonset may be hours earlier or later, depending on your location. For the best viewing plan, use an app such as Stellarium or SkySafari 7 Pro to find your local moonrise time and be sure to read our full moon calendar for comprehensive timings for each full moon in 2026.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your full moon photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s) along with your name, the location and any comments on what it was like to capture the picture to spacephotos@space.com.

The moon has captivated human imagination for millennia. As Earth's only natural satellite, it has inspired myths, guided calendars, and lit up countless night skies. But beyond its poetic allure lies a world of fascinating science—from its formation and orbit to the way it influences tides and eclipses.

This quiz invites you to dive deeper into the moon's mysteries and discover how much you really know about our luminous neighbor.

Each phase of the moon tells a story. Whether it's the slender crescent rising at dusk or the brilliant full moon dominating the sky, these changing shapes are more than just beautiful—they're the result of precise cosmic choreography. Understanding the lunar cycle not only enhances your skywatching experience but also connects you to the rhythms of nature that have guided humanity for centuries.

So whether you're gazing up from your backyard or planning your next lunar eclipse viewing party, this quiz is your launchpad to lunar literacy.

Try it out below and see how well you score!

The ever-shifting phases of Earth's moon present a wealth of targets for amateur astronomers to explore, ranging from magnificent craters and lunar seas to strange visual phenomena created as sunlight plays across the ancient surface, forming familiar shapes where none should be.

So, grab your telescope and join us on a short, guided "road trip" of August's moon, in which we'll highlight a series of stunning targets to explore during each moon phase.

Any backyard telescope will allow you to pick out the targets on our list, though a scope with an aperture of 6 inches or more will help reveal more detail across ancient lunar landscapes. Be sure to check out our roundups of the best telescopes and binoculars for exploring the solar system if you find yourself wanting a closer look at Earth's natural satellite.

The first quarter moon (Aug. 1)

The nights following each new moon phase will see the line separating night from day on the lunar surface creep inexorably westward. By Aug. 1, this line of demarcation — known as the terminator — will divide the lunar surface in two, heralding the onset of the moon's "first quarter phase." During this phase, the moon will already be high in the sky at sunset, with its right side fully lit and its left hidden under a veil of shadow.

The nights leading up to Aug. 1 present a perfect opportunity to search for the historic Apollo 11 landing site on the southwestern shore of Mare Tranquilitatis (Latin for the Sea of Tranquility), from where Neil Armstrong announced "the Eagle has landed" on July 20, 1969. Mare Tranquilitatis is easily visible to the naked eye as a dark basaltic plain close to the equator to the right of the terminator, as indicated on the graphic below.

A 6-inch telescope will help you zero in on the landing zone — known as Tranquility Base — by looking to the lower right of the prominent Ritter and Sabine craters, which can be found on the western edge of the lunar mare.

Two nights later, on Aug. 4, the moon's terminator will fall slightly to the west of the Sinus Iridum impact basin, causing a brilliant "Golden Handle' to appear in the northwest region of the lunar surface. This striking effect occurs when the sun's rays pick out the peaks of the Montes Jura mountain range on the northern edge of Mare Imbrium.

The full "Sturgeon Moon" (Aug. 9)

By Aug. 9, the relentless westward march of the terminator will have swept across the entirety of the lunar surface, setting the stage for the full "Sturgeon Moon" to slip above the horizon at sunset, local time. The Sturgeon Moon is named for the time of year when the titular fish are most readily caught; it presents a good opportunity to observe the mighty form of Tycho crater extending its influence over the lunar disk.

Tycho is easily visible to the naked eye, thanks in part to the vast streaks (or rays) of reflective material cast outward across the lunar surface in the wake of the brutal asteroid impact that created the 53-mile-wide (85-kilometer) crater. Every one of the moon's larger impact sites would have once played host to a bright ray system like Tycho, though exposure to the harsh space environment has since caused many to fade. After all, Tycho formed a mere 108 million years ago, while other lunar craters have been estimated to be 3.9 billion years of age.

The August full moon also presents a great time to learn the locations of the many lunar mare (Latin for "seas") that can be spotted with the naked eye as the surface of Earth's natural satellite darkens. Each of the mare visible today were created billions of years ago, when lava flows filled the network of lunar craters carved out by powerful asteroid strikes. The lava lakes swiftly hardened to "repave" the moon, forming enormous basaltic plains that can be explored without the need for a telescope or binoculars.

Mare Crisium can be spotted as a dark oval to the northeast of the lunar surface, while Mare Tranquillitatis (the Sea of Tranquility) — which plays host to the Apollo 11 landing site — is located to its left, bordered to the north by Mare Serenitatis (the Sea of Serenity).

The equatorial region to the westward side of the lunar disk is dominated by Oceanus Procellarum (the Ocean of Storms), with Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Showers) to the north and Mare Nubium (the Sea of Clouds) to the south.

The third quarter moon (Aug. 16)

The passing of the full moon will see the terminator return to sweep over the eastern limb of the lunar surface until, finally, on Aug. 16, the third quarter moon will rise, with its right half bathed in shadow and its left illuminated by direct sunlight.

Aug. 16 is a great opportunity to observe a dramatic display of light and shadow play across the terminator and to hunt down a pair of massive craters named to honor two legendary ancient Greek philosophers, inventors and astronomers: Plato and Archimedes.

Look for the 62-mile-wide (10 km) Plato Crater just below the narrow form of Mare Frigoris soon after the moon rises around midnight on Aug. 16. Then, follow the terminator south to find the similarly sized Archimedes impact site above the pronounced sweep of the Montes Apenninus mountain range.

The following night (Aug. 17) is a wonderful time to see the Copernicus and Kepler craters brightening Oceanus Procellarum. Both impact sites are surrounded by bright ejecta rays, albeit less pronounced than those exhibited by Tycho further to the south.

The Copernicus Crater looks particularly impressive around this time, with its westward rim and central peak cast into relief by the oblique angle of the sun. Copernicus had been proposed as a candidate landing site for the Apollo 18 crewed lunar mission, though the program was cancelled long before its scheduled launch date due to budget constraints.

New moon (August 23)

During the new moon phase, the lunar disk lurks unseen in the daytime sky, leaving the night unblemished by the glare of reflected sunlight. Head away from city lights around this time to hunt the glowing band of the Milky Way's core, which can be spotted during the summer months streaming towards the eastern horizon as dusk gives way to night in dark sky locations.

The moon will appear as a slim waning or waxing crescent on a handful of nights before and after the new moon phase, during which you may see the shadow-veiled expanse of the lunar surface infused with a soft glow. This phenomenon, known as "Earthshine," or the "Da Vinci Glow," occurs when the moon is positioned roughly between our planet and the sun, at which point sunlight reflected off Earth's surface bathes the unlit lunar disk in a subtle glow.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The half-lit disk of the first quarter moon will grace the night sky on Monday (June 2), presenting a wealth of lunar features to explore before Earth's natural satellite sets below the horizon in the early morning hours.

The moon hits its first quarter phase at 11:41 p.m. EDT on June 2 (0341 GMT on June 3) for viewers in New York, who will find its semi-shadowed disk high above the southwestern horizon immediately after sunset, according to stargazing website In-the-sky.org. At this time, the moon is positioned at a 90-degree angle away from the sun in the sky, having travelled a quarter of the way around our planet since its new moon phase on May 26.

Viewing the moon through a pair of 10x50 binoculars will reveal a myriad of craters and broken terrain features peppering the line separating the dayside and night side of the lunar surface, known as the terminator. The magnifying power of a 6-inch telescope (or greater) will grant an even closer view of the moon's more prominent features, such as the Albategnius walled plain, located close to the terminator just below the lunar equator.

Countless shadowed craters line the terminator all the way down to the moon's southern pole, while the 54-mile-wide (87 km) Aristotles Crater and smaller Eudoxus Crater form a tempting target on the border of Mare Frigoris to the north.

The dark expanses of Mare Serenitatis (Latin for Sea of Serenity) and Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility) can also be seen scarring the moon's surface, easily visible to the naked eye. The 'lunar seas' formed billions of years ago when masses of molten lava flooded impact basins excavated by devastating asteroid strikes.

Mare Tranquillitatis' southern shore was the site of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, where astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin took humanity's first steps on another world as pilot Michael Collins looked on from lunar orbit in July 1969.

Mars can be found to the moon's lower right after sunset on June 2, with the bright star Regulus of the constellation Leo positioned directly between the two solar system bodies. The following week will see the waxing gibbous moon grow ever larger ahead of its full 'Strawberry Moon' phase on June 11, named for the brief U.S. strawberry-picking season with which it happens to coincide.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Full Flower Moon 2025 rises tonight!

The May full moon gets its name from the abundance of wildflowers that spring into life at this time of year, and it promises a stunning view for skywatchers around the world.

The Flower Moon will be 100% illuminated at 12:56 p.m. EDT (17:56 GMT) today (May 12), at which point Earth's closest celestial companion will be well below the horizon for skywatchers across the U.S. This sets the stage for a dramatic lunar entry when the full moon rises over the southeastern horizon around 8:30 p.m. local time. If you miss the moon tonight, don't worry; it will still appear full to the casual stargazer for another night or two.

The exact timing of the full moon will differ based on where you are in the world, so be sure to check out a stargazing app like Starry Night or a trusted astronomy website such as in-the-sky.org to find the exact timing for your locale. Also be sure to check out our guide to the best stargazing apps in 2025, which are a must have if you're planning on observing the night sky.

Tricks of the light and the mind

The moon may appear a little bigger than usual to the naked eye tonight when it's near the horizon — a trick of the mind known as the "moon illusion." In reality, the moon's size in the sky doesn't change significantly whether it's directly overhead or close to the horizon.

Despite this, our brains tell us that the moon is larger when it's close to the horizon. Leading theories suggest that the aptly named phenomenon occurs as a result of how the human brain perceives the sizes of objects at differing distances, but NASA has acknowledged that there still isn't a single scientific reason that explains why it happens.

As flowers come in a variety of colors, so too may the full moon bearing its name. More specifically, the lunar disk may be seen taking on a yellow or orange hue in the moments following moonrise.

When the moon is close to the horizon, the sunlight reflected from its surface must travel further through Earth's atmosphere to reach an observer compared to when it's overhead. This process scatters the shorter, bluer wavelengths of light, while allowing the longer, redder ones through, which can give the moon a yellow, or rusty hue.

Opportunities bloom

The full Flower Moon will present a tantalizing target for the astrophotography community, particularly during moonrise, when photographers can get creative combining their lunar subject with the landscape below. Check out our guide to lunar photography if you want to try your hand at capturing the full Flower Moon. Looking to upgrade your gear? Then be sure to read our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to ensure you're ready for whatever the night sky throws your way.

Of course, the Flower Moon won't be the only thing to see in the night sky tonight. The moon will rise with the stars of the constellation Libra on its left-hand side, while the bright stars Spica and Arcturus will glitter prominently above. Jupiter and Mars will also be visible in the western sky around moonrise, and Venus and Saturn will be seen rising in the east as the moon sets on the morning of May 13.

Editor's Note: If you capture a photo of the full Flower Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, then send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The new moon occurs April 27, and a day later Venus and Saturn will make a close approach to each other (known as a conjunction) in the predawn sky.

To make a new moon, you need to line up the sun, moon and Earth. From the earthbound observer's viewpoint, the sun and moon are at the same celestial longitude, a projection of the Earth's longitude lines on the sky. Most often the moon passes above or below the sun but at times it passes directly between the sun and Earth, creating a solar eclipse as happened during March's new moon and will happen again in September of this year.

New moon nights are good for skywatchers who want to catch fainter objects or meteors; the fact that the moon isn't out means its light won't overwhelm them; for example one can see the Milky Way from a dark sky site much more easily when the moon is below the horizon, which is the case for the entire night of the new moon.

Timing of a lunar phase depends on the position of the moon, so the hour a given phase occurs depends on one's longitude. For those in the Eastern time zone, the exact moment of the new moon phase occurs at 3:31 p.m. EDT (1931 UTC) on April 27, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.

West of the Eastern time zone the new moon occurs earlier – in Denver, for example, it is at 1:31 p.m. East of that zone it will be later; in London it is at 8:31 p.m. and in Tokyo the new moon happens on April 28 at 4:31 a.m.

Visible planets

The Venus-Saturn conjunction will be at 0223 UTC on April 29 (10:23 p.m. Eastern Time on April 28) and the planets will be less than 4 degrees apart. To see the pair at the moment of conjunction one has to be east of London and relatively close to the equator or in the Southern Hemisphere  —  but that doesn't mean the two planets are completely invisible for people in North America and Europe.

From New York (and locations at similar latitudes), Venus will be visible in the wee hours of the morning. The planet rises at 4:16 a.m. Eastern time on April 28, with Saturn following at 4:30 a.m. Venus is the more easily visible of the two as by 5:00 a.m. it is about 8 degrees above the horizon; Saturn will be at about 5 and a half degrees, to the right of Venus.

They will be challenging to spot as the sun rises in New York at 5:58 a.m.; Venus will be the last "star" to fade from view as the sky lightens, one exercise is to see how close to sunrise one can still see it. The planets' close pass to each other at 10:23 p.m. Eastern Time on April 28 (according to skywatching site In-the-sky.org) but they will both be below the horizon at that time.

On the evening of April 27 the sun sets in New York at 7:48 p.m., and civil twilight  —  the point where the sun is six degrees below the horizon  —  ends at 8:17 p.m. At that point Jupiter is just visible in the west, about 32 degrees above the horizon (this is about a third of the way up to the zenith). Jupiter sets in New York at 11:19 p.m.

Looking to the left (east) of Jupiter and higher  —  at about 63 degrees high in the southwest  —  is Mars. Mars is visibly redder than Jupiter, if fainter, but it is bright enough to be one of the objects visible sooner after sunset. Depending on the weather (for example if the sky is hazy) one might have to wait until 8:30 p.m. for the planet to really come out. Mars stays visible until 2:20 a.m. (April 28).

As one moves towards the equator Jupiter and Mars will appear higher in the sky; from Miami, for example, sunset is at 7:50 p.m. April 27, and Jupiter sets at 11:05 p.m. At the end of civil twilight at 8:14 p.m. Jupiter is 35 degrees high in the west, while Mars is a full 77 degrees high in the southwest. The Red Planet sets at 2:10 a.m. April 28.

The difference is most pronounced for Venus and Saturn. In Miami, Venus rises at 4:43 a.m. on April 28, and Saturn at 4:52 a.m. sunrise is at 6:46 a.m. By 5:45 a.m. Venus is 13 degrees high and Saturn is to the right of it at about 11 and a half degrees above the eastern horizon. By civil dawn (6:22 a.m.) Venus is high enough that it is easy to spot and Saturn should still be just visible.

While Mercury is lost in the solar glare further north, from Miami the planet is a little bit easier to see, though still a difficult target; Mercury rises at 5:37 a.m. local time and by 6:00 a.m. Mercury is 5 degrees high. If one is looking at an unobstructed and clear horizon (for example over the ocean) then Mercury is a steady light about as bright as Saturn.

From equatorial locations such as Singapore, Nairobi or Quito, Venus and Saturn will be higher in the sky at sunrise. Nairobi is far enough east that when the two planets reach conjunction they do so ahead of sunrise and be above the horizon. In Nairobi, Venus rises at 3:56 a.m. on April 29 and Saturn at 3:56 a.m., the conjunction is at 5:23 a.m. and the sun rises at 6:28 a.m. That means Venus and Saturn will be 21 degrees high in the east, with Venus to the left (north) of Saturn. While the local rising times for Venus and Saturn are similar, Quito is too far west to see the actual conjunction (it will occur before they rise) while Singapore is too far east (the conjunction happens during the day).

From nearer the equator, Mercury will be a much easier target than from anywhere in North America or Europe; on April 28 in Nairobi, Mercury rises at 4:53 a.m. it will be 16 degrees high by 6:00 a.m., one can watch the planet fade compared to Venus (which is much brighter) as the sky gets lighter.

As one gets into the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter as we head into the austral autumn and winter. In Cape Town, South Africa, sunset is at 6:08 p.m. on April 28. By about 6:45 p.m. local time Jupiter will be 18 degrees high in the northwest and one of the first few "stars" to come out. At that point Mars will be almost due north at 35 degrees high, as the evening progresses both planets will be more prominent.

In the early hours of April 29, from Cape Town, Saturn rises at 4:02 a.m. and Venus at 4:12 a.m. The two planets are in conjunction at 4:23 a.m. Saturn will be above and to the right of Venus. Mercury rises at 5:11 a.m. and by 6 a.m. the planet is 9 degrees high – one needs an unobstructed horizon to see it, but the sky will still be dark as sunrise is not until 7:20 a.m.

If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the planets in the night sky, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our guides on the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight.

Constellations

In mid-northern latitudes, the later sunsets (especially in the U.S., due to daylight savings time) mean the sky will not get completely dark until about 9 p.m. In the southwest Orion and Canis Major (the Bog Dog) are setting; the winter constellations still easily visible are Gemini and Canis Minor; one can use Mars to find Castor and Pollux, the "heads" of the Gemini twins; if one goes to the right of Mars until one encounters two bright stars near each other the first one will be Pollux, and the next one Castor. Using Mars as a waypoint, going downward one will see a bright blue-white star about a third of the way to the horizon from Mars; this is Procyon, marking the Little Dog.

Looking to the north, the Big Dipper, an asterism that makes up part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, will be almost due north, with the "bowl" facing downward and the "handle" pointing to the horizon and to the right. One can use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the Pole Star that is a hallmark of celestial navigation using the "pointers" – these will be the two stars called Dubhe and Merak that are the front (the left side as viewed in late April) of the bowl. Dubhe is the lower one, and Merak the upper one. Draw a line from those two stars downward (north) and one encounters Polaris.

The Big Dipper points to a number of spring constellations including Böotes the Herdsman, Virgo the Virgin and Leo the Lion. To find Böotes one can "arc to Arcturus" – draw a sweeping arc along the handle of the dipper until you reach a reddish-orange star. That's Arcturus, the alpha star of Böotes. Continue on the arc from Arcturus in the same direction and you encounter a bright white star; that is Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, rising in the east.

Going back to the Big Dipper, draw a line from Dubhe through Merak (away from Polaris) and one hits the middle rough trapezoid formed by the stars in Leo – at this time of year one will be tracing that line almost directly overhead. Face south (so that the Dipper is behind you). On the bottom left side of the trapezoid is Denebola, or Beta Leonis, the Lion's tail. The two stars at the top of the trapezoid are Algeiba (Gamma Leonis) on the right and Delta Leonis (called Zosma) on the left. Regulus (Alpha Leonis) is on the bottom right.

Between Regulas and Denebola is Theta Leonis, also called Al-Haratan. This fainter star makes a right triangle with Denebola and Zosma with the right angle at Al-Haratan. If one looks at the top of the trapezoid again, starting at Algeiba, there is a group of three fainter stars that makes a curved shape, called the Sickle, that is Leo's head and mane.

In the Southern Hemisphere's mid latitudes, it is fully dark by about 7:00 p.m. The Southern Cross is rising in the southeast, about halfway up the sky with the long side of the central post pointing to the right (southwards). Below the Cross one can see Centaurus, the Centaur, and in it Alpha Centauri, also called Rigil Kentaurus, the sun's nearest stellar neighbor – it's easy to find because the short crossbar of the Cross points to it. Near to Alpha Centauri – above and slightly to the left – is Hadar, the second-brightest star in Centaurus.

Looking up from the Southern Cross, and turning to the right (towards the southwest) one can see Canopus about two thirds of the way to the zenith; Canopus is one of the brightest stars in the sky and thus easily recognizable (it will be the brightest object in the region). Canopus, shows Carina, the Keel, one of the three constellations that made up the legendary Argo, the ship Jason sailed.

Turning further west one will see Canis Major and Sirius, which in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere skies is high; about 60 degrees above the horizon. Look towards the horizon from there and one can see an "upside down" Orion.

This new moon of March 2025 will create a partial solar eclipse visible in the northeastern part of North America, much of Europe and Russia; one will even be able to see the moon cover a sliver of the sun as far south as Morocco.

A new moon happens when the sun, moon and Earth are lined up. From the earthbound observer's point of view, the sun and the moon share the same celestial longitude, a projection of the Earth's longitude lines on the sky. Usually, the moon passes above or below the sun, but this time it will be in front of the sun, obscuring part of the disk and creating a partial solar eclipse. You can watch the solar eclipse live here on Space.com and keep up with the latest partial solar eclipse news and events with our solar eclipse live blog.

The exact moment of the new moon, when Earth, the sun and the moon are perfectly aligned, occurs on March 29, at 5:58 a.m. EDT (1058 UTC), in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Unlike a total solar eclipse, part of the sun is still visible during a partial solar eclipse, so there is no darkening of the sky or visible solar corona. Even so, if one takes proper precautions one can see a "crescent" sun as the moon moves in front of it. How much gets covered depends on one's location.

The eclipse starts at 0850 UTC, when the moon touches the western edge of the sun; and ends at 1243 UTC. Both of these times are for the extreme edges of eclipse's visibility; the actual starting and end times will vary.

Remember, NEVER look at the sun without proper eye protection and never use regular sunglasses to observe the sun. It is never safe to look directly at the sun's rays, even if the sun is partly obscured, because they contain harmful ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) rays that can damage your eye's retina and even cause blindness. The only safe way to look directly at the sun is through specifically designed solar filters, using solar eclipse glasses for direct viewing and solar filters for telescopes and binoculars.

The maximum eclipse, where the moon covers some 90 percent or more of the sun, occurs in northeastern Canada in an area of Quebec and Nunavut. For example, in the town of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, the eclipse starts before sunrise, at 5:57 a.m. local time. Sunrise is at 6:02 a.m., and the maximum eclipse is at 6:51 a.m., when about 90% of the sun's disk will be blocked out by the moon. If one observes the sun through protective glasses one will see a thin crescent; with the naked eye the sun is still too bright to look at if the sky is clear. At maximum the sun will be a bit under five degrees high in the east. The eclipse ends in Iqaluit at 7:47 a.m.

A bit less remote is Québec city, where the moon will cover about 72 percent of the sun's disk. Here too, the eclipse itself begins before sunrise, which is at 6:29 a.m. local time. Maximum eclipse is at 6:32 a.m., and the eclipse ends at 7:14 a.m.

In Montreal, the eclipse starts at 5:29 a.m. local time, and sunrise is at 6:39 a.m. a.m. Maximum eclipse, with about half of the sun's diameter covered, is at 6:42 a.m. The eclipse ends at 7:13 a.m.

In locations where the moon is moving in front of the sun near sunrise (or sunset), observers can see the "solar horns" or "devil's horns" – a crescent shaped sun near the horizon. This can be especially apparent if clouds or haze are dimming the sun enough to reduce the glare.

In the United States, Boston will see 40 percent of the sun covered, with the sun rising at 6:31 a.m. local time; maximum eclipse is at 6:38 a.m. and the eclipse ends at 7:07 a.m. New York City observers will see the moon obscure 22 percent of the sun's disk by 6:46 a.m., just two minutes after sunrise at 6:44 a.m., the eclipse ends at 7:04 a.m.

European observers will be able to catch the start of the eclipse as the sun will already be above the horizon. In Reykjavik, the moon touches the sun at 10:05 a.m., and covers 68 percent of it at 11:05 a.m. with the eclipse ending at 12:07 p.m. local time. In London the eclipse starts at 10:07 a.m. local time, reaches maximum (with 30 percent of the sun's disk obscured) at 11:03 a.m. and ends at 12:00 p.m.

Visible Planets

Even if one can't catch the solar eclipse, the night of the new moon offers planets visible in the evening from mid-northern latitudes. On March 29 sunset is at 7:18 p.m. EDT in New York City, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. By about 8 p.m. the sky gets dark enough that the first stars and planets come out, and one can see Jupiter in the west-southwest, about 52 degrees above the horizon. Mars will be in the south, about 73 degrees high. Jupiter sets at 12:49 a.m. March 30, and Mars at 3:43 a.m.

Venus will rise ahead of the sun; the planet is just emerging into the predawn sky. From New York it will be very difficult to see as the planet rises at 5:45 a.m. Eastern on March 29 and the sun follows at 6:44 a.m.; Venus will only be 10 degrees high at sunrise on March 29.

Saturn and Mercury will be lost in the solar glare; both planets will become more visible in the predawn sky in the coming weeks and months.

Closer to the equator, sunsets are actually earlier, because the day lengths are closer to 12 hours and equatorial countries don't use daylight savings. In Quito, Ecuador, sunset is at 6:21 p.m. on March 29. By 7 p.m. local time, the sky is getting dark and Jupiter is about 49 degrees high in the northwestern sky, while Mars is at 65 degrees above the northern horizon. Jupiter sets at 10:44 p.m., and Mars at 1:22 a.m. March 30.

As one gets into the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, Jupiter and Mars are lower than they are in similar northern latitudes. In Buenos Aires, sunset on March 29 is at 6:50 p.m. local time, and by 7:30 p.m. local time Jupiter is 25 degrees above the northwestern horizon and Mars is 30 degrees high, almost due north. Jupiter sets at 10:23 p.m., Mars at 1:00 a.m. on March 30.

The "upside down" nature of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere means it is just possible for an observer to catch Saturn as sunrises are later (7:03 a.m. March 29) as the Southern Hemisphere winter months are approaching. Saturn rises at 5:57 a.m. in Buenos Aires, and civil twilight (when the sun is between 6 degrees below the horizon) starts at 6:38 a.m. At that point Saturn will be 8 degrees high in the east; with a flat, unobscured horizon and a clear sky it is just possible to see the ringed planet.

Constellations

In mid-northern latitudes, the later sunsets (especially in the U.S., due to daylight savings time) the sky will get completely dark by about 8:30 p.m. In the southwest Orion is moving towards the horizon; by midnight he will have mostly set, but one can still spot the three distinctive stars of Orion's Belt, with Betelgeuse above and to the left of them and Rigel below and to the right. To the left of Orion one can spot Sirius, the brightest star in Earth's night sky and the alpha star of Canis Major, the Big Dog. Looking directly upwards from Sirius, a bit more than halfway up the sky, one sees Procyon, the bright star of Canis Minor, the Little Dog.

Looking to the north, the Big Dipper, an asterism that makes up part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, will be high in the northeast, with the "bowl" facing north (to the left), and downward, and the "handle" pointing to the horizon and to the right. One can use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the Pole Star that is a hallmark of celestial navigation using the "pointers" – these will be the two highest altitude stars, called Dubhe and Merak, with Dubhe on the left. Draw a line from those two stars to the left (north) and one encounters Polaris.

Less well-known is that the Big Dipper points to Leo the Lion, which is fully above the horizon in the east. Draw a line from Dubhe through Merak and one hits the middle rough trapezoid formed by the stars in Leo. The two stars at the top of the trapezoid are Algeiba (Gamma Leonis) and Regulus (Alpha Leonis) with Regulus being the brighter of the two. Towards the horizon are Delta Leonis (called Zosma) on the left and Theta Leonis (called Al-Haratan) on the right.

Below those two stars, and more directly below Al Haratan, is Denebola, or Beta Leonis, which marks the Lion's tail. If one looks at the top of the trapezoid again, starting at Algeiba, there is a group of three fainter stars that makes a curved shape, called the Sickle, and that is Leo's head and mane.

As the night progresses observers the rest of the springtime stars make their appearance; by 11 p.m. Virgo is fully above the horizon and one can find her using the Big Dipper, which by this time is above Polaris at the 12 o'clock position. Using the handle one can "arc to Arcturus" by drawing a sweeping arc to Arcturus, an orange-yellow star in Boötes, the Herdsman, and then keep going to reach Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

In the Southern Hemisphere's mid latitudes, it is fully dark by about 8:00 p.m. The Southern Cross is rising in the southeast; to the right of it – southwards – one can see Centaurus, the Centaur, and in it Alpha Centauri, also called Rigil Kentaurus, the sun's nearest stellar neighbor – it's easy to find because the short crossbar of the Cross points right to it. Near to Alpha Centauri  — below and to the right  —  is Hadar, the second-brightest star in Centaurus.

Looking up from the Southern Cross, about two thirds of the way to the zenith, is Canopus, a bright white star that shows Carina, the Keel, one of the three constellations that made up the legendary Argo, the ship Jason sailed.

In the southwest, about the same distance to the right of due south as the Southern Cross is to the left, and only a little higher, is Achernar, the end of Eridanus, the River. The River's stars are not particularly bright, but one can follow the winding trail to a point right near Rigel, the foot of Orion, who is in the northwestern sky.

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of the partial solar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The new moon of January will be at 7:36 a.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 29, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and two days later a young moon will pass near Saturn and near Venus as they cluster together in the evening sky.

A new moon is when the sun and moon share the same celestial longitude, a position also called conjunction. At new phase, you can't see the moon from Earth because the illuminated side is facing away from us, and on top of that new moons rise and set with the sun; even if one could light up the side of the moon facing Earth it would be lost in the solar glare. The only way to see the new moon is when it passes in front of the sun, causing a solar eclipse; the next isn't due until March 29.

On the day of the new moon, Jan. 29, Venus is still a bright evening star, and when the moon is not out it is the first celestial object one can see with the naked eye; it is a distinct, bright star even relatively close to sunset. By 6 p.m. in New York City the sky is dark enough to see Venus in the west and Saturn just below it; the latter is at an altitude of about 22 degrees; Venus is about 9 degrees higher. Saturn sets at 8:13 p.m. on Jan. 29 in New York; Venus follows at 9:13 p.m. Eastern Time.

Visible Planets

On Feb. 1, three days after the new moon, observers in the eastern half of Asia will see the moon occult Saturn, though it will occur in the daytime; while observing it is possible one must exercise extreme caution as the thin crescent moon will be rather close to the sun in the sky. (Some observers will be able to see the moon occult Saturn in the evening or even at night; but this is only if you are in the very far north of Alaska or Siberia).

For observers in the Americas, Africa and Europe, the moment of conjunction won't be visible, as by the time it happens the moon will have set, but if one looks to the southwest in the evening on Jan. 31 one will see the young moon – a thin crescent still – will be just visible above the southwestern horizon, below and to the right of Saturn. From New York City, for example, the sun sets at 5:12 p.m. and by the end of civil twilight at 5:41 p.m., the moon sets at 7:54 p.m. and Saturn at 8:06 p.m.; the actual conjunction is at 11:52 p.m. Eastern. However one will see the moon, Saturn and Venus in a rough line; making them an easy trio to spot.

Australians (and others in the Southern Hemisphere) will see the three-day-old moon near Saturn as well, but at the moment of closest approach the planet will appear to be above the moon – in Melbourne, Australia the close pass will be at 3:01 p.m. local time. By dusk (sunset is at 8:33 p.m. on Feb. 1) Saturn will be to the left of, and in mid-southern latitudes, almost level with the moon at dusk. Moonset in Melbourne is at 10:13 p.m. local time; Saturn also sets at 10:13 p.m. by 9 p.m. Saturn, the moon, and Venus will form a rough horizontal line in the west running from south to north about 13 degrees above the western horizon.

To see the moon occult Saturn one must be in Asia; for example in Hanoi the conjunction is at 9:43 a.m., when Saturn disappears behind the moon. Saturn won't be easily visible without a telescope and if using one care must be taken – daytime observations of any objects near the sun can be dangerous; accidentally pointing any optical aids at the sun while looking through them can result in permanent blindness. (It's often a good idea to first look through the eyepiece of a telescope using a phone or other device, for example, to make sure it is aligned with the moon correctly). The planet reappears at 10:27 a.m.

As one moves north and east the conjunction gets later in the day; from Seoul, South Korea, the moon passes in front of Saturn from 11:39 a.m. to 2:23 p.m. local time; the occultation happens an hour later (local time) in Vladivistok, and an hour later in Sapporo, Japan. However, the only places where the occultation will be visible after dark are in the far north of Siberia and the Arctic Ocean. One such location is the remote city of Anadyr, Russia, where sunset is at 3:52 p.m. local time. The occultation starts at 4:56 p.m. and ends at 5:13 p.m. local time.

Turning eastward, Mars rises in New York at 3:10 p.m. on Jan. 29; by 6 p.m. it is about 29 degrees above the horizon and just to the right of Pollux, one of the bright stars in Gemini, the Twins. Mars is recognizable because it will look distinctly red-ornage compared to Pollux, which is more yellow-white. The planet is visible most of the night; it doesn't set until 6:32 a.m. on Feb. 1.

Jupiter is high in the southeast from mid-northern latitudes; on Jan. 29 it rises in New York at 12:35 p.m. Eastern and transits at 7:57 p.m. By 6 p.m. it is already a good 58 degrees high; nearly two thirds of the way to the zenith. In the constellation Taurus, the Bull, Jupiter is just above Taurus' brightest star, Aldebaran. One can tell the two apart because of Aldebaran's more orange hue.

For Southern Hemisphere observers, where the Sun sets much later, the sky doesn't get fully dark until about 9:30 p.m. By 9 p.m. on Jan. 30 in Melbourne, Australia, Saturn is just becoming visible above the western horizon, about 14 degrees high; the planet sets at 10:21 p.m. local time. Venus is to the right (northward) and sets at 10:26 p.m.

As in the Northern Hemisphere Mars is in the east, though lower in the sky; in Melbourne the Red Planet is only 11 degrees high at 9 p.m. (Mars rises in Melbourne at 7:40 p.m. on Jan. 30). Mars sets the next morning at 4:47 p.m. Rather than being above Pollux in the sky, it will seem to be closer to the horizon as the sky is "upside down" in the Southern Hemisphere.

Jupiter, meanwhile, is almost due north by 9 p.m.; the planet transits at 9:20 p.m. and in Melbourne is about 31 degrees high, and sets Jan. 31 at 2:11 a.m. AEDT. As with Mars, with the sky "reversed" Jupiter will appear below Aldebaran rather than above it.

Stars and Constellations

Winter constellations are in full swing for Northern Hemisphere observers at the end of January. On the night of the new moon in mid-northern latitudes the sun has set by 6 p.m. At that point the brightest stars are already above the horizon; Sirius, the brightest of them, rises at 5:01 p.m. in New York City (and similar local times in Chicago, Denver, or Sacramento). A fun observation exercise is to see how soon after it rises one can spot it; in New York it is only 9 degrees high by 6 p.m. and the sky is just starting to get truly dark as the last light of evening fades. Sirius is bright enough that it is quickly recognizable, as it is a bright blue-white.

By 7 p.m. the entirety of Sirius' parent constellation, Canis Major, the Big Dog, is above the horizon. Looking upwards from Sirius one will see the three stars of Orion's Belt. They are named (from left to right) Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Below the Belt and to the right is Rigel, also a white (or for some people, blue-white) star, marking Orion's left foot. Above the Belt and to the left is Orion's right shoulder, the bright and ruddy Betelgeuse. If one looks to the left (northward) of Sirius, towards the East, one can see a whitish star, Procyon, the brightest star in Canis Minor, the Little Dog.

Above Procyon and to the left of Orion one can see Gemini, the Twins, and the two stars Castor and Pollux. Castor is the uppermost of the two stars, as the Twins are on their "side" just after they get above the horizon. North and west of the Twins is Auriga, the Charioteer. Auriga contains the bright star Capella, which from the latitude of New York City and above never sets – it is one of the circumpolar stars. At 7 p.m. on Jan. 29 it will be about 72 degrees above the Eastern horizon.

Near Capella are four other stars that with it form a pentagonal shape; the "bottom" star nearest Orion is Elnath, which was once "shared" by Taurus, but now is designated as Beta Tauri, the upper "horn" of the Bull. To the south and west of Elnath (towards the right from the point of view of an observer) is Aldebaran.

By 9 p.m. The Big Dipper is almost vertical and in the northeast; the "bowl" faces west (left). One can use it to find Polaris, the Pole Star, by using the two stars that are the front of the bowl (the top of the asterism at this time of night). The stars are called Dubhe and Merak, the former is the one to the left. Drawing a line between them to the left takes one to Polaris. But Polaris isn't the only star the Dipper can point to. If one draws a line to the right, connecting the stars at the back of the bowl (these will be the two lower in the sky) one reaches Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion, which at 9 p.m. will be almost due east and about 27 degrees high (this will vary depending on one's exact latitude but it will be similar in any mid-Northern latitude city).

For Southern Hemisphere observers, January is when Puppis, Carina and Vela, the three constellations that make up the ship (connected to the Argo, the famous ship of Jason and the Argonauts) are prominent. As it is the austral summer the sun doesn't set until after 8 p.m.; for the sky to get fully dark one must wait until about 9:30 p.m. At that point in the northeastern sky one would see an "upside down" Orion, with the Belt stars above Betelgeuse, which from places such as Melbourne, Australia is below them and to the right. Rigel, meanwhile, is upwards and to the left, and this time when one follows the River from Cursa, one goes up a full 62 degrees to a point just west of north to Achernar.

Sirius is above and to the right of Betelgeuse, and one can draw a line between them southwards (this will be to the right) and above that line is the bright Canopus, the brightest star in Carina, the Ship's Keel, about 52 degrees high and due east. Carina is one of three constellations that make up the legendary Argo, the ship Theseus the hero of Greek legend sailed. Between Canopus and Sirius is a group of seven fainter stars that forms a long shape something like a foot and an ankle; that's Puppis, the Poop Deck. Look just below that towards the horizon and one can see a ring-shaped group of eight stars that is Vela, the Sail.

Turning a bit further south – it will be to the right and further towards the horizon – one can see Crux, the Southern Cross, just between 12 and 17 degrees high in the south-southeast. From the latitude of Melbourne Crux is circumpolar – it never sets. Crux is one of the smallest of the 88 constellations in the sky; at that hour in January the top of the cross is pointed towards the horizon. If one turns nearly due south one will see Rigil Kentaurus, otherwise known as Alpha Centauri. The Centaur is mostly below the horizon, but by midnight the constellation has almost completely risen.

Monoculars are basically a half pair of binoculars and can be a super compact way for you to enjoy stargazing wherever your travels take you. Because of their small size, monoculars are highly portable, meaning that you don’t have to worry about lagging a heavy telescope to a dark sky site to enjoy some skywatching.

Monoculars use a lens and prism system to magnify an image for the user. They are great for beginner stargazers due to their simple operation: Point your monocular at your subject, and look through it. Operating monoculars with higher magnification requires a tripod to keep the view from wobbling, but they enable deep-sky viewing. Depending on what you need a monocular for, there are a range of different monoculars to choose from. They boast a whole range of benefits including night vision, high color fidelity, and rugged durability. Whichever monocular you are using, this guide will help you track down stars in the night sky.

Technique

How to focus on stars with a monocular

Ideally, pick a monocular with a minimum objective lens diameter of 50mm. This will allow enough light to reach the eyepiece.

If the device is digital, adjust the shutter speed and exposure length to settings that allow enough light to hit the sensor. Remember that the longer the shutter stays open, the more you need to stabilize the monocular to avoid blurring the image.

Consider using two hands to steady the monocular or use surrounding objects like fences or walls to lean against while composing your image.

Orientation

If your vantage point is in the mid to high-latitude northern hemisphere, which includes the UK and America, then the best find is the Plough (or the Big Dipper in the USA). This group of seven stars never goes below the horizon and is fairly bright, perfect for stargazing on a clear night at any time of year. To locate the Plough, you just need to know where north is from where you are looking. Using a compass is ideal; most smartphones now include a basic compass.

The Plough doesn't rise and set like the sun and moon; it is always there 365 days of the year, which makes it one of the best patterns to learn. You can use the Big Dipper to find Polaris (the North Star). Once you do this, you will have completed your first star hop.

The southern hemisphere has a whole host of bright stars visible with a monocular. These seasonal upside-down constellations include the Milky Way, where Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in the nighttime sky.

As you move into finding more dark sky objects with a monocular, the size of the magnification and objective lens diameter will increase. This, in turn, creates stability issues as bigger magnification amplifies wobble. Using a tripod can help to stabilize things but does introduce other problems. Bending down to view the night sky through a tripod-mounted monocular isn't ideal and can cause neck pain. This is because of the angle desired to observe the night sky. It is a trade-off for stabile-focused images with a tripod or more comfort and flexibility while holding the monocular.

How to find the best location to use your monocular for stargazing

The best areas for stargazing are those with low levels of light pollution. If it's not possible to travel to a location, then you can still find out what your location is like for this particular problem using the Bortle scale. This nine-level numeric scale measures the night sky's brightness in a particular location. One is the darkest skies with zero to no light pollution, compared to nine — very high levels of light pollution.

Many of the best stargazing apps use this scale, enabling you to work out what number your area has. This can help you work out what stars you should be able to see from any given place.

Remember a few simple things when looking for a good spot for stargazing. These include areas of open space with clear views of the horizon.

What season are you in? This affects what you can see relative to your location. The Milky Way is best in the spring if you are in the northern hemisphere, and the northern lights are best in the winter. Weather conditions play a large part in stargazing. Cloudy nights make it difficult to see stars.

Find out how much light pollution there is in your area by using one of the many online websites with light pollution maps. There are many great locations for astrophotography and skywatching wherever you are on the planet!

Are night vision monoculars worth it?

Night vision monoculars have seen vast technological improvement over the last few years, but are they worth it for stargazing? Generation three night vision monoculars can be used for stargazing. These devices can see a far greater spectrum of light than the human eye and are particularly useful in areas of high light pollution. You can now record and store on memory cards with digital night vision monoculars, further enhancing their nighttime ability.

What else do I need to know?

If you use spectacles, adjust the eye relief on the monocular so that you have as big a field of view as possible while maintaining comfort. Ideally, the eyecups should have rubber surrounds rather than the plastic ones included on cheaper models. Make sure your tripod has rubber feet to increase stability. It's also a good idea to have a headlamp so that you can safely set up your equipment in the dark.

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With light pollution a major problem for stargazing in city and suburban areas, it can be hard to see stars without the right equipment to counteract it. Are night vision monoculars good for skywatching when compared to the best monoculars on the market? Night vision monoculars may be the perfect bit of kit to see through the haze of light pollution.

Night vision technology is categorized into different 'generations' to distinguish between the level and power of certain devices. The component within night vision technology that is mainly responsible for the grade of the device is called an image intensifier tube (IIT). The generations of night vision technology refer to how advanced this component is. Generation one is the cheapest and oldest grouping of devices that use an infrared (IR) illuminator in combination with the IIT to provide night vision. Images produced with generation one devices are generally of lower quality than those produced with generation two and three devices. Generation two models have a longer battery life, higher resolution image and can produce night vision independently of an IR illuminator. Generation three night vision models are mainly used by the military and produce exceptionally clear images, have even higher battery life and have a more advanced ability to produce night vision independently of IR illumination.

Having been through rounds of technological improvement over the past few years, there are now generation three night vision monoculars, which can be used for stargazing. These military-grade monoculars use a highly advanced image-intensifier tube, but this kind of tech means that they are expensive.

There are cheaper, earlier-generation models that use infrared to amplify the available light, but these models are best suited for looking at larger celestial bodies like the moon.

Are night vision monoculars worth the extra cost?

Night vision monoculars can see many stars and celestial objects that a regular monocular cannot, even in areas with high levels of light pollution. The cheaper versions use infrared technology to amplify the available light, allowing you to see in near-dark conditions.

Due to their greater light sensitivity than normal monoculars, they can improve clarity, enabling them to show craters and other details on the moon's surface.

Digital versions also enable live video reproduction of the nighttime sky with built-in storage on memory cards.

What type of night vision technology is worth investing in?

Night vision monoculars that use infrared to amplify the available light, are the cheapest way to get into nighttime astronomy without spending a fortune. However, they are best suited to larger celestial objects.

Military-grade night vision technology might be more suitable for viewing dark sky objects like galaxies and nebulae. These monoculars are much more expensive and use image intensifier tubes. These tubes send light to a photocathode tube, producing electrons; these electrons are then accelerated onto a phosphor screen, creating an image.

Are two monoculars better than one?

There is a technique in astronomy called bridging. This is when you use two monoculars together on a mount. This increases the field of view and depth perception. It also effectively doubles the amount of information coming to the brain, increasing the level of detail you can perceive.

Another aspect of choosing two monoculars for night vision duties is that you are less prone to headaches with two tubes rather than one. Although you would usually have one eye shut while using a single monocular, the brain is still receiving two different images at times, and in the dark, this can prove quite taxing.

Are monoculars better than binoculars?

When it comes to night vision technology, you have two main options, a monocular, or a binocular. Whilst technology in both night vision binoculars and monoculars is advancing, they each have pros and cons. The two choices have similar magnification potential, although night vision monoculars tend to have better long-distance capability at lower price points.

Monoculars have a longer viewing window, meaning they can see further away, but binoculars have a greater field of view, allowing you to see more. Monoculars tend to be harder on the eye, as you only use one eye rather than two. This can increase eye fatigue.

A night vision monocular is lighter and less bulky than the binocular equivalent. Although it only has one objective lens, it effectively halves the input of light through the unit compared to the two lenses on a binocular, meaning that more light is available to the binocular. Night vision binoculars also give more depth to the views gathered due to the stereoscopic ability gained with the two optical paths. Binoculars may offer easier use for beginners too.

Should you purchase?

As we have said, night vision monoculars provide a unique view of the nighttime sky, even in light-polluted areas. They can be teamed with a telescope to view stars not generally in view with normal monoculars. They often have greater clarity than normal monoculars and can pick out fine details. On a clear night, image intensifier monoculars can enable excellent views of stars such as Arcturus and Altair. With infrared night vision monoculars, you can still view the brightest stars in some detail. In the southern hemisphere, Sirius is the first point of call if using a night vision monocular without the aid of a telescope.

Budget-friendly infrared devices are a good way for a beginner to enter the world of astronomy. They can provide views in light-polluted areas where the naked eye would struggle. More money is needed to invest in military-grade night vision with light intensifier tubes and telescope attachment to gain further enjoyment.

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The new moon of December occurs tonight. A day later, Southern Hemisphere observers will see the peak of the Phoenicid meteor shower, and on Dec. 4 the waxing moon will make a close pass to Venus in the evening sky.

The exact moment of the new moon occurs at 1:21 a.m. Eastern Time (0621 UT) on Dec. 1, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. A new moon is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, specifically when the sun and moon share the same celestial longitude (also known as right ascension). A north-south line from the celestial pole would pass through both.

New moons aren't visible unless there is a solar eclipse, and that means the nights are particularly dark; when meteor showers occur on or near new moons it's a lot easier to see them as the moon's light isn't washing them out.

A young moon passes Venus

On Dec. 4 the moon and Venus will share the same right ascension, going into conjunction and approaching within about 2 degrees of each other in the evening sky. From New York City the 3-day old moon will appear to pass to the south of Venus (below and to the left) at 5:41 p.m. Eastern Time; sunset in New York is at 4:28 p.m. on that day. The moon sets at 7:26 p.m., Venus follows at 7:36 p.m.

As one moves south the moon and Venus appear higher in the sky, though the sun will appear to set later. Sunset in Miami, for example, is at 5:30 p.m. and at that point the moon will be 30 degrees high in the southwest. A sharp-eyed observer might catch the moon just before the sun sets and by the time the conjunction happens (5:41 p.m. local time) Venus should be just visible against the darkening sky; the planet sets at 8:39 p.m. Eastern.

From Honolulu, Hawaii, the conjunction won't be visible – it happens there at 12:41 p.m. local time. Sunset is at 5:49 p.m., by the end of civil twilight at 6:13 p.m. the moon will be about 30 degrees high and appear to the left of Venus (which should also start to come out against the sky). Venus sets first, at 8:59 p.m. and the moon follows at 9:12 p.m.

In Buenos Aires, where sunset is at 7:55 p.m., the conjunction occurs at 7:41 p.m. local time, so Venus itself will be invisible until about 8:30 p.m. The moon will be about 40 degrees high in the west. Venus will appear to the right and just below the moon as the sky darkens, and the planet sets at 11:08 p.m.

If you want to try your hand at capturing the night sky on camera, we can help. Check out our guides on how to photograph the moon or how to photograph the planets to learn more about basic astrophotography and how to shoot the night sky.

And if you need optical equipment or photography gear, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography .

Phoenicid meteors

The Phoenicid meteor shower peaks on Dec. 2, a day after the new moon. It's a shower that is active from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, and has a lot of variation in the number of meteors one can expect to see. The name comes from the constellation Phoenix, none of whose naked-eye stars are visible from above the 48^th parallel north; the constellation doesn't get fully above the horizon until one reaches 22 degrees north; the latitude of Kauai, Hawaii, Cuba, or central Mexico. The Phoenix is therefore best seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

In mid-southern latitudes – places such as Cape Town, Santiago, Chile, or Melbourne, Australia – the Phoenix is already high in the south-southeast when the sky gets dark, which is about 9:30 p.m. (sunset on Dec. 2 in Santiago, Chile is at 8:39 p.m., while in Cape Town it is at 7:43 p.m. and in Melbourne, Australia it is at 8:26 p.m.). The number of meteors usually seen is small, and they tend to be slow, but on occasion there have been bursts of activity.

According to the International Meteor Society the shower was probably most active when it was first noticed in 1956 and produced 100 meteors per hour in a meteor storm; later showers have produced nowhere near that – on the order of only a few meteors per hour.

The shower's radiant point and the number of meteors varies because it is associated with the comet 289P/Blanpain, which has a period of about 5.2 years and is often perturbed by the planet Jupiter. The radiant point will be just north of the Phoenix (technically it is in Cetus, the Whale, but it was in the Phoenix when it was observed in 1956 and as late as 2014). A notable characteristic of the Phoenicids is that they are slow meteors, so when one does see them they are visible longer.

Visible planets

Even if one can't catch the conjunction of the young moon, on the night of Dec. 1 three other naked-eye planets will be out and relatively easy to see (Mercury will be lost in the solar glare). The skies in mid-northern latitudes get dark early – in New York, Chicago, Denver or San Francisco the sun is set by 5 p.m., and the timing is similar in European cities, much of Asia and the north coast of Africa.

Venus will be bright in the western sky – in New York the planet sets at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1. Saturn will be visible almost due south; it transits (crosses the meridian, reaching its highest altitude) in New York at 6:11 p.m. and sets at 11:43 p.m. Jupiter rises at 4:49 p.m. in New York, and by 6 p.m. it is 10 degrees high in the east, flanked on the right by Aldebaran, the alpha star of Taurus, the Bull.

Mars rises at 8:25 p.m. in New York (the local timing will be similar in locations of similar latitude) and is in the constellation Cancer, so it will stand out as the single brightest "star" in that part of the sky; both Jupiter and Mars will reach high altitudes for Northern Hemisphere sky watchers. Jupiter, for example, transits in New York at 12:13 a.m. Dec. 2 and will be 75 degrees above the southern horizon, while Mars will do so at 3:49 a.m. and hit 71 degrees.

For Southern Hemisphere observers, the austral summer means late sunsets – in Santiago, Chile, for example, sunset on Dec. 1 is at 8:38 p.m. local time, and in Christchurch, New Zealand, which is about as far south of the equator as Boston is to the north of it, sunset isn't until 8:54 p.m. local time.

That means the sky won't look dark until about 9:30 p.m. (in Christchurch, civil dusk ends at 9:29 p.m. on Dec. 1). Venus will still be visible in the southwest, and it will be about 26 degrees high from Santiago or Christchurch. Saturn will be to the right of Venus, in the northwestern sky, about 48 degrees high. For austral observers the planet transits well before sunset; it happens at 7:47 p.m. local time in Christchurch, and it sets at 2:23 a.m. Dec. 2.

Jupiter rises at 9:19 p.m. the evening of Dec. 1 and transits at 1:50 a.m. Dec. 2, the planet will be lower than for those in the Northern Hemisphere – only about 24 degrees above the northern horizon. Mars rises at 12:46 a.m. Dec. 2 and transits at 5:22 a.m., but sunrise in Christchurch is at 5:44 a.m.

Stars and constellations

December is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and with that we see the winter constellations in full swing. Along with earlier darkness, the colder and drier air tends to produce clearer nights. In the east by 8 p.m. Gemini, Taurus and Orion are all above the horizon, with the distinctive belt of the latter pointing nearly straight up – Orion's belt runs roughly east-west, but at a slight angle that makes it look vertical at certain times of night in mid-northern latitudes.

By 10 p.m. the entirety of the Winter Hexagon is above the eastern horizon. The Hexagon is a set of six stars from six different constellations; going clockwise one starts with Rigel, marking the right foot (from the perspective of the observer) of Orion; Rigel is to the right of the stars of Orion's belt before midnight. Closer to the horizon and to the left is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and the alpha star of Canis Major, the Bog Dog. To the left (east) and north of Sirius is Procyon, which marks the Little Dog, Canis Minor.

North of Procyon (before midnight, to the left and upwards) of Procyon is Pollux, the head of one of the Twins (Gemini). North and west (upwards and to the right) of Pollux is Capella, the brightest star in Auriga, the Charioteer, and moving westwards and south one sees Aldebaran, with Jupiter nearby. (Aldebaran can be recognized by its distinctly reddish-orange color in relation to Jupiter, which is more yellow-white). Moving south from Aldebaran one passes Betelgeuse to complete the hexagon at Rigel again.

From the mid-southern latitudes, the sky doesn't get fully dark until about 10 p.m. Southern Hemisphere observers will see Sirius towards the east, with Orion in an "upside down" orientation to the left (northward). Turning southeast (to the right) one will see Canopus, the brightest star in the constellation Carina, the Keel of the Ship. It will be about 40 degrees high, and distinct. Most often associated with the legendary Argo that carried Jason and his crew.

Sirius, Rigel, and Canopus form a triangle – it looks a bit like a right-angle triangle with the 90-degree angle at Sirius. One can use that to spot Achernar, the end of Eridanus the River, by drawing a line that goes from Sirius directly between Canopus and Rigel (imagine drawing a line from the 90-degree corner of a right triangle that bisects the hypotenuse). Achernar is quite high in the sky – 75 degrees from the latitude of Christchurch. Achernar is one end of the river, and one can trace it all the way back to a star near Rigel that marks the other end.

Looking directly southwards, one will see the Southern Cross close to the horizon; from Christchurch it swings downward and starts rising after 10 p.m. – from New Zealand the Southern Cross never sets. To the right of it is Alpha Centauri, also known as Rigil Kentaurus, our solar system's nearest stellar neighbor.

Google's latest Doodle celebrates the third quarter moon phase with a fun interactive card game.

The Google "Rise of the Half-moon Doodle" highlights the different phases of the lunar cycle in the form of the third quarter moon, or half moon. The card game challenges players to match different moon phases in pairs and to place the cards in order to create a lunar cycle. May's third quarter moon, also known as the last quarter moon, occurred on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:59 a.m. EDT, 4:59 a.m. PDT, and 1159 GMT.

"The Half Moon is the turning point in the lunar cycle, shifting the balance between light and dark like moves in a celestial game," the game's introductory game reads.

The moon undergoes eight distinct phases in its approximate 29.5-day cycle: New moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. As the moon orbits Earth, the sun illuminates different parts of the lunar surface, creating the different lunar phases for viewers on Earth.

Currently, the moon is in the third quarter phase, signifying that it has completed three-quarters of its orbit around the Earth. However, from our perspective on Earth, the moon appears half illuminated by the sun because it is halfway through the cycle from full moon to the next new moon.

Google announced that this lunar card game will be featured as the Doodle once a month, coinciding with the lunar cycle. Competing against the half moon, players are given cards with various lunar phases and must match them up appropriately to earn points. The goal is to play through nine boards to unlock four wildcards that can help you win along the way.

As players advance, the game board configurations become more challenging, making pairing the lunar cycle cards more difficult. Lunar pairs and phases are created by placing cards in adjacent boxes connected by lines on the board. Once a card is played on the board, it can be used by either opponent to create pairs or lunar cycles. The last play made using a card on the board counts towards the bonus point awarded to that player at the end of the game.

Head to Google.com today to check out the Rise of the Half Moon Doodle and try your hand at the lunar card game.

Is using a monocular for stargazing worth it? It's a simple question and holds merit because, after all, from looks alone, a monocular is similar in design to a refractor telescope or one-half of a binocular which are also good for stargazing. Light passes through a series of convex and concave glass elements in a tube assembly and can be focused into the eyepiece for viewing distant objects.

But is it worth buying a monocular for stargazing? We aim to weigh up the balance between affordability, setup time, optical design, usable magnification and convenience to help you make a more informed purchasing decision. So let's take a look at the first step to investing in a skywatching monocular: Cost.

Stargazing monoculars: Affordability

One of the main benefits of including a monocular in your stargazing tool bag is affordability. It makes sense that having only one optical tube, compared to two in a binocular, may almost halve the monocular's price. The cost of manufacturing and distribution also reduces due to the smaller form factor and the fact it is lighter.

It's for the above reasons that it might be advantageous to forego a stereoscopic view from a pair of binoculars, for a monocular view because you can save money whilst retaining high-quality optics and features. Sure, a refractor telescope might give a better view of the night sky but it is far less flexible with daytime use or when traveling. When it comes to value for money, the versatile monocular beats most other stargazing optics pound for pound.

Stargazing monocular: Getting started

The following needs a link to a digimount, a link to a tripod, and more detail on why they are ready to use immediately.

Monoculars can be taken from a pocket or belt pouch and ready to use immediately. Most have tripod fixing points for bird watching, etc., but a tripod is also helpful while stargazing. A tripod enables the monocular to magnify higher without struggling to steady the optic. The disadvantage of using a tripod is the lack of an erect image angle, which can be overcome using a digimount to attach a camera. You can use the large phone screen to improve focusing.

Stargazing monocular: Optical or digital?

ARE THEY? Are digital night vision monoculars REALLY being used for stargazing?

Second para makes a bit of sense, but needs to refer to exact product examples and 'optical light' isn't a thing, but an analogue or optical monocular IS.

Could move to bottom of page... not that important.

As digital image sensor technology has improved over the decades we have seen an influx of digital monoculars. That is, monoculars that have optical assemblies inside but feed light directly to an image sensor, rather than an eyepiece, which is then viewed on a small LCD screen on the device or smartphone.

Digital monoculars are not best placed, in any way we have tested, for decent views of the night sky. The main disadvantages of digital night vision technology in monoculars are the narrow field of view and the quality of the image rendered on the LCD. Sensors are much more capable of capturing the available light, but they still struggle with image noise and grain, primarily if zoom is used. Because of this, we recommend that optical light is better in most stargazing situations.

Stargazing monocular: Magnification

Most consumer monoculars use a magnification range between 8 and 10x, which is okay for viewing subjects during the day but limits the amount of finer detail available when stargazing.

Of course, there are monoculars that feature 20x magnification but with this increase in magnification comes an incrementally restrictive field of view. This makes it hard to hold the monocular steady enough for clear views, so a tripod must be used. While many monoculars do have a tripod adapter built-in, some do not. So it is worth checking our guide to the best monoculars to check which models might be suitable.

We noted in our Python Rangemaster 12x52 review we found that a magnification of 12x is the sweet spot for stargazing with a monocular.

Stargazing monocular: Lens diameter

Monoculars are primarily used for terrestrial viewing and, therefore, don't usually have the range of sizes of objective lenses that a telescope would use. Typically, sizes range from 20 to 42mm. These sizes limit the available light being sent to the eye and, therefore, affect the detail and color in the images when used at night, especially in areas of high light pollution. There are claims of much bigger diameters than this, but care should be taken about the accuracy of these claims. 'You get what you pay for' is an appropriate phrase here. That said, we love the Celestron Outland X 10x50, which has a 50mm objective lens, although the larger size does mean it can't fit easily into your pocket.

Monoculars are limited in their stargazing ability by the amount of light these diameters allow through the instrument. But this can also be one of their main strengths. As the size of the objective lens increases, so does the size of the monocular, so again, a balance should be found.

Stargazing monocular: Lens and glass coatings

Lens coatings and glass manufacturing processes have improved dramatically over the last few years, increasing the availability of much higher-quality glass at the budget end of the market — not just in the monocular world but across all kinds of skywatching optics like telescopes, binoculars and camera lenses.

A fully multicoated lens is the minimum specification to look out for. These coatings protect the lens from dust and scratches, and decrease the diffraction of light hitting the lens, allowing more to pass through to the eye.

We would also advise looking for monoculars with extra-low dispersion (ED) glass. Due to their light folding characteristics, this technology compensates for color fringing (chromatic aberration) that predominates in monoculars. This is usually denoted as 'ED' in the naming convention of a model, as can be seen in our recommendations for the Opticron Explorer WA ED-R 8x42 and Hawke Endurance ED 10x42 but if you are unsure it's worth taking a closer look at the specifications normally found on the manufacturer website.

Stargazing monocular: Portability

The main advantage of monoculars over other optical devices is their small size. Nothing else combines the ability to enjoy the brighter planets and dark sky objects whilst remaining pocket-sized, like a monocular.

All the monoculars we have tested so far range in length from 71 mm to 890 mm and in weight between 75 g and 579 g. Whereas, some of the best binoculars are regularly weighing in at 1 kg.

The monocular should comfortably fit in a pocket or belt-mounted pouch to preserve this advantage. We would carry one around the neck, but we have found this tends to get the optic snagged on branches, stile tops, etc., while on the move.

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Moon phases reveal the passage of time in the night sky. Some nights when we look up at the moon, it is full and bright; sometimes it is just a sliver of silvery light. These changes in appearance are the phases of the moon. As the moon orbits Earth, it cycles through eight distinct phases.

The four primary phases of the moon (new moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter) occur about a week apart, with the full moon its most dazzling stage.

What's the moon phase tonight?

While the moon has four primary phases each month, it is always changing. As you observe the moon during the month, watch as it grows from a new moon to a first quarter moon. As it grows, it is known as a waxing moon, and gradually increases from a waxing "crescent" (for its shape into the first quarter moon. As it continues to brighten, it takes on an oblong, or "gibbous," shape until it reaches the full moon stage. Then it will repeat the steps in reverse as it heads back to a new moon. You can see what today's moon phase is here with the embedded widget on this page, courtesy of In-The-Sky.org.

What is the next moon phase?

The next moon phase milestone will be the Full Moon on Monday, July 29, at 10:36 a.m. EST (1436 GMT). The June full moon is known as the Strawberry Moon.

The full moon is the point where the entire face of the moon is illuminated by the sun as seen from Earth.

"This is as close as we come to seeing the sun's illumination of the entire day side of the moon (so, technically, this would be the real half moon)," NASA wrote in its moon guide. "The moon is opposite the sun, as viewed from Earth, revealing the moon's dayside."

The full moon actually appears full before it reaches its final phase. It can appear full to the casual observer for a couple of days before and after the actual date.

"The full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise," NASA wrote.

Moon phase calendar for 2026

Here are the moon phases for 2026, according to NASA's SKYCAL. If you need equipment for viewing the moon, check out our guide to the best telescopes and the best telescopes for kids.

You can also check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as how to photograph a lunar eclipse for major moon events. There's even a guide on how to photograph a solar eclipse.

If you're looking for imaging gear, our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography guides can help prepare you for the next lunar sight.

Phases of the moon

The moon, like Earth, is a sphere, and it is always half-illuminated by the sun. As the moon travels around Earth, we see more or less of the illuminated half. Moon phases describe how much of the moon's disk is illuminated from our perspective.

New moon: The moon is between Earth and the sun, and the side of the moon facing toward us receives no direct sunlight; it is lit only by dim sunlight reflected from Earth.

Waxing crescent: As the moon moves around Earth, the side we can see gradually becomes more illuminated by direct sunlight.

First quarter: The moon is 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky and is half-illuminated from our point of view. We call it "first quarter" because the moon has traveled about a quarter of the way around Earth since the new moon.

Waxing gibbous: The area of illumination continues to increase. More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight.

Full moon: The moon is 180 degrees away from the sun and is as close as it can be to being fully illuminated by the sun from our perspective. The sun, Earth and the moon are aligned, but because the moon’s orbit is not exactly in the same plane as Earth’s orbit around the sun, they rarely form a perfect line. When they do, we have a lunar eclipse as Earth's shadow crosses the moon's face.

Waning gibbous: More than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, but the amount is decreasing.

Last quarter: The moon has moved another quarter of the way around Earth, to the third quarter position. The sun's light is now shining on the other half of the visible face of the moon.

Waning crescent: Less than half of the moon's face appears to be getting sunlight, and the amount is decreasing.

Finally, the moon is back to its new moon starting position. Now, the moon is between Earth and the sun. Usually, the moon passes above or below the sun from our vantage point, but occasionally it passes right in front of the sun, and we get a solar eclipse.

Moon phase Q&A with an expert

We asked Italian amateur astronomer, astrophotographer, and author Giuseppe Donatiello some questions about the moon and its phases.

Additional moon phase resources

NASA's SkyCal Events Calendar offers a comprehensive calendar of moon phases, lunar and solar eclipses and more for the entire calendar year. You can see more about the full moons of 2024, in Space.com's Full Moon Calendar. Our night sky guide has a list of events for skywatching this month.

Bibliography

SkyCal - SkyEvents Calendar, NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html

What's Up - Skywatching Tips from NASA
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/

October's new moon will bring us a spectacular 'ring of fire' eclipse

The new moon occurs on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 2:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1849 GMT), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and for observers in the southeastern Pacific islands and southern Chile and Argentina there will be an annular solar eclipse. 

A new moon phase happens when the sun and moon are on the same line drawn from one celestial pole to the other. Usually, the moon appears to be above or below the sun as seen from Earth — it "misses" — but about twice a year the two are lined up just right so that we see a solar eclipse, the only time a new moon is visible at all. There are two types of solar eclipse: total and annular. In a total eclipse the sun appears to darken and turn black, though one can still see the solar corona, the sun's atmosphere. In an annular eclipse one can still see a ring (or annulus) of light around the moon without seeing the corona, which is overwhelmed by the small visible portion of the sun's disk. The eclipse on Oct. 2 is the latter kind. The reason for the different types of eclipses is that the moon's orbit is not a perfect circle; at times the moon is a bit closer or farther away. Though the difference is small, it is just enough to alter the apparent size of the moon in the sky.

An important note about observing solar eclipses: always use proper safety equipment, and never view the sun directly through optical aids of any kind. Even when the sun looks dimmed (as during sunsets or sunrises) a camera lens, low-power binoculars or spotter scope, let alone a telescope, will concentrate the light and the energy from the sun into your eye. This can cause retinal burns and permanent damage to one's eyesight, even blindness. The safest thing to do is view an eclipse through filtered glasses specifically designed for the purpose, or to project an image of the eclipse onto a large flat surface set up behind a telescope or mounted binoculars. As a general rule, if it isn't designed specifically for solar viewing, don't use it to look at an eclipse. 

Related: How to observe the sun safely (and what to look for)

The eclipse path starts in the central Pacific Ocean on the morning of Oct. 3 (because it is on the other side of the International Date Line –12 hours ahead of UTC), near Palmyra Atoll (which has no permanent population). The nearest populated areas that will see at least a partial eclipse are Hawai'i and American Samoa. In Hawaii, the greatest partial eclipse will be visible from southern side of the island of Hawai'i the Big Island). In the town of Na'alehu, the eclipse starts before sunrise on October 3, which is at 6:13 am. Hawai'i Standard Time. Maximum eclipse is at 6:46 a.m., and the eclipse ends at 7:57 a.m. The moon will cover about 53 percent of the sun. As the sun gets above the horizon the moon will be towards the top; the "horns" of the partially eclipsed sun will point upwards. 

In American Samoa, from Āpia, observers will see the eclipse already underway as the sun rises at 6:08 a.m. local time. Maximum eclipse, when about 29 percent of the sun is covered by the moon, is at 6:18 a.m., and the eclipse ends an hour later at 7:18 a.m. As American Samoa is in the Southern Hemisphere the horns will be pointed downwards, towards the horizon. 

The full annular eclipse will be visible from Easter Island, where it begins at 12:23 p.m. local time on October 2 (as the moon's shadow has crossed the Date Line). The sun will be in the northeast. At 2:04 p.m. the sun will form the annular ring around the moon. Maximum eclipse is at 2:07 p.m. and annularity ends at 2:10 p.m., with the eclipse ending at 3:52 p.m. 

Related: Why I'm going to Easter Island for the annular solar eclipse

After that the eclipse reaches mainland Chile and Argentina; in Argentina the annular eclipse is visible in Bahia Laura, in Santa Cruz Province, where it begins at 4:05 p.m. local time. Annularity starts at 5:25 p.m. and ends at 5:31 p.m. The eclipse ends at 6:43 p.m. with the sun low in the west. 

The nighttime planets  

For those unable to see the solar eclipse, there are still the nighttime planets. At the latitude of New York City, Chicago, or Sacramento, Venus will be quite close to the horizon at sunset; with a clear, flat horizon and cloudless sky one can catch it — in New York City it sets at 7:52 p.m. on Oct. 2, a bit more than an hour after sunset at 6:35 p.m.

By about 8 p.m. Saturn will be visible in the southeast, about 25 degrees above the horizon in New York City. The planet reaches its highest altitude of 41 degrees at about 11:12 p.m. local time and it sets at 4:45 a.m. Oct 3. 

Jupiter rises at 10:02 p.m. local time in New York, so the planet is visible for most of the night as it tracks across the southern half of the sky. The planet gets to its highest point (called crossing the Meridian or transiting) at 5:28 a.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 3, about 72 degrees high. The planet sets during the day; at 12:53 p.m. on Oct. 3. 

Mars rises at 11:46 p.m. Oct. 2 and reaches an altitude of 66 degrees by 6 a.m. Oct. 3., as the sky is getting lighter (sunrise in New York is at 6:55 a.m.) 

The timing of planetary rising and setting roughly tracks latitude; the observing conditions will be similar in cities such as Boston, Chicago, Denver or Sacramento; the local times will be similar (for example, on Oct. 2 Jupiter rises at 9:53 p.m. in Chicago and 10:09 p.m. in Denver). 

For Southern Hemisphere sky-watchers the situation will differ, as the sky is "reversed." Venus is much easier to see from Southern Hemisphere locations; the planet sets at 10:18 p.m. in Santiago, Chile; sunset is at 7:46 p.m. on Oct. 2,; by 8 p.m. Venus will be 27 degrees high in the west. 

Jupiter rises at 1:20 a.m. in Santiago, Chile on Oct. 2 and transits at 6:18 a.m. local time, when it is about 34 degrees above the northern horizon about an hour before local sunrise at 7:17 a.m. Saturn, which rises in the afternoon 5:35 p.m. local time; sunset is at 5:45 p.m. The planet transits at 11:59 p.m. at an altitude of 65 degrees. 

Mars rises in Santiago at 3:07 a.m. on Oct. 2. With sunrise at 7:17 a.m. the planet is visible for about two and a half hours before the sun drowns it out. 

And if you want to photograph the night sky, we have tips for how to shoot the night sky and how to photograph the planets, as well as guides to the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Stars and constellations 

From mid-northern latitudes in early October, the summer constellations of the zodiac — Sagittarius, Ophiuchus and Scorpio — are exiting the sky to make way for the fall groupings of stars. By 8 p.m. Sagittarius is low in the south-southwest; Scorpius is setting and half below the horizon. The Summer Triangle, consisting of Vega, Altair and Deneb is near the zenith; Vega is the highest of the three stars with Deneb to the left and Altair towards the horizon. 

Turning northwards, one will see the Big Dipper close to the horizon, the dipper appearing right side up (the bowl facing upwards). One can use the pointers, stars named Dubhe and Merak on the right side — the "front" of the bowl — to find Polaris, the pole star. Dubhe is the uppermost star; Merak is below it. 

Polaris is the brightest star in Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, and if the sky is dark and one is away from city lights the curve of the Little Dipper's handle is easier to see. If one continues the line from the Big Dipper through Polaris, one reaches Caph, or Beta Cassiopeiae. Along with four other bright stars it forms Cassiopeia, a "W" shaped constellation. Between Cassiopeia and Ursa Minor is Cepheus, the King, Cassiopeia's husband. Cepheus' brightest stars form a triangle atop a square; rather like a man wearing a pointed cap. Below Cassiopeia is Perseus, the hero, rising in the northeast.

Looking from the bottom of the "W" of Cassiopeia south (this will be to the right if one is observing before about 10 p.m. facing east) one encounters the two long curving lines of stars that mark Andromeda, Cassiopeia's daughter. If one follows the stars of andromeda upwards and to the right, one reaches Andromeda's head, which is part of an asterism called the Great Square. One corner of the square is Andromeda's head, while the other three are the wing of Pegasus. 

As the night progresses and one looks to the northeast, one can see Capella; the star rises at 7:30 p.m. but by 10 p.m. is high enough to see more easily. Capella is the brightest star in Auriga, the Charioteer. The constellation Cetus is also above the horizon — Cetus is often depicted as a whale, and its name is related to the word cetacean, which zoologists use to describe the order of mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Looking southwards (to the right) of Cetus and closer to the southern horizon one can see Fomalhaut, the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. Fomalhaut is a first-magnitude star that is also one of the sun's closer neighbors, 25 light years away. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, sunsets are later as the austral summer approaches so the sky doesn't get really dark until about 9 p.m. Observers there will see the Southern Cross low in the southwest, just underneath Hadar and Rigil Kentaurus, which one can find by following the "spar" of the cross to the north (upwards from the horizon). Turning left and looking southeast, one will see Achernar, the end of Eridanus the River, about 37 degrees high. If one looks in the other direction, towards the west, one can see Antares, the heart of Scorpio (which is below the horizon in mid-northern latitudes) — one can find it because Venus, the brightest planet, will be below it. Scorpio is "upside down" — the claws of the Scorpion point to the horizon, and the tail curves toward the zenith, making a fishhook shape that ends about 60 degrees above the horizon. Above Scorpio is the teapot shape of Sagittarius. 

The new moon occurs Aug. 4, at 7:13 a.m. EDT (0113 UTC). In the days following the new moon, our satellite will make a close pass to Venus; after that Venus and Mercury will be close together, making a visible pair in the evening sky. 

A new moon describes the moment when the sun and moon share the same celestial longitude; this is called a conjunction. This happens about every 29.5 days. As the illuminated side of the moon faces away from Earth, new moons are invisible to ground-based observers unless the moon passes directly in front of the sun, which creates an eclipse (the next time that happens will be Oct. 2). 

New moons are often the way lunar calendrical systems mark the start of the month; in Muslim traditions in particular the month started as soon as observers could see the thin crescent moon after sunset (this is one reason why the crescent moon appears often in Islamic iconography). Jewish, Māori and Chinese calendars also use the new moons in this way. 

The timing of new moons (or any lunar phase) depends on the position of the moon, rather than one's position on the Earth, so to find the time of the new moon locally one need only look at the time zone; on the Eastern Seaboard the clocks are four hours behind Universal Time, in Los Angeles is seven hours difference so the new moon is at 4:13 a.m., while Sydney, Australia is 10 hours ahead so the new moon is at 9:13 p.m. Aug. 4.

If you'd like to get an up close look at night sky during new moons, be sure to take a look at our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars. 

And if you want to photograph  the night sky, we have tips for how to shoot the night sky and how to photograph the planets, as well as guides to the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Conjunction of the moon and Venus 

For middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere  — approximately the continental United States, Japan, much of China, Europe between England and Gibraltar, and the northern coast of Africa  — the sun fully sets by about eight p.m. and the sky gets dark by about 9 p.m. sunset is a bit later at the extreme northern end and earlier at the extreme southern end of this range. 

On the night of the new moon (Aug. 4) one will see Venus in the western sky; the planet sets at 8:58 p.m. in New York City, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. Being the brightest celestial object behind the sun and moon, Venus is often one of the very first "stars" that one can see after sunset. Civil twilight  — the time where the sun is between the horizon and 6 degrees below the horizon  — ends in New York at 8:37 p.m., 30 minutes after sunset. At that point Venus should just become visible. (The end of Civil Twilight is also when New York State requires car headlights be turned on).  

The next day the moon will be in conjunction with Venus, passing just under 2 degrees (about four lunar diameters) to the north of the planet. The conjunction happens at 6:03 p.m. Eastern time, but the pair won't be readily observable at the latitude of New York – at sunset (Which is at 8:06 p.m. local time) Venus is only 9 degrees above the western horizon and by 8:36 p.m. it is less than 4 degrees high –less than a handspan held at arm's length. 

If one can spot the day-old moon  — it will be a very thin crescent  — it can be used to locate Venus, which from New York's latitude will appear to be slightly to the left and below the moon; but against a still-light sky one will need a clear, flat horizon and near-perfect conditions. 

The conjunction is easier to see as one moves southward. In Miami, the conjunction is still at 6:03 p.m. local time, according to In-the-sky.org, but it will be higher in the sky at sunset  —  which is at 8:04 p.m.  —  Venus will be at an altitude of 12 degrees, and by 8:15 the moon and Venus will be just becoming visible and Venus will be about 10 degrees high, below and to the left of the moon. Observing the two will still require an unobstructed horizon (over the ocean or other large body of water, for example).

Prospects get better as one gets to the tropics (technically, south of 23.5 degrees north or north of 23.5 degrees south). In San Juan, Puerto Rico (latitude18 degrees north) the conjunction is at 6:03 p.m. local time, and sunset is at 6:57 p.m. At sunset Venus is at about 13 degrees above the western horizon and to the left of the moon (as one moves south the apparent position of Venus relative to the moon appears to move upwards). In the tropics, sunsets tend to be "faster"  — the sky gets dark more quickly as the sun's angle of descent to the horizon is steeper  — so the pair will be visible sooner; the sky gets just dark enough to see them by about 7:10 p.m. 

In the tropical latitudes it's also possible to see Mercury, which is also in conjunction with the moon on Aug. 5; the innermost planet will be relatively far from the moon  — about 7 degrees  — but from Puerto Rico it will appear almost level with the moon and to the left. From higher latitudes the planet is too low in the sky to see by the time the sky gets dark enough; but in more southern locations the quicker sunsets and the ecliptic being at a steeper angle to the horizon combine to put Mercury higher up. 

In Singapore, the conjunction itself happens at 6:03 a.m. local time on Aug. 6., so the moment when the moon gets closest to Venus won't be visible. That said, at sunset (7:15 p.m. local time) Venus is nearly 16 degrees high; by this time the moon has moved (relative to the background stars) so that Venus will appear below and slightly to the right of the moon, though it won't be visible until about 7:30 p.m. At that point Mercury will also start to come out; it will be to the left of the moon and Venus making a triangle. 

For mid-latitude Southern Hemisphere observers the days are shorter and the sun sets sooner, which puts Venus and the moon both in a slightly better position than for their Northern Hemisphere counterparts. In addition, the sky appears "upside down" so that objects in the southern half of the sky in the Northern Hemisphere are at higher altitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. 

For example, in Santiago, Chile, the conjunction of the moon and Venus is at 6:03 p.m. local time and sunset is at 6:07 p.m. At about 6:30 p.m. Venus is about 10 degrees high, and in contrast to the Northern Hemisphere the planet will appear above the moon and to the left. Mercury, meanwhile, will be about 14 degrees high and to the left of Venus, making it much easier to spot. 

Visible planets 

On the night of the new moon, Saturn is the first visible planet after Venus sets; in New York the ringed planet rises at 9:40 p.m. local time in the constellation Aquarius; it reaches its highest altitude at about 3:19 a.m. (Aug. 5) when it will be 43 degrees above the southern horizon. 

Mars and Jupiter, meanwhile, are both in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. They rise in the wee hours of Aug. 5, Mars first at 1:12 a.m. EDT in New York, and Jupiter follows at 1:30 a.m. The two planets will be near Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, and from mid-northern latitudes Mars will appear at the top of the triangle they form, with Jupiter marking the left corner. Aldebaran and Mars will be distinct because of their reddish hue, with Aldebaran appearing more orange. 

From the Southern Hemisphere, the triangle formed by Mars, Jupiter and Aldebaran will appear rotated counterclockwise, so that Jupiter marks the lower corner, Mars is above and to the left, and Aldebaran is almost directly above Jupiter. From Melbourne, Australia, for example, Mars still rises first in the northeast at 3:07 a.m. local time on Aug. 5, and Jupiter at 3:30 a.m. Aldebaran comes up at 2:52 a.m. It is winter in Melbourne, so sunrise isn't until 7:16 a.m.; about a half hour before sunrise Mars is 28 degrees high and just east of north. 

Constellations

Even with the relatively shorter nights, August skies offer Northern Hemisphere observers a chance to see constellations of three seasons – traditional summer, autumn and winter – and from darker-sky locations to see the Milky Way as though one were facing both the center of the galaxy and the outer rim. 

By about 10 p.m. on Aug. 4 the sky is completely dark, and even from city locations it's possible to see the constellations Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila, high in the southeast. Lyra is the highest, with Vega, its brightest star, 82 degrees high at the latitude of New York City. Left (east) of Vega is Deneb, the alpha star of Cygnus the Swan, and below (southwards) is Altair, the eye of Aquila, the Eagle. These make up the Summer Triangle asterism. From a darker sky site one can see the Milky Way, the misty band of light that shows the edge of our galaxy, and in the direction of Cygnus one is looking towards the galactic east, about 90 degrees away from the center. 

Just above the southern horizon will be Sagittarius and Scorpio; here you are looking towards the galactic center; and the Milky Way is appreciably brighter and wider. The brightest star in Scorpius is Antares, which is about 19 degrees high and just west of south. One can use Antares to spot the claws of Scorpius – three stars that form a roughly vertical line to the right (west) of Antares. From there one can go back to Antares and trace a curved line of fainter stars that form the Scorpion's back and tail. 

Continue upwards from the end of the tail and one hits Sagittarius, notable for its "teapot" shape. The brightest star in Sagittarius is called Kaus Australis, it is in the bottom right corner of the "teapot." Sagittarius and Scorpius are the southernmost zodiacal constellations; parts of them are not even visible from the latitudes of northern Europe. 

Above Scorpius, one can see a large five-sided, narrow "box" of stars; this is Ophiuchus, the Serpent-bearer or Healer. On either side of the box are fainter groups of stars; on the right is Serpens Caput (Head of the Serpent) and on the left is Serpens Cauda (the Tail of the Serpent). Ophiuchus is sometimes called the thirteenth Zodiac sign because the sun actually passes through the constellation from Nov. 29 to Dec. 18; however the reason this happens at all is that the path of the ecliptic relative to the stars has shifted since the classical Zodiac was devised; in addition the modern borders of constellations, set in 1928, didn't take astrology into account. 

Facing north, one can see the Big Dipper, part of the Great Bear, Ursa Major, to one's left (westward). The "bowl" of the dipper points to the right, and one can follow the two stars in the front of the bowl to Polaris, the Pole Star. The two stars will be on the bottom side of the bowl at that point in the evening. Using the handle of the Dipper one can "arc to Arcturus" by tracing a sweeping arc along the handle to the first bright star one encounters. Arcturus is the brightest star in Boötes, the Herdsman. Opposite the Big Dipper, about the same distance to the right (eastwards) of Polaris and about 30 degrees high, is Cassiopeia, a W-shaped group of stars.  

By midnight the Summer Triangle has moved almost directly overhead. From the left side of the Summer Triangle, one can turn east (left) and encounter a large square of medium-bright stars; the top corner of the square is about 45 degrees high. This is the Great Square of Pegasus, the legendary winged horse ridden by Perseus the Hero. The square will look as though one corner is pointed to the horizon; the three stars that make up its right side are often counted as Pegasus' wings. 

The left corner, meanwhile, is the head of Andromeda, the woman who, according to legend, Perseus was saving from the leviathan Cetus, (also called the Whale). Cetus isn't high enough to see yet – it is just rising. All of these constellations appear earlier in the evening as summer turns into fall. 

By 3 a.m., using Jupiter and Mars as landmarks, one can look to the east and see Taurus the Bull rising, with the head of the bull marked by the open cluster called the Hyades. That cluster surrounds Aldebaran, though it isn’t associated with the star, it just happens to be in the line of sight. Meanwhile, looking to the north of Taurus (to the left) one can see a bright star a bit higher than Aldebaran, called Capella, in Auriga, the Charioteer. Both constellations are associated with the winter sky. The Milky Way continues here through Auriga, Perseus, and Cassiopeia; the direction of Auriga is towards intergalactic space, exactly opposite the galactic center seen in Sagittarius. 

In the Southern Hemisphere August is late winter, with the sun setting relatively early. From mid-southern latitudes by 8 p.m. one will see Crux, the Southern Cross, about 45 degrees high in the southwest. Above it is Alpha Centauri and the constellation Centaurus, the Centaur. (You can find Alpha Centauri by drawing a line up along the crossbar of the Cross).

Below the Cross and extending to the southern horizon are Carina the Keel and Vela, the sail, two of the constellations that make up the ship Argo, which Jason sailed. Vela is a rough oval of 10 stars, though only eight are readily visible from more urban locations. Carina occupies the space between Vela and Crux. From the latitudes of cities such as Santiago, Chile, Antares is almost directly overhead; to the right (as one faces south) is Libra, though it is a rather faint constellation. If one follows a line starting at Antares and going through the southernmost star of the claws, one reaches Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. 

The new moon of July 2024 occurs today as Earth reaches its farthest point from the sun, known as aphelion.

The new moon arrives on July 5 at 6:57 p.m. Eastern Time (2257 UTC), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and two days later the young moon will make a close pass to Mercury in the evening sky. 

Earth reached aphelion today, meaning our was farther away from the sun than at any other period in its yearly orbit. Earth's orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical, or oval-shaped, meaning our distance from our star can vary up to 3% throughout the year. This small variation isn't significant enough to be noticeable for most observers.

New moons occur when the moon is directly between the sun and Earth; in many lunar calendar systems they mark the beginning of the lunar month. Technically, the sun and the moon are in conjunction, on the same north-south line that passes through the celestial pole. Lunar phases' timing is measured by where the moon is relative to the Earth, so a given phase happens at the same time all over the world. Any differences are only because of the time zone one is in – in Melbourne, Australia, for example, the new moon occurs at 8:57 a.m. on July 6.

New moons are invisible unless there is an eclipse; eclipses don't happen every new moon because the orbits of the moon and Earth aren't perfectly aligned; they are tilted relative to each other by about 5 degrees. The moon's shadow then "misses" the Earth most of the time. (The next solar eclipse isn't until Oct. 2, 2024).

Close pass to Mercury

In the evening hours of July 7, the moon will pass by Mercury as it moves out of the new phase; the thin crescent will be some 3 degrees to the north of Mercury at 2:33 p.m. Eastern time, according to skywatching site In-the-Sky.org. At sunset, when the moon becomes visible, it will be about 16 degrees above the horizon; Mercury will be below the moon. But the planet won't be really visible at all until about 9 p.m. (sunset on that day is at about 8:29 p.m. in New York; times are similar in cities such as Chicago or Sacramento) and by that time it will only be 8 degrees high, so from anywhere in mid-northern latitudes the conjunction will be a challenge to see – one will need a flat, unobstructed and clear horizon. 

Observing the conjunction gets easier as one moves closer to the equator. From lower latitudes (either from the north or south) the ecliptic, or plane of the Earth's orbit projected on the sky, makes a steeper angle with the horizon. That means planets, which all move within a few degrees of the ecliptic, tend to reach higher altitudes. (It is also why tropical sunsets seem so short, whereas sunsets in higher northern and southern latitudes seem to linger – in the tropics the Sun is approaching the horizon almost straight down, whereas in more northern or southern regions it approaches at a gentler slope).  

From Miami the conjunction takes place at 2:33 p.m. local time but both the moon and Mercury will be higher in the sky; the sun sets at 8:16 p.m. local time and at that point the moon is 20 degrees high and Mercury is 18 degrees above the western horizon. By about 8:30 p.m. Mercury should just become visible and it will still be about 12 degrees high, so with a clear horizon with no obstructions one should be able to catch it. 

From Bridgetown, Barbados (and similar latitudes) the moon will appear to be to the right of Mercury, and at sunset, at 7:29 p.m. local time, the moon is a full 18 degrees high in the west, by 7 p.m. it is still 14 degrees above the horizon, as is Mercury, and both will be more visible than from the continental U.S. 

In the Western Hemisphere the conjunction itself happens in the afternoon, in daylight, but as one moves east the moment of conjunction moves into evening. From Madrid, Spain, the observing challenges are similar to those in New York (the two cities are at nearly the same latitude) but the conjunction occurs at 8:33 p.m. local time. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, observing is slightly easier – the days are shorter as it is the austral winter. In Sao Paolo, the sun sets at 5:22 p.m. local time, and while the conjunction happens at 3:33 p.m., still during the day, at sunset the moon will be 18 degrees high in the northwest, and Mercury will appear above and to the left of the moon. Mercury won't become visible until about 6 p.m. and it will still be about 12 and a half degrees high. In Cape Town, where the conjunction happens at 8:33 p.m. local time – sunset is at 5:51 p.m. and the moon and Mercury set at 7:34 p.m.; about a half hour after sunset the pair is about 13 degrees high in the northwest. 

Visible planets

Venus will be emerging into the evening sky, but it will still be largely lost in the solar glare; while it appears a bit higher in the sky at sunset as one gets closer to the equator it is no more than five or six degrees high as the sky starts to darken. 

Saturn is the first planet to rise, at 11:40 p.m. on July 5 in New York City. In the constellation Aquarius, which is a fainter star group than many, it will be quite distinct in its region of sky. As the sky starts to lighten by about 4:30 to 5:00 a.m. (the morning of July 6) it will be about 41 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon. 

Mars will be prominent in the wee hours of the morning; as the year progresses it rises later and the planet will eventually be lost in the sun's dawn light. On the night of the new moon (July 5-6) in mid-northern latitudes the planet will rise at about 2 a.m. – it rises at 2:03 a.m. in New York City, and the time will be similar in cities such as Chicago (1:56 a.m. CDT), Denver (2:10 a.m. MDT), and Sacramento (2:18 a.m. PDT). Mars will be in the constellation Aires, and will be easy to spot as Aires is made up of fainter stars. 

Jupiter rises after Mars, at 3:07 a.m. EDT in New York. Jupiter is in Taurus, and is to the left and above Aldebaran, the brightest star in that constellation. Aldebaran is noticeably more orange, and twinkles, which makes it easy to pick out the planet which is white-yellow and emits a steady light. 

This means that by about 4:30 a.m. local time in mid-northern latitudes the three naked-eye planets further from the sun than Earth will make a kind of line across the sky from the eastern horizon to the right, starting with Jupiter and ending with Saturn. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, for example in Melbourne, Australia, (where the new moon is on July 6) the three planets will form a line also, but this time upwards and to the left (as one faces north). Saturn will also be higher in the sky. In Melbourne (and other mid-southern latitude locations) Saturn will rise at 10:22 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard time on July 6; when the planet transits (crossing the north-south line in the sky) at 4:43 a.m. July 7 it will be a full 58 degrees above the northern horizon. Mars rises at 3:22 a.m. AEST, and Jupiter at 4:47 a.m. Jupiter's position in the sky relative to Aldebaran will be reversed; Jupiter will appear below Aldebaran rather than above (it will still appear to be on the left).  

Summer stars

For Northern Hemisphere sky watchers, by about 10 p.m. the Summer Triangle is high in the eastern sky; the "top" star is Vega, the brightest star in Lyra the Lyre, and it is almost at the zenith (about 70 degrees above the horizon). The other two stars in the Summer triangle are Deneb and Altair, both of which are east (to the left) of Vega; from a dark-sky site one can see the Milky Way inside the Triangle. The three stars make a rough right triangle with Altair at the southern end. 

Turning left – towards the north one will see the Big Dipper to the left (west) and slightly below Polaris, the pole star. Following the "pointers" (the two stars in the front of the bowl of the Dipper, Dubhe and Merak) to Polaris and continuing straight across you encounter Cepheus, the king, and just below Cepheus is the "W" shape of Cassiopeia, which will be low in the northeast. 

In the other direction, follow the handle of the big dipper and "arc to Arcturus" the brightest star in Boötes, the herdsman, and continuing downward you hit Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Turning south (to the left), one sees the bright red star Antares, the heart of Scorpius, and in darker sky locations looking up (north) from Scorpio one sees Ophiuchus the healer, with Sagittarius and its "teapot" shape to the left of Scorpius.

In the mid-southern latitudes one sees the stars of winter – darkness comes earlier. By 7 p.m. the sky is dark and the Southern Cross is high above the southern horizon, about 65 degrees. To the left of the Cross (east) is Alpha Centauri, also called Rigil Kentaurus, our nearest stellar neighbor. Further east and closer to the horizon is Scorpio, though upside-down (from the point of view of a northern hemisphere observer) and very high in the sky; Antares is a full 47 degrees in altitude by 7 p.m. 

In the southwest, the ship's keel, Puppis, is setting and marked by Canopus, about 20 degrees above the southwestern horizon. Canopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky after Sirius. In the same region of sky to the left (towards the south) are the Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Clouds, two satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. 

The first full day of summer 2024 ended with the ultimate cherry on top, or, in this case, a strawberry. The Strawberry Moon of 2024, the full moon for the month of June, rose across the world just after sunset last night, delighting stargazers across the world.

The Strawberry full moon gets its name from the Algonquin tribe of the northwestern United States, according to Space.com's list of full moon designations, but has also been recognized by other names, such as the Rose moon, in Europe. This year, the Strawberry Moon occurred one day after the June summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the first day of summer, leading some to dub it the Strawberry Solstice Moon.

The moon officially reached full illumination last night at 9:08 p.m. EDT  (0108 GMT on June 22), shining its face for skywatchers across the eastern U.S. and beyond as it climbed above the horizon westward. Taking advantage of the warm weather and exceptional display from our nearest celestial neighbor, photographers around the globe grabbed their cameras and gazed toward the skies to some amazing results.

In Athens, Greece, photographer Costas Baltas took advantaged of the iconic ruins of the Temple of Poseidon to capture the Strawberry Moon rising behind the ancient monument at Cape Sounion for the Anadolu and Getty Image news services.

Skywatcher Kevin McCarthy of Charlotte, North Carolina captured a stunning image of a orangish-pink full moon during the Strawberry Full Moon and seemed surprised by the moon's color. 

"The summer solstice Strawberry Moon rising through the trees as seen from Charlotte, North Carolina," McCarthy told Space.com in an email. "Color was not enhanced -- this was the natural color as seen with the naked eye."

In Fort Worth, Texas, skywatcher Matt Lantz went the video route, recording a stunning time-lapse of the the Strawberry Full Moon as it rose over the city. He shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) for all to enjoy.

"June's Strawberry Moon rising beautifully over the downtown skyline of Fort Worth, Texas," Lantz wrote in his post.

Related: Full moon calendar 2024: When to see the next full moon

Dan Martland, a New York City-based digital producer, managed to capture a series of captivating views of a ginormous red-hued Strawberry Moon as it rose behind the Empire State Building and other skyscrapers. 

"Tonight's Strawberry Moon risking over Midtown Manhattan," he wrote on X, where he shared the images.

Getty Images photojournalist Gary Hershorn did not wait until the official full moon date for the Strawberry Moon to start capturing amazing views. On June 20, the night before the event, he found they perfect spot to see the full moon rise behind the torch of the Statue of Liberty in New York City as seen from nearby Jersey City, New Jersey.

But Hershorn didn't stop there. On the actual night of the Strawberry Moon he ventured to Weehawken, New Jersey to find a clear view of the Empire State Building, with the full moon appearing to crown the NYC icon. 

While the Strawberry Moon marked the first full moon of summer for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth, for folks south of the equator it was the opposite. The June solstice marks the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere and photographer Robbie Pesiwarissa of Robbiesydney Photography was ready. 

"Full Moon over Sydney Tower Eye," Pesiwarissa wrote in an email to Space.com while sharing a stunning image of the full moon. "Strawberry Moon coincided with the winter solstice last night on Friday, 21 June, it was the 'shortest day of the year' in Sydney, Australia."

In Italy, photojournalist Manuel Romano watched the full moon rise over the ancient Tower of Roca Vecchia in Lecce to stunning effect. The tower is part of a Bronze Age settlement in southern Italy that was settled from the 17th to late 11th centuries BCE, according to the Archaeological Institute of America.

Remember Getty photography Gary Hershorn? He didn't just capture photos of the moon and NYC views. He spotted some moon gazers, too. Here, Hershorn captures the moment a group of skywatchers snapped a photo with the Empire State Building, Strawberry Moon and NYC skyline from Weehawken, New Jersey.

Skywatcher Lisa Shislowski almost missed the Strawberry Moon while observing at Fort Lauderdale Beach in Florida Friday night due to the bane of all stargazers: clouds. But, luckily, the moon pulled through.

"It was a beautiful evening in Fort Lauderdale Beach last night, and the Strawberry Full Moon did not disappoint," Shislowski told Space.com in an email while sharing her photo. "Even through the clouds, the full moon was just stunning."

The next full moon will be July's Full Buck Moon on July 21. 

If you are hoping to catch a look at the next full moon, these telescopes and binoculars are a great place to start, and our guides on how to photograph meteor showers, and the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography are great for shooting the night sky in general.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Strawberry Moon and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The new moon of June 2024 occurs tonight, making this a great night to get and enjoy a sky free from the glare of the moon.

New moons occur about every 28.5 days, as the moon passes between the sun and Earth on its journey around its orbit. More formally, a new moon is when the sun and moon share the same celestial longitude, a projection of the Earth's longitude lines on the sky. This is also known as a conjunction. 

The time of a new moon according to local clocks depends on when the moon gets to a certain point in its orbit; that means the hour changes with one's time zone; it is independent of one's latitude. The new moon occurs June 6, at 8:38 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1238 UTC), in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. The new moon is at 7:38 a.m. CDT on June 6 in Chicago, and 5:38 a.m. PDT in Los Angeles. In Europe and points east the new phase occurs later in the day; 1:38 p.m. in Paris, and 2:38 p.m. local time in Istanbul. 

Related: Night sky, June 2024: What you can see tonight [maps]

If the plane of the moon's orbit were exactly lined up with that of Earth's orbit, the moon would pass in front of the sun every month and create a solar eclipse (which would always be visible in the tropics). However, the moon's orbit is inclined to the plane of Earth's orbit by about five degrees; it will "miss" the sun this time. (The next solar eclipse is on Oct. 2 and will be visible in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and southern South America).

You can prepare for the next new moon with our guide on how to shoot the night sky. If you need imaging gear, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to make sure you're ready for the next eclipse.

And if you're looking for binoculars or a telescope to observe the stars or planets of the night sky, check out our guides for the best binoculars and best telescopes.

Visible planets

On the night of the New moon (June 6-7) the sun sets in New York at 8:24 p.m. local time; it will be similar to other mid-northern latitude cities such as Chicago (8:23 p.m.) and Sacramento (8:28 p.m.). 

The naked-eye planets won't be visible until after midnight; they are all "morning stars" in early June. The first to rise is Saturn, at 1:32 a.m. in New York; Saturn is in the constellation Aquarius, and will stand out as it is much brighter than the surrounding stars. Saturn will be at its highest in the sky by about 7 a.m.; but at sunrise it will be a full 37 degrees above the southeastern horizon. 

Mars follows at 3:01 a.m., and it will be below and to the left of Saturn. By sunrise, Mars will be about 27 degrees high in the east. Mars is in Pisces, the fish, another relatively faint group of stars that allows the red planet to stand out. 

Jupiter rises after that at 4:38 a.m. local time. Sunrise in New York is at 5:25 a.m. and Jupiter will only be about 8 degrees high, so catching it will require a clear view of the horizon and a clear sky. Mercury and Venus will be lost in the solar glare; they will emerge in the evening sky in July. 

In the mid-Southern Hemisphere latitudes June is the month of the winter solstice; the nights are longer; in Montevideo, for example (where the new moon is at 9:38 a.m. June 6) the sun sets at 5:40 p.m. local time. As the three visible planets are all currently below the celestial equator, they appear much higher in the sky than in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Saturn, for example, rises at 12:42 a.m. local time almost due east, followed by Mars, a bit further to the north, at 3:53 a.m. If one is facing northeast by 4:30 a.m. one will see Saturn a full 44 degrees high and Mars at 8 degrees. Jupiter rises at 6:39 a.m., a little more than an hour before sunrise which is at 7:47 a.m. on June 7; a half an hour before the sun comes up it is about 6 degrees high so, as for Northern Hemisphere sky watchers, it's a challenging target. Montevideo is at latitude 34 degrees south; the times for celestial bodies to rise and set will be similar in locations such as Cape Town and Sydney. 

Constellations

In mid-northern latitudes, it's close to the longest days of the year; skies don't get fully dark until about 9:00 p.m. in New York City or Chicago. By 10 p.m., looking west, one will see Leo the Lion moving towards the horizon; the constellation will be about a third of the way towards the zenith. Its brightest star, Regulus, will be at the bottom of the characteristic sickle or reversed question mark that is the Lion's head, and looking left and upwards one will reach Denebola, the end of the Lion's tail; look for a right triangle of stars with Denebola at the point on the left, and the right angle on the bottom to the right. 

As one turns eastward towards the south one sees Spica, the alpha star of Virgo the Virgin, about 36 degrees high and recognizable by its whitish hue compared to the more yellowish Denebola. 

In the East, one will see Vega, Altair and Deneb, the three stars of the Summer Triangle. The easiest to spot is Vega, or Alpha Lyrae, (the Lyre), the legendary instrument of Orpheus. It is the first of the three to rise and thus highest in the sky; it is bright enough to be distinct even in city locations. By 10 p.m. it is about 40 degrees high in the east-northeast. Look towards the horizon and to the left and one encounters Deneb, the tail of Cygnus the Swan, about 24 degrees high. Altair will be the one closest to the horizon (it may be obscured by buildings or trees) and nearly due east, about 10 degrees high. Altair is the brightest star in Aquila, the Eagle, and is often called the Eagle's eye, with the two fainter stars close on either side of it marking the bird's head. 

An asterism in the Swan is the Northern Cross; if one draws a line from Deneb to the right one encounters Sadr, the central part of the cross, and continuing the next bright star is Albireo, Cygnus' second-brightest star. The crossbeam of the cross goes through Sadr at a 90 degree angle. 

The Summer Triangle is also a good direction finder; the narrowest point of the triangle always faces southward, especially as it gets higher in the sky, much as another asterism, the Big Dipper points north. 

The Big Dipper, meanwhile, is part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. If one turns from the Summer Triangle to the left (northward) halfway across the sky, one will see the Big Dipper, west (to the left) of the North Star, Polaris. The Dipper is vertical, with the bowl pointing down and the top of it facing right. The two stars that point to Polaris, Dubhe and Merak, are on the lower side of the bowl, with Dubhe closer to Polaris. Opposite Polaris from the Dipper, and low in the northern sky, is the bright "W" shape of Cassiopeia, the queen of Aethiopia. Cassiopeia's husband, the king Cepheus, is visible right above Cassiopeia; Cepheus is a square topped by a triangle that points roughly towards Polaris. 

Following the handle of the Dipper one can "arc to Arcturus" –a sweeping motion along the curve of the handle gets you there, to the brightest star in Boötes, the Herdsman, high in the southwest, nearly at the zenith. Continuing on the "arc" one reaches Spica, in Virgo. Further to the left – now you're moving eastwards and towards the south – is Antares, a bright red star that is the "heart" of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Scorpius' claws are to the right of Antares and the rest of the body snakes towards the horizon; in some locations further north such as London or Montreal some parts of the constellation never rise; Scorpius doesn't get fully above the horizon in New York until about midnight. 

Above Scorpius from dark-sky sites is the fainter (but much larger) constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder or Healer. Ophiuchus can be recognized by a long trapezoid of medium-to-faint stars that extends above Scorpius; prior to midnight he will appear to be lying on his side. On either side of Ophiuchus are the constellations Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda, the head (Caput) and the tail (Cauda) of the serpents that Ophiuchus holds. 

If one draws a line between Arcturus and Vega, one encounters two constellations. One is Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, just to the east of Boötes, and east of that is the "keystone" – the four stars that make up the body of Hercules. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, the sky is dark enough to see stars by 7 p.m. in mid-southern latitudes. Looking west one can see Sirius, or Alpha Canis Majoris (the Big Dog), the brightest star in the sky, moving towards the horizon; with the other stars in the constellation it looks almost as if the dog is walking towards the west; in the southern latitudes the Dog is right-side-up as opposed to vertical as it is in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Turning towards the southwest one will see Canopus, the brightest star in the Carina the Ship's Keel, about 35 degrees above the horizon. Looking a bit east of south, at an altitude of about 60 degrees one can see the Southern Cross, a compact group (it happens to be the smallest of the 88 currently recognized constellations). Just to the left of it will be Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus), the brightest star in Centaurus the Centaur and the Sun's closest stellar neighbor. Alpha Centauri is usually seen as one of the Centaur's front hooves, and just above Alpha Centauri is a slightly less bright star Hadar, marking the other. 

Scorpius will be in the east-southeast about 25 degrees high, though in the Southern Hemisphere the Scorpion appears to be lying on its back; the "claws" are to the left and the tail is to the right.  

The South Celestial Pole is in the constellation Octans, the Octant. Octans is faint, and there is no southern "pole star," so one has to locate the pole uing a system of "pointers." The Southern is useful here; one draws a line along the two stars forming the center part of the Cross about five times the distance between  them and you reach the South Celestial Pole; another method is to use the Centaur and Eridanus the River, which rises after midnight at in mid-southern latitudes. One can draw a line from a point halfway between Hadar and Alpha Centauri to another bright star, Achernar, the end of the River. (Imagine a "T"). The south celestial pole is at the halfway point between the two constellations. 

The new moon of May 2024 will see the bright constellations of summer begin to rise just as those of winter sink below the horizon. The same night, Saturn, Mars and (for observers in more equatorial latitudes) Mercury will grace the predawn skies. 

The timing of lunar phases depends on the position of the moon relative to Earth, rather than one's position on the Earth's surface. This is why the time the new moon (or any other phase) happens is based on one's longitude and time zone.  

The new moon of May occurs on May 7 at 11:22 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (0322 UTC May 8), in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. While the moon reaches the new phase at nearly midnight in New York, it happens at 8:22 p.m. in Los Angeles. As one moves east the date moves to May 8; in Cape Town it is at 5:22 a.m., and in New Delhi it is at 8:52 a.m., while in Tokyo it is in the afternoon, at 1:22 p.m. 

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2024

The new moon phase happens when the moon is directly between Earth and the sun. During this phase, they share a celestial longitude, a projection of the Earth's longitude lines on the sky, in an arrangement also called a conjunction. 

If the sun and the moon line up perfectly the result is a solar eclipse; the next is due on Oct. 2. 

That does not happen most of the time, as the moon's orbit is slightly tilted – about 5 degrees – relative to the plane of Earth's orbit. So seeing the moon in its new phase won't be possible, because of the sun's glare and the fact that the moon is facing away from us; even if we could see it, we'd be looking at the dark side which would just be black on a black background.

Visible planets

On the day of the new moon, the sun sets at 7:59 p.m. in New York, per the U.S. Naval Observatory. As one moves north the sun sets later; moving south the opposite happens and it sets earlier; at this time of year the longer days that mark the Northern Hemisphere summer start to become readily apparent. For example in Seattle, which is only seven degrees of latitude north of New York City, the sun sets at 8:31 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Meanwhile in Miami it is at 7:56 p.m. local time. 

Sunset gets earlier as one moves south because in the tropics, meaning between latitudes 23.5 degrees north (the Tropic of Cancer) and 23.5 degrees south (the Tropic of Capricorn), the day length doesn't change much over the course of the year the way it does in more northerly or southerly regions. In those two latitudes the length of day is between about 10 hours and 40 minutes and 13 hours and 34 minutes; contrast this to cities such as Chicago, where the day is as long as 15 hours 31 minutes and as short as 9 hours 7 minutes. So as one gets closer to the equator as the summer approaches, the length of the day actually gets shorter and the sun appears to set earlier. 

In the wee hours of May 8, the first planet to rise is Saturn, at 3:25 a.m. local time in New York City. Mars follows at 4:08 a.m. Last is Mercury, which rises at 4:53 a.m. 

Saturn, in the constellation Aquarius, gets to an altitude of 16 degrees by about 5:00 a.m.; at which point the sky is getting light – sunrise in New York City is at 5:45 a.m.  Mars by that point is to the left of Saturn, 10 degrees above the horizon almost due east. Mercury is the hardest to spot; it will only reach 6 degrees of altitude by 5:30 a.m.; this will be the case for any location in the mid-northern latitudes (New York City, Denver, Chicago or Sacramento, for example). 

Seeing the complete planetary trio is easier as one moves towards the equator; the steeper angle the ecliptic (the plane of Earth's orbit projected on the sky) makes with the horizon the higher they get before sunrise (this is also the reason tropical sunsets and sunrises  tend to appear shorter). 

From Belize City, for example, sunrise is earlier – at 5:23 a.m. local time on May 8, but Saturn rises at 2:08 a.m. local time, Mars at 3:06 a.m., and Mercury at 4:03 a.m. That means that by 4:30 a.m. Saturn is 33 degrees high, Mars is at 20 degrees and Mercury is 6 degrees above the horizon – the latter an easier observing target than in much of the United States or Europe.  

Constellations

In mid-northern latitudes, summer approaches, and it doesn't get fully dark until about 9:00 p.m. local time in New York City or Chicago. The timing will differ somewhat depending on which side of the time zone one is on – Detroit, for example, is on the western side of the Eastern Time zone so the sun appears to set at 8:40 p.m., even though it is at nearly the same latitude as New York, and some locales don't use daylight savings time. 

At 9 p.m. the winter stars are making their exit. Castor and Pollux, marking the heads of the famous Twins (Gemini), will still be visible low in the west; Procyon, the bright star in the Little Dog (Canis Minor) will be below them and to the left. If one faces due south (with Gemini on your right) and looks about two thirds of the way up the sky, one sees Leo the Lion, with the constellation's alpha star, Regulus, at the bottom of the sickle-shaped group that marks the Lion's head. 

Looking north, one can orient with the Big Dipper, almost directly above the northern horizon, with the bowl upside down and the two stars that point to Polaris, the pole star, on the left side of the bowl. The stars are called Dubhe and Merak, and Dubhe is the one closer to Polaris – one finds Polaris by making a line between the two and continuing until one hits Polaris. 

Following the handle of the Dipper one can "arc to Arcturus" –a sweeping motion along the curve of the handle gets you there, to the brightest star in Boötes, the Herdsman. Continuing that arc one hits Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. If one draws a line between Dubhe and Merak away from Polaris one reaches Leo, the Lion. 

In the East, Vega, the alpha star of Lyra, the Lyre, is rising, about 10 degrees high by 9 p.m. local time. Vega is one of the three stars of the Summer Triangle, the others are Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus, the Swan, and Altair, the eye of the Eagle. The latter two will rise by about 11:30 p.m. and be high enough to see easily by midnight. The trio makes a rough right triangle whose narrowest point faces southward, so it is a good direction finder especially as it gets higher in the sky, much the Big Dipper can be used to orient northwards. 

By midnight, looking southeast, about 12 to 15 degrees high (depending on how far north or south one is) one will see Antares, the brightest star (the "heart") of Scorpius, the legendary scorpion that killed Orion, the Hunter. Looking above Antares one can see three medium-bright stars that form the head of the Scorpion. From darker-sky locations, above and to the left of Scorpius is the fainter (but much larger) constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder or Healer. 

Ophiuchus can be recognized by a long trapezoid of medium-to-faint stars that extends above Scorpius; initially (at about midnight) he will appear to be lying on his side. On either side of Ophiuchus are the constellations Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda, the head (Caput) and the tail (Cauda) of the serpents that Ophiuchus holds. Ophiuchus, also named Asclepius by the ancient Greeks, was the healer who brought Orion back to life after the Hunter was bitten by the Scorpion. 

In the southern hemisphere, winter is approaching. In Cape Town, for example, the sun sets early, at 5:58 p.m. local time on May 8. That means the sky gets dark enough to see stars by 7 p.m. Observers in mid-southern latitudes can see Orion and Gemini in the northwest near the horizon by that time; Orion will be horizontal with the three stars of the belt making a vertical line; Gemini will be to the right (north) of Orion – both will appear "upside down" relative to what a Northern Hemisphere observer would see; this means that stars like Sirius which is nearly at the horizon in New York or Miami is nearly 50 degrees high in the west. 

Turning left (southwards) one can see Canopus at about the same altitude as Sirius; it's the brightest star in Carina, the Ship's Keel. Continue turning eastwards and one sees – again at a similar altitude above the horizon -- the Southern Cross, and just below it is Alpha Centauri, also called Rigil Kentaurus (the "Rigel" of the Centaur). Alpha Centauri is brightest star in Centaurus the Centaur and the sun's closest stellar neighbor. Above Alpha Centauri is Beta Centauri, or Hadar. 

Scorpius – "upside down" from the point of view of Antipodeans – will be rising in the southeast lower to the horizon; it becomes fully visible by about 8 p.m. . A fainter constellation just above Scorpius and to the left (east) of Centaurus is Lupus, the Wolf. 

Carina is the Keel, as one looks to the right one sees the stars of Puppis, the Poop Deck. A wide circle of stars above Canopus is Vela, the Sail; its brightest star is Gamma Velorum, above and to the left of Canopus. Below and to the left of Canopus is the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky way. 

The South Celestial Pole, is in the constellation Octans, the octant (an octant is an old astronomical instrument). There's no southern "pole star" – Polaris' alignment with the North Celestial Pole is accidental. One way to locate the Pole is to use the "pointers" in Centaurus, Alpha and Beta Centauri. Draw a line from halfway between those two and another bright star, Achernar, the end of Eridanus, the River, which will be close to the horizon in the south-southwest. The halfway point marks the pole. 

The new moon occurs on April 8 at 2:21 p.m. EDT (1821 GMT) and will usher in a "Great American Eclipse" — the first total solar eclipse to hit the lower 48 states since August 2017.

This time, the eclipse track will run from southwest to northeast, starting in the Pacific Ocean, making landfall in Mexico, and going through San Antonio, Texas; Carbondale, Illinois (which was also in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse); Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo, New York; and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. 

New moons occur when the moon is directly between the sun and Earth; from the observer's point of view, the two bodies share the same celestial longitude, a projection of Earth's longitude lines on the sky. Most of the time, the moon passes a few degrees north or south of the sun in the sky, because the moon's orbit is slightly inclined to the plane of Earth's orbit. However, this time it will pass directly in front of the sun, creating a total solar eclipse. 

Related: Total solar eclipse 2024: Everything you need to know

Total solar eclipses aren't terribly rare — they happen approximately once every 18 months — but the track the moon's shadow makes is narrow. That means that the odds of being in the right place to observe a total solar eclipse by chance are small, and solar eclipses are only visible from any particular place on Earth at intervals of years; North America experiences one on average every 10 years or so, for instance. 

For those not lucky enough to be in the path of totality on April 8, a partial eclipse can be seen in an area that covers much of North America, so millions of people will be able to see the moon obscure part of the sun.  

But for those who aren't able to see the eclipse at all — those in the Eastern Hemisphere or South America — the night of the April new moon will offer some visible planets in the predawn sky and one in the evening. 

Visible planets 

On the night of April 8, after the sun sets, observers in mid-northern latitudes will see Jupiter in the western sky; it will likely be among the first "stars" to appear in the evening. From New York City Jupiter sets at 9:55 p.m. local time on April 8; sunset is at 7:28 p.m., with the planet starting to become visible at about 8 p.m. 

The next planets to rise will do so just before dawn. Mars and Saturn will be close together in the wee hours of the morning; from New York the first to rise is Mars at 5:08 a.m. EDT, and Saturn follows at 5:12 a.m. Sunrise is at 6:25 a.m. By civil dawn at 5:57 a.m., when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and the sky is getting light, Mars and Saturn are only about 8 degrees high, so the pair will be hard to spot without an unobstructed and clear horizon. (Your fist held at arm's length covers about 10 degrees of sky.) 

As one moves southward, the two planets appear higher by sunrise. For example, from Miami sunrise on April 9 is at 7:03 a.m. EDT, a bit later than in New York, but Mars and Saturn will appear somewhat higher by 6:40 a.m. (civil dawn) — about 14 degrees, because the angle between the ecliptic (the path the sun takes through the sky) and the horizon is steeper. The planets' positions get better as one goes farther south; from Bogota, Colombia, which is closer to the equator, Mars rises at 3:44 a.m. local time and Saturn rises at 3:46 a.m.; both planets are at about 24 degrees as the sky is getting lighter, even though sunrise is at 5:52 a.m. local time on April 9. 

Getting into the Southern Hemisphere, the two planets will be slightly north of east and will appear higher up; another advantage for antipodeans is that April is getting into the austral winter months when the nights are longer and sunrise is later in the day. From Sydney, Australia, Mars and Saturn will rise April 9 at 3:20 a.m. and 3:27 a.m. local time, respectively, and reach about 29 degrees by civil dawn at 5:48 a.m. (Sunrise is at 6:13 a.m. local time). 

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

Constellations

In early April, skywatchers in the mid-northern latitudes will see the bright winter constellations in the west in the evening; from New York, Chicago or San Francisco by about 8:30 p.m., when the sky is fully dark, Orion is in the southwest. One can still see the bright "winter hexagon" formed by (going counterclockwise) Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux and Procyon, with Betelgeuse at the center. 

As the winter constellations make their exit, looking southeast one can see Leo the Lion, with Regulus marking the Lion's chest and forequarters and Denebola the end of his tail. One way to spot Regulus is to look for the triangle formed by Sirius, the brightest star in the sky; Betelgeuse, which is Orion's right shoulder; and Procyon, the alpha star of the Little Dog, Canis Minor. Follow the line between Betelgeuse and Procyon eastward (to the left) and the next bright star is Regulus. One can also see above Regulus a distinctive sickle shape formed by five stars (the brightest of which is called Algeiba) that is the Lion's head and mane. Leo can also be identified by a rectangle of medium-bright stars that can still be seen even in lit cities and suburbs. The bottom side of the rectangle can be extended eastward to find Denebola.

Turning northward, the Big Dipper, part of Ursa Major the Great Bear, will be just about vertical, with the bowl facing to the left (north). By following the handle and making a sweeping curve, one can "arc to Arcturus" and see that star almost due east. Arcturus is the brightest star in Boötes, the Herdsman, and has a distinct orange color. One can also use the Dipper to find Regulus. Using the two stars that mark the back side of the bowl — nearest the handle — trace a line southward and the bright star on that line is Regulus. 

As the night progresses, one will see Virgo rise. To find her, one can use the same technique of "arc to Arcturus" and simply continue until one hits Spica, the bright white alpha star of Virgo. Spica will have risen by 8 p.m., but it will be much easier to spot about an hour later. 

Related: Night sky, April 2024: What you can see tonight [maps]

A fainter constellation to try and spot is the Hydra, whose brightest star, Alphard, lies between Procyon and Regulus and to the south of both, forming a triangle with the point facing south (toward the horizon). Alphard is fainter than Regulus and Procyon both; it is a yellowish color and sometimes washed out in city locations. The Hydra forms a line of stars that extends below the horizon; as one follows its snaking path one can sometimes see Crater, the Cup, if one has a dark sky. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, winter is approaching — April is an autumn month — and by 8 p.m. at the latitude of Cape Town or Melbourne the sun has fully set. Looking southeast, one will see the Southern Cross about halfway up the sky, and below it two bright stars. The one lower to the horizon is Alpha Centauri, otherwise known as Rigil Kentaurus, and just above it is Hadar. Both are part of the Centaur, which represents Chiron, who tutored the legendary Greek heroes Heracles, Theseus and Jason. 

Looking just to the southwest, close to the horizon is Achernar, which marks the end of Eridanus, the River. From mid-southern latitudes it never sets — it's circumpolar. Looking straight above Achernar, the next really bright star one sees is Canopus, or Alpha Carinae. Canopus is in Carina, the Ship's Keel. To the right of Carina is Canis Major, and to its left a large circle of stars that is Vela, the Sail. The Ship, the Sail, and the constellation Puppis, the Poop Deck, which adjoin each other, all represent the Argo, the famous ship Jason sailed with the Argonauts. 

The last half moon of 2023 will shine tonight (Dec. 19).

The now seven-day-old moon will be over half-lit in its first quarter phase, shining fairly brightly in the Pisces constellation. It will be 55% illuminated and is beginning to wax toward December's Full Cold Moon, which falls this year on Dec. 26. The moon will be visible in the east when it rises at roughly 12:30 local time until it sets just after midnight on Wednesday (Dec. 20).

Joining the moon in the night sky tonight will be a bright Jupiter, shining pale yellow just to the east of the moon. And to the west of the moon by roughly the same distance will be Saturn, much dimmer than Jupiter but nonetheless offering skywatchers the chance to see the solar system's two largest planets on either side of our companion in the night sky.

Related: Night sky, December 2023: What you can see tonight

During the half-lit moon tonight, our planet's natural satellite will hang in the Pisces constellation. Named for the Latin word for "fishes," Pisces is one of the largest constellations of the night sky but is fairly dim, making many of its stars difficult to see with the unaided eye or near urban areas.

As seen in the sky, Pisces is usually depicted as two fish swimming at right angles to one another, attached by a cord or string. According to Greek mythology, the fish themselves represent the goddess Aphrodite and her son, Eros, who both turned into fish and jumped into the Euphrates River to escape the monster Typhon. 

Pisces is located adjacent to two other water-related constellations: Aquarius, the water-carrier and Cetus, known as either the whale or the sea monster.

After tonight's meetup with the fishes of Pisces, the moon will begin setting later each day leading up to the full moon, becoming visible for more of the night. On Dec. 26, the Full Cold Moon will rise almost in parallel with the setting of the sun, remaining visible throughout the entire night until the sun rises the next morning. That's because during a full moon, the sun and the moon are positioned on opposite sides of Earth, leading to the fully illuminated face of the moon we see.

As an avid moonwatcher myself, I find there's nothing better than gazing up at the moon through a telescope or binoculars and seeing the craters and mountain ranges up close, particularly during a half-lit quarter phase like tonight when the contrast created by the "lunar terminator" (the boundary line between night and day on the moon) really brings out stunning details of the lunar surface. 

If you want to get a good look at what the lunar surface has to offer as seen from your own backyard, garden or wherever you can see the sky, don't miss our guides on the best binoculars and best telescopes to help you choose the right optics for you.

If you're looking to snap a photo of the moon at first quarter or any other phase, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon. And if you don't have everything you need to photograph the night sky, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Tonight's new moon makes this is a perfect night to get out and take in the night sky.

The new moon occurs on November 13, at 5:57 a.m. Eastern Time (0927 GMT), per the U.S. Naval Observatory; a day later the moon will make a difficult to observe pass by Mercury. 

The new moon occurs when the moon is between the sun and Earth; strictly speaking it shares the same celestial longitude as the sun; it reaches this position approximately every 29.5 days. Celestial longitude is a projection of the Earth's longitude lines on the celestial sphere; when two bodes share the same longitude that is called a conjunction. If one draws a line from Polaris, the North Star, due south toward the sun, that line also goes through the moon. Timing of lunar phases depends on the position of the moon relative to Earth, so the differences is when a lunar phase occurs depends on one's time zone.  

Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

New moons are invisible unless they pass directly in front of the sun, making a partial or total solar eclipse. Such an alignment occurred in October; the first solar eclipse visible in the U.S. since 2017. 

In this case, the moon will do what it does most of the time, and pass by the sun without blocking any of its light. The reason new moons don't create eclipses every month is because the moon's orbit is slightly inclined to the that of Earth's, so the three bodies aren't always perfectly lined up. 

Visible (and invisible) planets 

On the night of the November new moon, the sun sets in New York at 4:40 p.m. local time. With the sun setting relatively early, by 6 p.m. one will be able to see Jupiter and Saturn. Saturn will appear almost due south; the planet sets at 11:57 p.m. Saturn will not be especially high in the sky for mid-northern latitudes; from New York City (at 40 degrees N) it is about 35 degrees above the horizon – approximately a third of the way to the zenith (straight up). 

Jupiter, meanwhile, will be in the eastern sky, about 21 degrees high. Jupiter reaches its highest point, called transit, at 10:54 p.m. when it is a full 62 degrees above the horizon, making it an easy target for small telescopes and binoculars as well as naked-eye viewing. The planet sets at 5:43 a.m. 

Mars and Mercury are currently both lost in the solar glare. But Venus is a prominent morning star; on the night of the new moon (Nov. 13) the planet rises at 2:49 a.m. in New York and by sunrise (at 6:40 a.m. local time) the planet is 40 degrees above the southeastern horizon. Venus is bright enough that it is visible even when the stars have largely faded; from Manhattan, for example, one can look southeast and see it almost immediately as the sky gets brighter. 

Southern Hemisphere sky watchers will see Jupiter and Saturn higher in the sky; while the sun sets later (as we approach the austral summer months) the increased altitude means they are visible longer. For example, in Buenos Aires, where the new moon occurs at 6:27 a.m. local time on Nov. 13, the sun sets at 7:34 p.m. and the sky is fully dark by 9 p.m. At that point Saturn has already moved to the northwest, and it is 60 degrees above the horizon. The planet sets at 2:15 a.m. Nov. 14. Jupiter rises just over an hour before sunset at 6:25 p.m. local time and sets at 5:18 a.m., so it is visible almost all night. At 9 p.m. it is in the northeast, 27 degrees high. 

The one-day-old moon will be in conjunction with Mercury on Nov. 14 at 9:39 a.m. Eastern Time, passing just 1 degree and 39 minutes south of the moon. From Northern Hemisphere locations the pair will be too close to the horizon to see – in New York they won't be more than 2 degrees above the horizon at dusk, according to in-the-sky.org – at sunset Mercury's altitude is only 5 degrees (about the width of an extended fist). 

To see the moon in conjunction one has to go further south; the conjunction won't be readily observable until one gets to latitudes of cities like Bogota, Colombia, where at sunset (5:38 p.m. local time) Mercury is 12 degrees high in the southwest; the planet won't be visible for at least another fifteen minutes, but by that time it is only 9 degrees high. In the Southern Hemisphere the situation improves slightly; from Melbourne, Australia, for example, the moon and Mercury are about 8 degrees high by 8:30 p.m. local time (sunset is at 8:08 p.m.) and they both set by 9:21 p.m. 

Stars and constellations 

November is when the winter constellations of the Northern Hemisphere become more prominent in the late evening and early morning hours; it's the time of year when Orion, Taurus and Gemini, to name three, are visible essentially all night long. By 8:00 p.m. in mid-northern latitudes in the northeast one can see Capella, the brightest star in Auriga the Charioteer, getting higher each day. Just south of Auriga (to the right of it earlier in the night) is Taurus, the bull, and from a dark sky location one can see the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters making a rough triangle with Capella and Aldebaran. 

Above Auriga is Perseus, the legendary hero. By 9 p.m. Orion's belt is above the horizon and one can see the three stars – Alnilam, Alnitak, and Mintaka, going from east to west (when they are close to the horizon the line of stars appears almost vertical, with Alnilam at the bottom). An hour later Gemini has also risen fully above the eastern horizon, and at about 11 p.m. Canis Major, the Big Dog, which contains the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is rising. 

The Northern Hemisphere winter stars are a bright group; by 11 p.m. one can see several bright stars forming a rough ring around Betelgeuse, the right shoulder of Orion (as viewed from the ground). The bottom part of the ring would be Sirius, and if one looks to the left one sees another bright bluish white star, Procyon, which marks Canis Minor, the Little Dog. Further left and up is Pollux, the head (and namesake) of one of the Twins. Straight up from Pollux is Capella, and to the right of Capella and slightly downward is Aldebaran.

In the Southern Hemisphere, sky watchers will see the nights getting shorter – November is late spring there. In Melbourne the sky is fully dark by 10 p.m. on Nov. 13. In the east one can see the foot of Orion, Rigel, rising (constellations are "upside down" there) and to the right (southwards) one sees Sirius. In the southeast, about 27 degrees high, is Canopus, the brightest star in Carina, the Ship's Keel. Just west of south is Rigil Kentaurus, otherwise known as Alpha Centauri, only 13 degrees above the horizon. To the left is the Southern Cross, which is nearly set. 

From just next to Rigel one can start tracing Eridanus the River, which winds across the southern skies towards the zenith, ending at Achernar, which is a full 65 degrees high in the southeast. If one looks to the right of Achernar one can see another bright star, Fomalhaut, which is the brightest star in the Southern Fish, Piscis Austrinus, which hugs the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere but can get quite high in the Southern, a full 73 degrees high.  

If you want to get an up-close look at the stars or planets during the new moon or any other time, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

And if you're looking to take photos of the moon or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon or how to photograph planets, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

The steel skeleton of the world's largest visible- and infrared-light telescope is illuminated by the rising full moon in a new photo from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). 

Construction of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is underway on Cerro Armazones in Chile's Atacama Desert, with the monster telescope expected to see its "first light" by 2028. ESO recently shared a spooky new photo of the telescope's progress in honor of Halloween.

"In this image –– a throwback to a famous scene in [the 1982 movie] 'E.T.' –– we see the steel skeleton of the telescope dome eerily illuminated under the moonlight," ESO officials said in a statement. "It now stands at a towering 80 meters [262 feet] high; when completed, the whole structure will rotate 360 degrees to observe the night sky, all while weighing 6,100 tonnes — about as heavy as 1,500,000 pumpkins." 

Related: Scientists bury time capsule to celebrate upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (photos)

At 120 feet (39.3 m) wide, the ELT will be the largest telescope in the world for visible and infrared light. (There are larger radio telescopes out there.) It will house five separate mirrors, the largest of which will be made up of 798 individual hexagonal segments.  

In the recent ESO photo, the moon appears ginormous behind the telescope dome perched high up on Cerro Armazones, a mountain that's 9,993 (3,046 m) tall. This is the result of an optical effect called the moon illusion, which causes the moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky.

The photo was taken on Oct. 28, the same day that millions of people in Europe, Africa, Asia and parts of Australia enjoyed a lunar eclipse. ESO officials took the photo from about 12 miles (20 kilometers) away — close to the entrance of the Paranal Observatory, which is home to ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). 

"It's not every day that the moon is positioned so perfectly behind the mountaintop, so an event was carefully planned by the Paranal Photo Club to capture the moment," ESO officials said in the statement. "Not only does the moon cycle through different phases — new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter — as it orbits around Earth every 27.3 days, but its position on the horizon and the time at which it rises change over time as well." 

That's why the ESO team had to plan the photo op just right. In the new image, which was released on Oct. 30, the moon is rising in the night sky, with just a sliver still tucked beneath the Cerro Armazones mountain. The telescope dome and construction cranes appear dwarfed by the bright, golden full moon. 

While the moon appears extremely large in the new photo, it's really just an optical illusion: the moon is playing a trick (or treat) on our mind, otherwise known as the moon illusion. Viewers experience this when looking at the moon while it is setting or rising compared to when it is higher up in the sky. However, the moon never actually changes in size; it's just a shift in our perception of how far away the moon really is and how big we expect it to be at that distance.   

The moon passed through part of Earth’s shadow in a partial lunar eclipse visible to potentially millions of stargazers across the Eastern Hemisphere on Saturday, offering an early skywatching treat days before Halloween. 

The partial lunar eclipse of Oct. 28, the last of four eclipses of 2023 - two each of the moon and sun - occurred during October's Full Hunter's Moon, offering the spooky sight of part of the moon disappearing as it was engulfed in the darkness of Earth's shadow.

The lunar eclipse was only from the night side of Earth as our planet moved between the moon and sun. Skywatchers with clear skies could see the event from countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and parts of Australia. Some observers in select states in the U.S., like New York, Alaska, and North Carolina, were also able to catch the end stages of the eclipse. For everyone else, several livestream webcasts of the lunar eclipse showed online views from TimeandDate.com as well as from Ceccano, Italy by the Virtual Telescope Project.

TimeandDate.com captured stunning video of the entire lunar eclipse, with telescopes spread across three continents in regions like Bergen, Norway, Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Perth, Australia. 

Near the end of the eclipse, the telescope from Norway captured a truly spectacular sight: the fading lunar eclipse with the brilliant planet Jupiter in to the upper right of the moon.

In Dubai, nearly 200 spectators gathered at the Al Thuraya Astronomy center in Mushrif Park to watch the lunar eclipse with the Dubai Astronomy Group, which webcast its views in TimeandDate.com's livestream. 

"Lots of children came to see this event. We are very excited and nobody is on their phone, which is incredible, just everyone just looking up at the moon," Khadijah Ahmad, operations manager of the Dubai Astronomy Group, said during the livestream. "We have about eight telescopes set up downstairs and the public are all over these telescopes observing and taking pictures."

Cloudy weather in London, England wasn't enough to ruin the view for one skywatcher.

"My clouds parted just in time for the climax at at 9:14 pm in London," wrote one observer, who goes by Epiphany and @FunkyAppleTree on X, formerly known Twitter, while sharing stunning photos. "Thrilled."

Another observer in Delhi, India, was amazed as well. 

"Omg. 1st time in [my] life I tried & luckily watched [a] very clear lunar eclipse in Delhi," wrote Shweta @imshwetta on X. "Partial moon covered in black."

Here are a some more amazing views from eclipse watchers on X who tracked the lunar eclipse from around the world. 

In Italy, photojournalist  Lorenzo Di Cola of NurPhoto and Getty Images captured this view of the lunar eclipse from L'Aquila, Italy, showing the Earth's shadow on the moon from a different vantage point. 

Saturday's partial lunar eclipse began at 2:01 p.m. EDT (1901 GMT) and was expected to last about 4.5 hours, ending at 6:26 p.m. EDT (2226 GMT). It was a partial eclipse because at the time of the event, the moon only partially moved into the darkest part of Earth's shadow  — called  the umbra.  

This was the last lunar eclipse of 2023. The next one will occur on March 24, 2024, but will be be less impressive, with the moon passing only through the Earth's outer shadow, which scientists call the penumbra. That eclipse will be visible from North America and is a preview for a truly spectacular total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, which will be visible from Mexico, the United States and Canada.

If you are plan to observe the Full Hunter's Moon of October, our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars are a great place to start when looking for skywatching gear.

If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Hunter's Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The summer of 2023 has been a treat for full moon fans. Since July, we've seen four supermoons in a row, including the rare Super Blue Moon Moon of August and this weekend, the final supermoon of the year, the Harvest Moon of September, gave skywatchers the final lunar thrill of the season. 

When the moon is at or near its perigee, the closest point in its orbit with Earth, it can appear as much as 30% brighter and 14% larger in the sky, though it's typically hard to spot for casual full moon observer. When this occurs, it's called a supermoon. 

September's full moon on Sept. 29 is also known as the Harvest Moon, reflective of the start of harvest season in the Northern Hemisphere, and was the fourth in a series of supermoons that began in July (with two in August due to the Blue Moon).This year has been an especially fortunate year for supermoon lovers, with a yearlong wait ahead before one will rise again. The next supermoon won't occur until the next Harvest Moon in September 2024. 

To capture the event for Space.com, I headed out to the roof a downtown parking garage. which offered the perfect vantage point to see the moon through some metal scaffolding on an adjacent roof in Bloomington, Indiana. But perhaps a more breathtaking view occurred later that evening from the bridge across Bloomington's Lake Monroe, where the moon graced the water with its reflection as it rose Friday night, sending shimmering ripples as nearby boats headed to the ports to dock for the night.

September full moon 2023 guide: The Super Harvest Moon joins Jupiter and Saturn

Though the supermoon's difference in size is not always apparent to someone prone to occasional glances at the moon, astute observers – especially those eyeing through binoculars or a telescope – can see the difference. 

This week's full moon peaked at 5:57 a.m. EDT (0957 GMT) Friday, Sept. 29, according to In the Sky, and remained incredibly full and bright when it rose again Friday, through the night and into Saturday morning. 

As the Harvest supermoon sailed across the September skies, photographers around the world took advantage of the added lighting, and shot some great photos for 2023's final supermoon.

"I used two telescopes to capture this super detailed shot of the Full Harvest Moon right as it cleared the clouds," astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the full moon. "I live for these moments."

In Germany, fairgoers at the annual Oktoberfest festival in Munich got a stunning view of the full Harvest Moon while swinging on a seated carousel ride and was captured by photographer Christof Stache of the AFP for Getty Images.

Sometimes, more earthly sights can amplify our view of the full moon. Matt Lantz captured this stunning view of the Harvest Moon setting behind a mesquite tree early on Friday in Parker County, Texas.

Patience is always key in astrophotography and it is on full display in this stunning composition of 14 different images of the Harvest Moon rising over Calascio, Italy. Photographer Lorenzo Di Cola of NurPhoto for Getty Images captured the images and assembled into a single mosaic to show the moon's rising in stages.

Di Cola had a picturesque backdrop to observe the Harvest Moon. In addition to his mosaic image, he also captured a stunning view of the full moon rising behind Rocca Calascio castle and Santa Maria della Pietà church in Calascio.

Full moons can often light up the night sky. But skywatcher Olly Griffin combined that night light with one of a more human-built kind to snap a stunning view of the Harvest Moon shining over Poolberg Lighthouse in Dublin, Ireland.

If you are hoping to catch a look at the Harvest Moon, our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars are a great place to start.

If you’re looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph meteor showers, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Harvest Moon and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical "Skyscapes" that connect both Earth and the night sky. 

When the only Blue Moon of 2023 rose over Portugal this summer, it offered a serene view for one astrophotographer who watched it all from a regal site. 

This view, captured by photographer Miguel Claro, shows the orange-hued Blue Moon of Aug. 30, 2023 as it rose over Monsaraz castle at the Dark Sky Alqueva reserve in Portugal. The  image is just one moment in a stunning time-lapse video captured by Claro during the spectacular moon event. You can check out that video below.

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023
Read more: How to photograph the moon using a camera

Contrary to its name, a Blue Moon is not actually blue. That moniker is given to the second full moon in a month (as the Aug. 30 full moon was) or the third of four full moons in a single season.  

Supermoons, meanwhile, occur when a full moon approximately coincides with the moon reaching its perigee, or a point in its orbit at which it is closest to Earth. This can make the moon slightly appear larger and brighter than usual.

The Super Blue Moon of Aug. 30 was a rare meeting of both phenomena, and one that won't be repeated for decades. The next time it will happen will be in 2037, NASA has said.

If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight on your own. 

To see more of Miguel Claro's work, please see his website or follow his stories on Instagram at www.instagram.com/miguel_claro .

Editor's Note: If you snap your own photos of the moon and would like to share them with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The moon will be in its last quarter phase tonight, with the lunar face half-illuminated by the light of the sun. 

During this lunar phase, the moon will appear in the Taurus constellation, offering skywatchers an opportunity to hunt for some of the Bull's more prominent celestial objects.

From New York City, the last quarter moon will be visible shortly after it rises around 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT on Sept. 7). The half-lit moon will be visible all through the night and next morning until just before it disappears below the horizon at around 2:26 p.m. EDT (1826 GMT) on Thursday (Sept. 7), according to In the Sky.

Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

The last quarter phase falls exactly halfway between the fully illuminated full moon and the completely dark new moon in the 29.5-day lunar cycle. Since the last full moon  —  the Blue Moon which rose on Aug. 30  —  the illuminated portion of the lunar face has been receding, which astronomers call "waning." The waning of the moon will be completed on Sept. 14 when the new moon rises, signaling the start of a new lunar cycle.

Between the full moon and the new moon, our planet's natural satellite will also rise and set around an hour later each day. That means whereas the full moon rose with the setting sun and set with the rising sun, the new moon will rise and set with the sun, and it is thus absent for most of the night. 

After the new moon, the moon will continue setting and rising an hour later each day, but the illuminated side of the lunar face will grow  —  called "waxing" by astronomers  —  leading to the next full moon, the Harvest Moon on Friday, Sept. 29. 

Before the moon gets to that phase, however, it will once again reach a half-lit phase in its cycle  —  called the first quarter moon. This will be a mirror image of Wednesday's last quarter moon, with the opposite side of the lunar face illuminated and the moon rising at around midday and setting at around midday rather than rising around midnight and setting around midday as it will mid-week this week.

Some of the observing targets in Taurus that the moon will be close to during the last quarter phase include the "Bull's eye," the star Aldebaran (or Alpha Tauri), a red giant star located around 65 light-years from Earth. "Aldebaran" means "follower" in Arabic and the star gets this name because it follows the famous star cluster the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, over the horizon.

On Wednesday, this bright star open cluster that contains thousands of hot blue stars will rise at around 10:08 p.m. EDT (0208 GMT) and will set the next day, according to In the Sky. 

If you are hoping to catch a look at the moon alongside some of the stars of the Taurus constellation, our guide to best binoculars are a great place to find some wide-angle optics for on-the-go or at home. 

But if you want to look at either one up close, check out our guides to the best telescopes or the best budget telescopes.

And you're looking to snap photos of the moon or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the last quarter moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Super Blue Moon — one of the biggest and brightest moons of the year — rose on Aug. 30; inspiring skywatchers around the world to reach for their cameras and capture some incredible photographs. 

The Super Blue Moon rose over the eastern horizon in the Aquarius constellation just after sunset tonight at around 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT). It then set just before sunrise on Thursday, Aug. 31 at around 06:46 EDT (1046 GMT). 

The latest full moon is referred to as a Blue Moon, a term that can represent one of two things: Either the third full moon in a season that has four full moons; or, more commonly, the second of two full moons that fall in a calendar month. And similar to the previous full moon on Aug. 1, this Blue Moon was a "supermoon," a popular term for a full moon that occurs when our natural satellite is closer to Earth, making it appear just slightly larger and brighter in the sky.

Related: Supermoon secrets: 7 surprising big moon facts

Here we've rounded up some of the best Super Blue Moon photos from around the world.  

Below, the Super Blue Moon rises above the Apollo Temple in ancient Corinth, Greece.

The Super Blue Moon rising behind the Royal Liver Building, Liverpool, U.K. 

Amateur photographer Soumyadeep Mukherjee, based in Kolkata, India, captured two remarkable photos of the Super Blue Moon. 

"Regarding the moonrise image, I had planned it earlier with the help of a photo planning app, however, I was not sure about the weather." Mukherjee told Space.com in an email. "The weather did turn out to be a bit hazy with scattered clouds, but I was happy that I was able to get the shot."  

"For the image of the moon and Saturn, it wasn't planned. The sky was still cloudy, but this time, it actually helped with the soft glow of moon and Saturn." Mukherjee continued. 

In the dramatic image below, the rare Blue Moon rises behind 'The Victor' ('Pobednik' in Serbian) monument in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Super Blue Moon looks delightful as it rises behind the 'Tianjin Eye' Ferris wheel on August 30, 2023, in Tianjin, China.

In the image below the Super Blue Moon rises over the Statue of Liberty in New York, U.S.

Below is a stunning time-lapse image captured by Sergio Conceiçao showing the Super Blue Moon over the Juromenha Fortress, in Alentejo, Portugal.

"For many years the fortress was abandoned, with some parts of the monument even collapsing," Conceiçao told Space.com in an email. 

Conceiçao started planning this image about a year ago. The time-lapse was created with a separation of 2.5 minutes. 

"In honor of the monument and also to all those who are contributing to its recovery, it was possible to create this image", Conceiçao continued.

In the image below, the Full Moon rises above buildings in Havana, Cuba.

The Super Blue Moon as seen in the sky over the Albert Hall Museum, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

Baseball fans will enjoy this photo of the almost full moon photobombing Alex Cobb #38 of the San Francisco Giants pitching against the Cincinnati Reds, in the fifth inning at Oracle Park on Aug. 29, 2023.

The Super Blue Moon also paid the Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes a visit at PayPal Park on August 30, 2023, in San Jose, California, U.S.

José Zarcos Palma caught this remarkable composition image of the Super Blue Moon above Mina S. Domingos, Mertola, Portugal.

Palma told Space.com he had set two personal requirements for this image: 

1. A subject to catch the eye in the foreground in this case, the little village.

2. A subject less distracting for middle ground in this case the windmills and the moon as the main subject covering most of the background.

"After a local search and using Google Earth and planning the shot with Photo Pills I came up with this image that reflects the beauty of this outstanding astronomical event," Palma told Space.com in an email.

The shots of the moon were stacked and blended with the foreground using Photoshop and the image of the foreground was captured later.

Below, the rare supermoon rises over the Roca Vecchia Tower in Roca Vecchia, Lecce, Italy, on August 30, 2023.

Below, the full moon shines above the July 15 Martyrs Bridge (Bosphorus Bridge) in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The Super Blue Moon behind a Ferris wheel at Stokes Hill Wharf in the Northern Territory capital city of Darwin, Australia. 

The Full Moon shines low in the sky over the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

The rare Full Moon shines brightly above the Golden Gate Bridge, in San Francisco, California, U.S.

The Full Blue Supermoon peeks out from behind the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt on Aug. 31.

Allen Berman captured this 1.5-second exposure of the Super Blue Moon next to the spinning Ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier, California, U.S. 

"The Ferris wheel is famous for its solar-powered LED light displays. I thought this would be a festive take on tonight’s beautiful moon." Berman told Space.com in an email.

If all this full moon content has inspired you to take a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.

If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight on your own. 

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of the moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.  

Update for Aug. 31: The Blue Moon put on quite a show around the world last night. Don't miss our gallery full of incredible photographs of the last Blue Moon until 2037.

August is almost over, but it still has a rare event to deliver to skywatchers in the form of a second full moon. 

The full moon that rises on Wednesday, Aug. 30, will be a special one too, the unification of a supermoon and a Blue Moon, a "Super Blue Moon." The moon won't appear particularly blue at this time, however. The term "Blue Moon" has nothing to do with color, instead referring to either two moons occurring in the same calendar month (as in this case), or the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. A supermoon, meanwhile, refers to a full moon that occurs when the moon is closer to Earth in its orbit, resulting in a slightly larger and brighter appearance. 

According to In the Sky, from New York City, August's second full moon will begin rising over the eastern horizon in the Aquarius constellation just after sunset tonight at around 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT). The Super Blue Moon will then set just before sunrise on Thursday, Aug. 31 at around 06:46 EDT (1046 GMT).

And if weather is poor in your area, no need to fret: You can watch the Super Blue Moon with a free livestream hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project.

Related: August Super Blue Moon guide 2023: The biggest and brightest moon of the year snuggles up to Saturn

• What time is the Super Blue Moon of 2023?
• The rare Super Blue Moon rises tonight and you can watch it online for free

The exact moment of the full moon is defined as the moment at which it is exactly opposite the sun. For the Super Blue Moon, this 180-degree separation from the sun with happen at around 21:36 EDT (0336 on Thursday, Aug. 31), according to NASA, and this is when it will be at its biggest and brightest.

Following the full moon on Wednesday, the moon will rise and set an hour later each night and the illuminated side of the moon will shrink or "wane." This leads to the next new moon on Thursday, Sept. 14, at which time the moon will be completely dark and will rise and set with the sun, meaning it is completely absent from the night sky. The new moon will mark the beginning of the next 29.5-day lunar cycle. Roughly two weeks after this will be the next full moon, September's Full Corn Moon. Falling on Sept. 29, this will be the fourth supermoon in 2023, and will also be the final supermoon of this year.

Supermoons happen because the moon's orbit around Earth is an oval or an elliptical shape rather than being perfectly circular. As a result, there are times during the moon's orbit when it is further away  —  at apogee  —  and times when it is closer  —  at perigee. The distance between Earth and the moon at perigee increases by around 14% compared to its distance at apogee, changing from around 253,000 miles (408,000 kilometers) away to around 220,000 miles (350,000 kilometers) away. 

This 14% increase in proximity may sound substantial, but it doesn't make much difference to how the moon appears to the untrained eye, though it is technically larger and brighter in the night sky.

Super Blue Moon coincidences are rare, with NASA saying that they occur on average once every decade. Despite this, a Super Blue Moon could happen twice within the same month, or there could be as long as two decades between one Super Blue Moon and the next.

According to In the Sky, the next supermoon will be on Sept. 18, 2024. This will be the first of two supermoons next year and will be followed by a second supermoon a month later on Oct. 17, 2024. 

If you're like us here at Space.com and enjoy looking at the moon up close, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start to help you get the optics you need to see features of the lunar surface in detail.

And if you're looking to snap photos of these celestial objects or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Super Blue Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Super Blue Moon of 2023 is just a day away.

On Wednesday (Aug. 30), one of the biggest and brightest moons of the year will rise. This full moon is referred to as a Blue Moon, a term that can represent one of two things: Either the third full moon in a season that has four full moons; or, more commonly, the second of two full moons that fall in a calendar month. And just like the previous full moon on Aug. 1, this Blue Moon will also be a "supermoon," a popular term for a full moon that occurs when our natural satellite is closer to Earth, making it appear just slightly larger in the sky.

After sunset on Wednesday, this Super Blue Moon will rise in the east, as seen from New York City. But if conditions happen to be poor for moonwatching in your area, you're in luck: The Virtual Telescope Project hosted by astronomer Gianluca Masi of Rome, Italy will host a free livestream of the event starting at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 (0330 GMT on Aug. 31). Watch it here at Space.com, courtesy of the project, or on the project's YouTube channel.

Related: August Super Blue Moon guide 2023

• What time is the Super Blue Moon of 2023?
• The last Super Blue Moon until 2037 rises tonight. Here's how to see it

Because the moon's cycle takes 29.5 days to complete, there are technically 12.4 full moons every 365 days; that means every 2.8 years on average, there are 13 full moons in 12 months. That's not an exact average, though. Prior to this year's Blue Moon, the last time such an event occurred was on Aug. 22, 2021; the next one will take place on Aug. 19, 2024.

This Blue Moon is commonly referred to as a "supermoon" due to its distance from Earth at the time of full moon. Because the moon's orbit is elliptical, or oval-shaped, there are times when it is closer to Earth than others. When full moons occur while the moon is near its closest point to Earth (known as perigee), the moon can appear up to 14% larger in the sky. Though that size change is not quite enough to be noticeable to most skywatchers, it is enough to make these moons visibly brighter and worth making time to see in the night sky. 

These enlarged moons used to be referred to as perigean full moons, until the term "supermoon" caught on roughly a decade ago. Supermoons, while not a monthly occurrence, aren't exactly rare; they can happen anywhere from two to five times a year. In fact, almost 25% of all full moons are supermoons, according to NASA.

A so-called "Super Blue Moon," the combination of a Blue Moon and a supermoon, happens less frequently. While it's possible for there to be two Super Blue Moons in one month, the average time between them is 10 years and they can be separated by as much as 20 years, according to NASA. The next Super Blue Moon won't occur until 2037, when two will actually occur relatively close together — one in January and another in March.

Joining the Super Blue Moon in the sky will be Saturn, also coming off its biggest and brightest appearance of 2023. The ringed planet will be just above and to the right of the moon, although spotting it might be difficult due to the glare of the bright, full moon.

If you are hoping to catch a look at the Super Blue Moon, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

If you're looking to snap photos of the Super Blue Moon or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Super Blue Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The next full moon will rise on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and it will be one of the brightest and largest moons of 2023. 

The term "Blue Moon" has nothing to do with color, but since the 1940s has commonly referred to the second of two full moons that fall in a calendar month; thus, Wednesday's full moon is defined as a Blue Moon because it is the second full moon of August. Just like August's first full moon, the Sturgeon Moon on Aug. 1, the Blue Moon will also be a supermoon, meaning it will occur during a period when the moon is closer to the Earth, making it appear almost imperceptibly larger in the sky.

Related: August's rare Super Blue Moon, the biggest full moon of 2023, rises Aug. 30

•  The rare Super Blue Moon rises tonight and you can watch it online for free 
•  The last Super Blue Moon until 2037 rises tonight. Here's how to see it 

What time is the Super Blue Moon of 2023?

According to In the Sky, the Super Blue Moon will rise just after sunset at 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) on Wednesday from the eastern horizon. This will not be when it is at its biggest and brightest, however. The exact moment of full moon is defined as the point at which it is 180 degrees from the sun, completely opposite our star in the sky over Earth. 

For this year's Blue Moon, the moon will be opposite the sun at 9:36 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 30 (0336 on Aug. 31), according to NASA. At this time, it will be in the constellation of Aquarius. The Blue Moon will then set on Thursday just before the sun rises at around 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 GMT). 

What is a Super Blue Moon?

As explained above, a Blue Moon is commonly classified as the second full moon of a single calendar month (although it technically refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons). Full moons occur around 12.4 times a year, and that means that every 2.8 years, a 12-month period has 13 full moons. Thus, one of those months will have to accommodate two full moons and, thus, has a Blue Moon.

Because the moon's cycle takes 29.5 days to go from one full moon to the next, that means this month saw the Full Sturgeon Moon at the start of the month and a second, the Blue Moon, at the end of the month. Not all Blue Moons are supermoons like the full moon of Aug. 30, however. 

A supermoon occurs when a full moon falls during a period when the moon is closer to Earth. This happens because the moon's orbit around our planet isn't circular, but rather elliptical  like a flattened circle or an oval. That means there are times in the moon's orbit when it is farther away  —  at apogee  —  and times when it is closer  —  at perigee. The distance between Earth and the moon during perigee and apogee ranges from around 220,000 miles (350,000 kilometers) to 253,000 miles (408,000 km), a difference of around 14%. 

Despite this disparity in Earth-moon distance, there isn't a huge difference in how the moon actually looks in the sky during a standard full moon and during a supermoon. The moon may appear slightly larger and brighter during a supermoon, but this will be imperceptible to anyone except those skywatchers who have significant experience observing the moon. 

When is the next Super Blue Moon?

Blue moon/supermoon coincidences are a lot rarer than either individual supermoons or Blue Moons. While a super blue moon could happen twice within the same month, they can also be separated by periods as long as 20 years, according to NASA. The space agency says the average time between Super Blue Moons is 10 years. 

The next Super Blue Moon after Aug. 30, 2023 will be in January 2037, followed by another one in March 2037, according to NASA.

When is the next supermoon?

While it won't be a Super Blue Moon, skywatchers will get the opportunity to see another supermoon in 2023. September's Full Corn Moon on Sept. 29 will be the fourth supermoon in a row and will also be the final supermoon of this year. According to In the Sky, the next supermoon after this will be on Sept. 18, 2024, with that first of two supermoons next year followed a second supermoon a month later on Oct. 17, 2024. 

If you are hoping to catch a look at the Super Blue Moon, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

If you're looking to snap photos of the Super Blue Moon or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Super Blue Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The moon will reach its last quarter phase on Tuesday (Aug. 8) when it will be half illuminated by the sun. 

From New York City, the last quarter moon  —  also known as the third quarter moon  —  will be visible from 11:30 p.m. EDT (03:30 GMT) shortly after it rises, according to In the Sky. The half-illuminated moon will be visible until shortly before it drops below the horizon at around 1:46 p.m. EDT (1756 GMT) on Wednesday, Aug. 9. 

The last quarter moon occurs at the point in the 29.5 lunar cycle at the halfway point between the fully illuminated full moon and the completely dark new moon. The last full moon, August's Sturgeon Moon, occurred on Aug. 1, and the next new moon will happen on Aug. 16. This will also mark the start of a new lunar cycle.

Following the Sturgeon Moon, the illuminated side of the moon has been receding, with this progression called "waning" by astronomers. In addition to the illuminated lunar face shrinking, the moon has been going through other changes that will also culminate with the new moon. In particular, it has been rising and setting an hour later each day, meaning it is visible for a shorter time each night prior to the sun rising. 

Related: Night sky, August 2023: What you can see tonight [maps]

The full moon generally rises at sunset and sets at sunrise, but by the new moon, this has been reversed so the moon rises around the same time as the sun and sets with our star. As a result, at the time of the new moon, it is mostly absent from the night sky.

This progression is partially turned on its head following the new moon. The illuminated face of the moon grows or "waxes" while the moon continues to rise and set an hour later each day. 

The last quarter moon phase isn't the only time in the 29.5-day lunar phase during which the moon is half-illuminated. There is an analog to the last quarter moon that falls exactly between the new moon and full moon called, maybe predictably, the first quarter moon. During the first quarter moon, the opposite side of the lunar face is illuminated compared to the last quarter moon. Which side of the moon an observer sees illuminated depends on which hemisphere of the Earth they are located, however. 

If you are hoping to catch a look at the moon during its last quarter phase, our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars are a great place to start.

If you're looking to snap photos of the moon or just the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the last quarter moon, and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The first of two supermoons this month thrilled skywatchers worldwide and we've got the photos to prove it. 

August's full moon, the Sturgeon Moon, rose around 9:30 p.m. EDT (0130 GMT on Aug. 2) and set at 5:11 a.m. EDT (0911 GMT) on Aug. 2 according to In the Sky.

The Sturgeon supermoon will be followed by the blue supermoon on Aug. 30. It is called a 'blue moon' as it will be the second full moon in a calendar month. 

Both of August's moons are considered supermoons because they're full moons that occur when the moon reaches its closest point to Earth, known as perigee, during its 27.3-day orbit. 

As the event takes place when the moon is closer to Earth, supermoons can appear as much as 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than usual. Though it's difficult to spot these differences with the naked eye, eagle-eyed moon-watchers may be able to tell the difference. 

Related: Night sky, Aug. 2023: What you can see tonight [maps]

From New York skyscrapers to Ancient Greek ruins, we take a look at some of the best supermoon photographs from around the world.  

In this photo from Italy, the Sturgeon supermoon is rising behind the Sirente mountain in Sirente Velino Natural Park. as seen from Rocca Di Cambio, a town in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo.  

The bright lights of 'the Big Apple' were outshined by the Sturgeon full moon as it rose above New York City's skyline.

Clouds don't always cooperate (as many astrophotographers will know!) But this photograph of the full moon rising above Islamabad, Pakistan, shows they can help create a rather dramatic, moody scene. 

August's first of two supermoons looks spectacular as it rises behind Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey. 

The full moon looks magnificent as it rises over the ancient Temple of Poseidon, in Sounion, Greece. 

Here the supermoon rises behind a lighthouse at San Andres beach, Malaga, Spain.  

This photograph captured from Toulouse, southern France, shows a Boeing 737 aircraft soaring across the face of the moon as it makes its journey from Dublin to Mallorca.  

Airplanes weren't the only mode of transportation getting in on the full moon action. Here, a cable car traverses the face of the Sturgeon moon as it makes its way up Sugar Loaf mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

If all this full moon content has inspired you to take a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.

If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you prepare to capture the next skywatching sight on your own. 

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of the moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.  

July's last quarter moon will set by midday on Sunday (July 9), so plan accordingly to see it late tonight.

The moon will be in its half-lit third-quarter phase when it rises from the eastern horizon shortly after midnight overnight tonight before setting to the west around 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) on Sunday (July 9), according to In-The-Sky.org. During this phase, which gets its name from the fact that it falls three-quarters of the way through the moon's 29.5-day lunar cycle, the moon will be illuminated on its western, sunward side. 

The best time to view the third-quarter moon will be around the time it's at its highest in the sky, between around 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. ET (0900 and 1100 GMT). While many features of the lunar landscape can be viewed during the daylight hours, make sure to take precautions not to point any optics in the direction of the sun if you attempt a daytime observation of the moon, which could cause vision damage.

Related: Night sky, July 2023: What you can see tonight [maps]

The third-quarter moon is positioned in the sky ahead of Earth in terms of its yearly trip around the sun. Earth follows behind the moon by about 3.5 hours.

Following the third-quarter moon, skywatchers can look forward to increasingly less illumination coming from our natural satellite going into July's new moon, which occurs on July 17. The dark skies in the days following the third-quarter moon and approaching the new moon make for an excellent opportunity to look for deep-sky targets such as the relatively newfound comet C/2023 E1 (ATLAS).

After the third-quarter moon has set early this afternoon, C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) will be positioned in the northern skies just below the handle of the "Little Dipper," the Ursa Minor constellation.

If you are hoping to catch an up-close look at the moon at any point throughout its 29.5-day lunar cycle, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. 

And if you want to take photos of the moon or the night sky in general, check out our guides on how to photograph the moon or the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you get a great picture of the third quarter moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

Over the past eight years, I have been asked to submit astronomical evidence for court cases all over Australia.

Normally when we think of evidence in court, we think of eyewitnesses, DNA or police reports. Often, this evidence requires an expert to explain it – to be able to communicate the findings and data to the members of the court to make an informed decision. These experts are typically in medicine, engineering, psychology, or other fields.

Expert astronomers usually are not what one pictures in court, but that is exactly what I do.

The first time I was asked by police to do it came as a bit of a surprise. I had never thought about applying astronomy to the courtroom. Once the first group knew I can do it, more and more requests came in, from colleagues in the same police force or division, or investigators having seen my evidence elsewhere.

Related: Who Owns the Moon? Law & Outer Space Treaties

Now, I'm asked to submit evidence for roughly 1–2 cases per week. Usually this requires submitting a statement of evidence to the court. But sometimes I am asked to attend court and explain what the evidence means.

When I'm needed as an expert in court, it tends to be for matters of consequence. My evidence is either critical to a part of the case, or the case itself is fairly major and all the details are being checked and verified.

But what exactly am I providing evidence for?

Tracking the sun and the moon

Most court evidence from an astronomer involves calculating the positions and lighting from an astronomical body – the sun or moon. Luckily, the tools we use to calculate the positions of celestial bodies are very accurate, and can be calculated hundreds to thousands of years into the past or future.

An obvious example is when someone claims the sun was in their eyes, causing a glare, and they get into a car accident. Someone needs to say where the sun was, its position, and how it aligned with the street and direction of travel. At certain times and in certain directions, the sun may indeed hinder someone's vision.

There is also the situation where someone sees something, but it happened around sunrise or sunset. An expert is needed to say what the lighting level was – as there are very clear definitions based on the sun's position below the horizon, and how much you can see. For instance, what if the event occurred five minutes after sunset? The light level depends on the time of year, the location and other factors. It is not a clear-cut case of daytime versus nighttime.

The moon can feature in court evidence as well. Especially in dark locations away from city lights, an astronomer can provide evidence on how much light the Moon provided on a given night.

There are also historical cases or times when people note the view or phase of the moon as a way of defining when something happened. The full moon has a precise definition, but the day before or after may appear to look like a full moon, despite it not technically being full.

The limitations of expertise

Of course, like any part of science, there are limits to what I can say. If someone was looking through a window – how refractive was the window? Were there clouds blocking the moon or sun? It is up to other experts, and other parts of the legal system to sort out these factors.

Just like many fields, space technology is changing, and so too is its impact on law and crime. Satellites are being used more and more in cases to help track things as they happen. For example, the space technology company Maxar operates some of the highest-resolution commercial satellites to image Earth. For a small cost, people can task these satellites to look at certain areas and/or times.

Lately, we have seen the impact of satellites on Russia's war in Ukraine, and how they have been instrumental in looking at troop movements, and even evidence of some of the alleged war crimes.

Satellite images have been used for a range of criminal investigations, such as people smuggling or illegal mines.

They are also being used in Australia for criminal matters. This is yet another situation where an expert is needed to explain the satellite imagery and what it may mean, or even help access it altogether.

Experts are vital

Working as an expert witness has given me hope, because I see the extent to which the justice system will sometimes go to get all the details right – like taking into account the phase of the moon or the position of the sun. It is also the perfect example of the importance of experts in our society.

In science, we are actively encouraging people to go to sources of accurate and trustworthy information, especially in an era of rife misinformation.

Through experts, fields like space and astronomy can impact people's lives directly – even in the court room.

The new moon rises tonight, just in time for Father's day. 

The new moon phase officially occurs on June 18 at 12:38 a.m. EDT (0438 GMT), according to In-The-Sky.org. The new moon is often referred to as the invisible phase because the moon’s illuminated side faces toward the sun and, as a result, is not visible to us here on Earth. 

While for skywatchers, a new moon means there is no moon to "see," many cultures view this lunar phase as a fresh start or new beginning because the new moon marks the start of a new lunar cycle. 

Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

The new moon is the first of four phases each month, as the moon takes 29.5 days to orbit Earth. During the new moon phase, the moon is in line with the sun, and the sun and Earth are on opposite sides of the moon. As a result, the moon appears to blend in with the dark night sky. 

While you won't be able to see the moon tonight, you will be able to see dimmer celestial objects like planets and stars that would otherwise be overshadowed by the bright moonlight. In fact, skywatchers will be treated to a planet parade this weekend as Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus and Mercury line up a few hours before sunrise on June 18, just after the new moon.

Just note that some of these planets are difficult to observe, even with a telescope. As EarthSky notes, Uranus can be tricky to spot even with dark skies. Mercury, meanwhile, rises low in the east just prior to sunrise, meaning not only will the sun's glare make it difficult, but it can also be dangerous to point optics in the direction of the rising sun.

Sunday's new moon is the last of the spring season, as summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere a few days later with the solstice (and longest day of the year) on June 21. By this time, skywatchers should be able to see a sliver of the moon as it peeks out from the sun's glare.

In preparation for stargazing this summer, check out our guides for the best telescopes and best binoculars for spotting celestial objects in the night sky. And for astrophotographers, we've also shared our picks for the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the new moon or planetary alignment and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.  

The moon will be half-lit tonight as it reaches its third quarter phase.

This phase, also known as the last quarter, marks the halfway point between the full moon and the next new moon which will occur on June 18.

From New York City, the half moon will rise early in the first hours after midnight on Saturday (June 10) and will unfortunately set around midday, making this third quarter moon best for morning observations. The new moon will be joined in the sky by the ringed gas giant Saturn as the pair are still quite close together coming on the heels of a conjunction that occurred on Friday (June 9). 

Just make sure that if you attempt a daytime observation of the moon or Saturn that you take the proper precautions not to point any optics in the direction of the sun, which could cause vision damage.

Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon
Read more: New moon calendar 2023: When is the next new moon?

The last full moon, June's Strawberry moon, occurred a week ago on Saturday (June 3). The moon has been waning ever since, meaning the illuminated portion of its face has been shrinking to the half moon visible in the morning sky today.

This waning will continue while our natural satellite heads into the new moon, at which point it will appear completely dark as it reaches a point in its orbit directly between Earth and the sun, with its shadowed side pointing towards our planet. New moons are visible when they cross the face of the sun during solar eclipses. 

If you are hoping to catch an up-close look at the moon at any point throughout its 29.5-day cycle, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. 

And if you want to take photos of the moon or the night sky in general, check out our guides on how to photograph the moon or the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you get a great picture of the third quarter moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

The moon will reach its first quarter phase on Saturday (May 27), meaning the lunar face will be half-illuminated by the light of the sun. 

The fact that the moon will be half-illuminated during this phase of its 29.5-day lunar cycle may make the name "first quarter" moon somewhat confusing. Its name actually refers to the fact that this phase falls exactly a quarter of the way through the lunar cycle.

According to In the Sky, skywatchers in New York City will be able to see the first quarter moon shortly after it rises at 12:21 p.m. EDT (1626 GMT) until just before its sets, sinking below the horizon at around 2:02 a.m. EDT (0602 GMT).

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

The half moon will serve as an excellent guide tonight to help skywatchers locate and identify the Leo constellation, the Lion. From New York City, the moon and Leo will be fairly high in the southwestern sky at sunset.

The moon will be located just under "the Lion's" back legs, between its feet. Once you've located the moon and Leo, you can see the lion appearing to gaze westward towards a bright Venus and red Mars near the twins of Gemini.

The first quarter moon phase occurs halfway between the beginning of the lunar cycle, the new moon  —  at which time the lunar face is completely dark  — and the full moon, at which point it is completely illuminated. This means the half-lit nature of the lunar face at this stage makes complete sense.

Since the last new moon, which occurred on Friday, May 19, the illuminated proportion of the lunar face has been growing, a process that astronomers refer to as waxing. Following the first quarter moon, the waxing of the moon will continue until it is completely illuminated during the next full moon, the Strawberry Moon, on June 4.

After this, the process that has led to the full moon will reverse, and the moon will be said to be waning. Light will then begin to recede across the lunar face, giving way to shadow as the lunar cycle heads to the next new moon. When the lunar face is once again half illuminated, it will be in a phase called the third quarter moon, which is, in many ways, the mirror image of the first quarter moon. Observers based in the same location during the first and third quarter moons will see opposite sides of the moon illuminated, but which side of the moon this depends on which hemisphere a skywatcher is located in. 

These aren't the only changes that the moon will undergo as it heads from the new moon to the full moon and then back again, however. In the build-up to the first quarter moon, the moon has been rising and setting an hour later each night. So while the new moon rose and set with the sun, and was mostly absent from the night sky, the first quarter moon will be visible until around midnight.

This will continue until the full moon, which will rise when the sun sets and set when the sun rises, making it visible through the night. The moon will continue to set an hour later each night, and as a result, this means that the third quarter moon mirrors the first quarter moon in another way. 

Whereas the first quarter moon rises around midday and sets around midnight, the third quarter moon, which next occurs on June 10, rises at around midnight and then sets at around midday. 

If you are hoping to catch a look at the moon during its first quarter phase or any other time, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. 

The moon will rise in the sky today, but you won't be able to see it. It's the new moon, the first of four phases of the lunar cycle, which is not visible to us here on Earth. 

Even though you can't see it, it is a particularly special new moon today — a rare "black moon."

Black moons aren't a technical astronomy term, but colloquially, they have two different definitions. The first is the second new moon of a calendar month. Because the lunar cycle is 29.5 days long, it almost matches up to the calendar months of the year, so we typically only have one of each lunar phase per month. But the slight offset means that we sometimes get a double phase in a single calendar month. By the terms of this definition, a black moon is similar to a blue moon (as in, "once in a blue moon"), which is the second full moon in a month.

Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

The second definition of a black moon is the third new moon in a season that has four new moons. Seasons comprise three months, and typically, they also feature three new moons. But when a season has a fourth new moon, the third is designated a "black moon." This, according to Time and Date, only happens every 33 months or so.

And if you're wondering why new moons — and therefore black moons — are invisible, it's because the part of the moon that's illuminated by the sun is facing away from us. During a new moon, Earth's natural satellite is located between our planet and the sun, so we only "see" the dark part. (The reason we don't have a solar eclipse every month is because the moon orbits our planet on an incline, so the moon doesn't block out the sun on every orbit.)

While you can't see the moon tonight, that is actually a good thing for stargazers. Since the moon is dark, its bright light won't drown out dimmer celestial objects like planets and stars. So if you're itching to see something other than the moon in the night sky, tonight might be the night!

As you're prepping for a stargazing session, check out our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars for an equipment upgrade. And for astrophotographers, we've also shared our picks for the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the new moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

Follow Stefanie Waldek on Twitter @StefanieWaldek. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

The moon's face will be half-illuminated during the early hours of Friday (May 12) as it reaches its third quarter phase. The third quarter moon, or final quarter moon as it is alternatively known, will be visible globally around dawn. 

This phase comes exactly midway between the completely illuminated phase, the full moon, and the completely dark new moon, the latter of which also signals the start of a new lunar cycle. 

From New York City the moon will rise at 2:23 a.m. EDT (0623 GMT) on Friday, according to In the Sky, and will be visible through sunrise and until just before it sets at around 12:11 p.m. EDT (1611 GMT). 

The last full moon, May's Flower Moon, occurred on May 5. Since then, the illuminated face of the moon has been withdrawing or "waning." After its half-illuminated third quarter phase today, the light will continue to wane until the moon is completely dark on Friday (May 19). This will mark the start of a new 29.5-day lunar cycle. 

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

The waning illumination of the moon isn't the only change it has been undergoing as the full moon gives way to the new moon. It has also been rising and setting an hour later each subsequent night and day. During the full moon phase, the moon rose at around sunset and set around sunrise, remaining visible throughout the night.

By the time the new moon arrives though, the moon will rise and set at around the same time as the sun, meaning that it is visible for most of the day but is absent from the night sky. 

After the new moon, the illuminated lunar face will once again grow as seen from Earth with the moon described as waxing. It will also begin rising and setting an hour later each day. Before it gets halfway through its cycle and reaches the next full moon, the moon will pass through another half-illuminated phase known as the first quarter moon.

This phase is in many ways the opposite of the last quarter phase. Not only will the moon rise around midday day and set around midnight, but the opposite side of its face will be illuminated. Which side of the moon a skywatcher sees during both the first and third quarter phases depends on which hemisphere of the planet they observe it from. 

If you are hoping to catch an up-close look at the third quarter moon, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. 

If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you get a great picture of the third quarter moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

The moon will be half-illuminated on Thursday (April 27) when it reaches the phase of its 29.5-day lunar cycle known as the first quarter moon.

From New York City the first quarter moon will be visible soon after it rises at around 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT) until just prior to the moon setting at 2:48 a.m. EDT on April 28 (0648 GMT), according to In the Sky.

The first quarter moon will be visible across the globe throughout the evening at local times. Which side of the moon appears to be lit differs based on which hemisphere of the planet an observer is located in, due to the orientation of the moon. 

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

Tonight's first quarter moon will appear close to the Beehive Cluster (M44), a cluster of stars some 600 light-years away in the Cancer constellation. 

Under optimal viewing conditions, this cluster appears as a small cloud-like object to either the unaided eye or binoculars. Through a telescope, individual stars can be observed.

The first quarter moon falls a quarter of the way through a full lunar cycle and exactly halfway between the completely dark new moon, which signals the start of a new lunar cycle and the completely illuminated full moon. As the moon progresses toward the full moon, light from the sun moves across the face that it shows to Earth, with astronomers referring to this progression as "waxing."

After the next full moon, the Flower Moon which falls on May 5, the illuminated face of the moon will begin to recede, at which time astronomers will refer to it as the "waning moon." This leads to the third quarter moon, at which time the moon will once again be half-illuminated. 

The progression of light across the lunar face won't be the only change that the moon undergoes as it progresses through the lunar cycle from the new moon to the full moon passing through its first quarter-moon phase. The moon will also rise and set later and later each day and night. During the new moon phase, the moon rises and sets roughly with the sun, meaning it isn't visible for most of the night. By the time of the first quarter moon, the moon will rise around midday and will set after midnight in the early morning. 

When the Flower Moon arrives, the moon will rise at around sunset and will itself set at around sunrise. After this, the moon will begin to set an hour earlier each night. This leads to the rising and setting of the moon in its third quarter phase, which appears as the mirror opposite of the first quarter moon. The third quarter moon will rise around midnight and set around midday. 

If you hope to catch a look at the features of the moon close-up, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. 

And if you're looking to snap photos of the moon or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the first quarter moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

How soon after the new moon can you spot the thin crescent moon against the bright backdrop of a twilight sky? 

Cases of unaided-eye sightings of the moon when it is younger than 24 hours are not very common, and sightings within 20 hours of a new phase are very rare. The best opportunities usually come in February, March and April, for at these times the lunar crescent stands directly above a sun that has just set.

And on Thursday evening, April 20, everyone across North America will have an opportunity to sight an exceedingly young crescent moon. A very challenging observation to be sure. 

Related: Moon facts: Fun information about the Earth's moon

April 20 might sound a bit familiar to you, since a hybrid solar eclipse is scheduled on that very same day. The eclipse will be seen as total from a very small part of Western Australia, as well as a part of Indonesia, where it will be midday on April 20. But halfway around the world. for North America, the new moon responsible for that eclipse on that date, will either be occurring shortly after midnight (12:12 a.m. Eastern time), or during the mid-evening hours (9:12 p.m. Pacific time) on April 19.

Typically, on the day of a new moon, our nearest neighbor in space rises about the same time as sunrise and sets at about sunset. Nonetheless, when evening comes to North America on Thursday, April 20, the moon will have moved far enough away from the sun to the east, to allow it to "possibly" be glimpsed very low in the west-northwest sky shortly after sunset.

At any age under 24 hours from new, the moon appears — to quote British astronomer, Guy Ottewell — "Breathtakingly thin and barely brighter than the low dense sky around it." Ottewell's "low dense sky" makes reference to the thicker air or haze that always seems to hug the horizon, sometimes up to an altitude of 5 or 6 degrees. Such haze can attenuate and redden the light of even a dazzlingly bright object as the sun. 

Now imagine trying to see something as elusive as a thin sliver of moon, only 1% (or less) illuminated by the sun, fully immersed in this horizon haze and you can understand the degree of difficulty in trying to catch sight of such exceedingly thin crescent moons. 

Calendrical opener

Calendars such as the Jewish and Muslim have lunar months beginning not with new moon in the astronomical sense but with the evening when the moon first appears. Indeed, to people who follow a lunar calendar, the first sighting of a delicately thin waxing lunar crescent is of everyday practical importance. 

For many years, when I was answering inquiries from the general public for the New York Hayden Planetarium's question and answer line, I would occasionally field calls around the time of certain religious holidays (like Ramadan) asking, "What night might I see the moon being born?" Indeed, tracking the moon's phases was probably the basis for the earliest calendars. The first appearance of the crescent moon in the western sky was known to some as "The Knife of Time." 

Problematic criteria

Surprisingly, however, even to this day, no one can say with absolute certainty when the very first sighting of the waxing crescent moon becomes possible. Historians have yearned to have some simple criterion for deciding whether or not a razor-thin crescent might have been sighted from say, ancient Babylon on a specific date. 

Interestingly, the earliest records containing predictions of first visibility came from the Babylonians. The methodology for making such forecasts were further developed by Muslim and Indian astronomers, including Persian Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) who was well known for his contributions to mathematics and astronomy. Some based the first possible sighting of the lunar sliver on the difference in minutes between the setting of the sun and the moon, stating that if the moon will be visible if it sets at least 48 minutes after sunset. Still others cite that the moon will be visible if it is separated from the sun by a specific number of angular degrees. 

Still another factor is the moon's distance from the Earth. When near perigee (that point in its orbit nearest to Earth) the lunar disk appears up to 14% larger in apparent size compared to apogee (when it's farthest from the Earth). In addition, the moon moves notably faster in its orbit at perigee compared to apogee, thus making a moon that appears somewhat bigger and shifts its place in the sky more rapidly a bit easier to perceive when so near to the sun.

Moonwatch: April 20, 2023

So now, I am "throwing down the lunar gauntlet" and offering this observing challenge to one and all. At dusk on April 20, for those living in the Eastern time zone, the crescent moon will be just under 20 hours old and only 0.7% illuminated by sunlight. From the Central time zone it's a little less than 21 hours old and 0.8% lit, while along the Pacific coast, it's 23 hours and 1.1% lit.

In doing some research, I found a number of similar cases where observers were successful in picking out the filament of moon in the twilight sky, soon after sunset. Interestingly, 80% of these cases came during the month of April. 

All you are going to join this lunar observing challenge need is a clear, flat horizon looking toward the west-northwest. This is critical, since the moon will be at its best when it is 7.5 degrees above the horizon. (Your clenched fist held at arm's length measures roughly 10 degrees in width.) By placing the bottom of your fist on the horizon, the top part of your fist measures about 10 degrees. So for this experiment, consider searching roughly three-quarters of a fist up from the horizon. Take particular note as to where exactly on the horizon the sun sets, for your attempt to make a sighting of the moon will be directly above this point on the horizon. 

As to when you should look, try 20 to 25 minutes after sunset. During that timeframe, the moon will be approximately 7.5 degrees above the horizon, while the sun will be approximately 4.5 degrees below the horizon. This is during the time of civil twilight, the brightest of the three stages of twilight, when the sun is just below the horizon, so there is generally enough natural light to carry out most outdoor activities. 

Binoculars vs. your unaided eyes

But with so bright a background sky, you'll definitely need binoculars to pick out the extremely thin sliver of moon. Just slowly scan the region of the sky where it is supposed to be. Local sky conditions will be very important; a hazy sky (where the sun appears as a reddish-orange ball as it sets) will almost certainly make the job difficult to nearly impossible. But if you have a clear, transparent sky (the sun still appears blindingly bright as it drops below the horizon), your chances will markedly improve. 

However, to possibly contribute to knowledge of when the months of lunar calendars should begin, you should try to find the moon first with your unaided eye; use your binoculars only after that if there is really no hope if finding it with just your bare eyes. 

If you don't have binoculars or a telescope to get a close look at the moon, take a look at our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars. And if you're looking to snap some awesome lunar photography, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Remember that the moon is not a smooth sphere, but has a rough surface. Since it will be less than 15 degrees from the sun, binoculars or a small telescope may show the bright arc as broken in a few places, with bright specks or points appearing where individual mountains are located. 

This will certainly be a challenging and (if successful) exhilarating observation. If you do see it, I'd be interested in hearing all the details. Send me an email at: skywayinc@aol.com. 

Good luck and clear skies! 

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. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.  

The new moon occurs just after midnight on Thursday (April 20). When the first sliver of moon appears on April 21 or 22 after the new moon, it will mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims across the globe, while also signaling the end of a rare type of eclipse.

The new moon phase signifies the point in the 29.5-day-long lunar cycle when the moon passes close to the sun and is swallowed by its light. According to In the Sky,  the Earth, the moon, and the sun are aligned in a roughly straight line during the new moon, with the moon in the middle, appearing in front of the sun. 

Thus, all of the light from our star is shining on the far side of the moon, meaning the lunar face we see from Earth is almost completely dark. Over the coming days, sunlight will begin to creep across the lunar face again with no more than a thin sliver of light showing at the edge of the moon at first during the waxing crescent phase.

Related: Full moon calendar 2023: When to see the next full moon

The new moon is also notable because during this phase the moon rises and sets at similar times to the sun, meaning it is almost completely absent during the night. On April 20 from New York City, the moon will reach the new moon phase just after midnight at 12:13 a.m. EDT (0413 GMT).

The Royal Greenwich Museum explains that for thousands of years before the invention of time-keeping devices, our ancestors used the lunar cycle to keep time. The Islamic calendar was created in this way and is a "lunar visibility" calendar that uses the completely dark new moon phase to signal the end of the month. A new month begins in the Islamic calendar when the first light can be seen on the lunar face after the new moon. 

"On the 29th of each Islamic calendar month, Muslims go out after sunset looking for the moon," the director of the New Crescent Society, Imad Ahmed, explained. "If you can see the crescent moon on the 29th, that month has 29 days. If you cannot, it means that month has 30 days. That's why, for example, in some years Ramadan has 29 days and in others years it has 30."

The beginning of the month marks the start of Ramadan but the fact that this is based ability to see this thin crescent of the moon means that the month-long celebration started earlier in some regions of the globe than others. For instance, Muslims in the U.K. began celebrating Ramadan on March 23 after sighting the thing crescent moon on Wednesday, March 22, but in other areas of the world where this wasn't visible like India, the celebrations started a day later.

The same will be true about the end of these festivities. Some areas of the globe will see Ramadan end when the moon falls completely dark on Thursday, April 20, but in other areas of the planet, this will come a day later on Friday, April 21. 

"Some Muslims strictly follow calculations, while others strictly follow moon sightings, and some follow a combination of both," the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explained on its Division of Student Life website. "What Muslims choose to follow can depend on their religious convictions, where they have lived in the world, and what their families practice."

The day following the end of Ramadan is marked by an Islamic religious holiday called Eid-al-Fitr.

April's new moon and the start of this new lunar cycle are also notable because it comes after a rare and extraordinary celestial event called a hybrid solar eclipse. This form of an eclipse is unusual as it sees the moon block out the light from the sun but shift between a total solar eclipse to a ring-shaped annular eclipse depending on one's vantage point. The hybrid solar eclipse was enjoyed by skywatchers across the South Pacific, you can view some of the best photos here in our hybrid solar eclipse 2023 image story. 

For skywatchers looking to get a closer look at the moon, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography andbest lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the new moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

What goes up, must come down. Or in the case of the moon, what goes around will go around again, and again, and again. Today, the moon reaches its third-quarter phase — the fourth of the year — in the pre-dawn hours. 

Missed it? Don't worry. The moon will appear half-lit tonight, too, rising at 3:36 a.m. EDT (0736 GMT) in New York City, which is technically tomorrow morning, and setting after the sun has risen, according to skywatching site In-the-Sky.org.

The third-quarter moon, also known as a last-quarter moon, is the third of the moon's four phases, which change as the moon orbits the Earth. It's the halfway point between the full moon, which occurred on April 6, and the new moon, which will occur on April 20. 

And there's something particularly exciting happening during that new moon: A rare hybrid solar eclipse. A hybrid solar eclipse occurs when a single solar eclipse appears as both a total eclipse and an annular eclipse, depending upon your location.

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023
Read more: Get ready for a rare hybrid solar eclipse on April 20 

This solar eclipse will be visible from Western Australia, East Timor, and part of Indonesia, but people around the world will be able to tune into livestreams to witness the spectacular event.

If you plan on watching or photographing the upcoming solar eclipse, be sure to take proper precautions — never look directly at the sun with the naked eye.

Following the exciting eclipse during the new moon, the moon will appear to grow larger over the following two weeks, reaching the next full moon on May 5. That moon is known as the Flower Moon, as it's the time of year when many flowers are in bloom.

If you're hankering for a closer look at the third-quarter moon, or any other spectacle in the night sky, take a peek at our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars. And if you're planning on photographing the moon, we also have guides to the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. 

No idea where to begin with your lunar photography? Don't worry — we have you covered with yet another guide; this one explains how to photograph the moon.

Follow Stefanie Waldek on Twitter @StefanieWaldek. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. 

Editor's note: This story was updated on April 12 to correct Abdurrehman's credit for his video. It had previously been credited to the wrong Twitter user.  

Moon watchers lit up Twitter and other social media sites on Thursday morning with stunning images and footage of April 2023's full moon also known as the Pink Moon. 

The first moon of spring 2023 rose on Wednesday, April 5 but reached its peak in the early hours on Thursday, April 6.

Related: Night sky, April 2023: What you can see tonight [maps]

Jamal Nasir who goes by the handle of Themoonguy on Twitter, a self-taught and avid moon photographer, caught the Pink Moon shining over Punjab, Pakistan. The glow of the full moon in Nasir's images is seen shining through clouds illuminating them with white light.

"So I was planning to capture the moon rise too but it was really cloudy at that time," Nasir told Space.com. "So I had to wait for it to be a bit bright and visible. It looked amazing behind the clouds."

Also catching the Pink Moon framed by clouds over Pakistan was the Twitter user Anas.  

Abdurrehman filmed a stunning video of the Pink Moon as it is covered by dark clouds, calling the sight "A Nod to the bountiful blooming flowers and trees that the spring weather brings." 

Twitter's West Marin Feed caught the Pink Moon over Tomales Bay in northern California on early Thursday morning. The full moon appears in the image as a vibrant bright orange.  

One of the most stunning images of the April full moon to grace social media was taken by Twitter user Marwella Zhang, a self-described space enthusiast, amateur space artist, and amateur photographer. After waiting for the clouds to clear up to give her a better view, Zhang outdid herself by capturing the Pink Moon in breathtaking detail. 

"The moon is my favorite celestial object and I'll try to capture some pictures of it whenever I can, almost daily," Zhang told Space.com. 

Photographer Sigma Sreedharan posted a spectacular time-lapse video on Twitter that showed the Pink Moon diving behind Seattle's Space Needle.  

You might be wondering why, in those incredible images and videos of the Pink Moon, April's full moon doesn't actually look very pink. That's because the Pink Moon is pink in name alone.

Farmer's Almanac says that the April full moon actually gets its moniker from the fact that its rise coincides with the annual bloom of Phlox subulata. This is a pink wildflower native to North America that is also known as "moss pink." Coming from Native American tradition, the Pink Moon title refers to the springtime bloom of this flower.

Other alternative names for April's full moon also from Native American tradition also refer to the blossoming of plant life during the onset of spring. These include the "Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs" and the "Moon of the Red Grass Appearing" from the Tlingit and Oglala traditions.

Other seasonally influenced names for April's full moon are references to the throwing of winter ice, something that would have been important to the Native Americans as it would allow them to traverse the landscape more freely again.

These full moon names include "Breaking Ice Moon" and the "Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable" from the Algonquin people and the Dakota tradition.

The next full moon which rises on May 5 also has a suitable season and more overtly floral name, the Full Moon of Flowers. 

If you are inspired by these Pink Moon images and want to catch an image of May's full moon yourself, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. If you are just looking to observe the full moon or any other celestial object our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.

Fancy taking a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers, and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Pink Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

April's full moon, also known as the Pink Moon, rises tonight (April 5), and will be visible in its full glory throughout the night. Around the globe, the Pink Moon will rise at around dusk and will set at around dawn, meaning it is visible for most of the night. 

In the Sky gives specific times that skywatchers can see the full moon, with it rising on Wednesday at 19:01 EDT (2301 GMT) and reaching its peak at 00:34 EDT (0434 GMT) before setting on Thursday at 06:49 EDT (1049 GMT). If clouds spoil your view, you can watch the Full Pink Moon of April 2023 live online here, courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy, beginning at 1:30 a.m. EDT (0530 GMT) on April 6.

Following the Pink Moon full moon phase when the moon will be fully illuminated, the portion of the lunar face lit by the sun will begin to recede, a process called "waning" by astronomers. This will lead to the next completely dark moon, or new moon phase, on April 20 according to Time and Date. This point also marks the start of the next lunar cycle and the point at which the sun's illumination once again begins to creep back across the moon's face, with this growing illumination known as "waxing."

Related: Night sky, April 2023: What you can see tonight 

Leading to the new moon, this darkening isn't the only change that the moon will undergo. After the Pink Moon and following April 6 the moon will rise an hour later each day and will become predominant later each subsequent night. By the time it is half illuminated, during the last quarter phase on April 13 it will rise at midnight and set around midday. Later, during the new moon phase, it will rise and set around the same time as the sun, meaning the moon is absent during the night.  

The moon won't actually be pink during the Pink Moon 

While skywatchers will be presented with an incredible opportunity to see the beauty of the fully illuminated moon during the Pink Moon, one spectacle they are unlikely to see is a full moon lit in pink. 

This is because, according to Farmer's Almanac, the Pink Moon moniker is purely figurative in nature. The name actually refers to the fact that the April full moon is correlated with the springtime bloom of a pink wildflower called Phlox subulata, also traditionally known as "moss pink." The April Pink Moon takes its name from this springtime association which originates from Native American culture like many other full moon names.

Alternative April full moon names also have strong seasonal associations. The Tlingit and Oglala people refer to this full moon as the "Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs" and the "Moon of the Red Grass Appearing" respectively, with these names also referencing the bloom of plant life. Other seasonal names refer to other springtime phenomena that would have been significant to Native Americans like the thawing of winter ice allowing increased mobility. The Algonquin people refer to the April full moon as the "Breaking Ice Moon" and the Dakota tradition gives it the moniker "Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable."

If you're hoping to catch a look at this Pink Moon our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are also a great place to start. If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Fancy taking a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide. 

Editor's Note: If you snap an image of the Pink Moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

As the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday (March 21), the dwarf planet Ceres will lie opposite the sun in Earth's sky, in an arrangement astronomers call "opposition." 

Ceres will be visible for most of the night with no moonlight to drown it out, but don't expect mind-bending views: The dwarf planet will be a star-like point of light, even through a telescope, according to In the Sky.

Located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the dwarf planet officially known as 1 Ceres will be in the constellation of Coma Berenices. While in opposition, Ceres will also be in perigee — its closest approach to Earth during its orbit around the sun — meaning the dwarf planet will be at its brightest. 

Related: March 2023 skywatching guide

From New York City, In the Sky added, Ceres will become observable from around 8:35 p.m. EDT (0035 GMT on March 22) when it will rise to 21 degrees over the horizon to the east. Ceres will reach its highest altitude at around 1:31 a.m. EDT (0531 GMT) on March 22, when it will be 64 degrees over the horizon to the south. Ceres will disappear when the sun's light washes it out at around 5:51 a.m. EDT (0951 GMT) as it sits at around 28 degrees over the horizon to the west. (For perspective, your clenched fist held at arm's length spans about 10 degrees of sky.)

During the close approach, Ceres will still be around 147 million miles (237 million kilometers) from Earth. It will reach a peak brightness magnitude of around 6.9, meaning that, even through a telescope, it will appear as no more than a point of light. 

Ceres is the largest object in the main asteroid belt and has the distinction of being the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system. Most of these objects are located in the Kuiper Belt, a band of icy bodies out beyond the orbit of Neptune.

Spotted in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi, Ceres was initially believed to be an asteroid but was eventually found to be much larger than other bodies in the asteroid belt, receiving its dwarf planet designation in 2006.

Though Ceres comprises a quarter of the mass of the entire asteroid belt, the solar system's most famous dwarf planet Pluto is still 14 times more massive than Ceres, which is just 592 miles (953 km) wide. If Earth were the size of a nickel, NASA said, Ceres would be no larger than a poppy seed.  

In 2015, Ceres, which takes 4.6 Earth years to orbit the sun, became the first dwarf planet to be visited by a spacecraft. NASA's Dawn mission studied Ceres from orbit from 2015 to 2018, after circling another of the asteroid belt's largest objects, Vesta. 

Though Ceres lacks an atmosphere and a magnetosphere, planetary scientists are keen to explore it, as it may be composed of around 25% water, a key ingredient for life. 

If you're hoping to catch a look at the new moon or Ceres during the dwarf planet's opposition and close approach, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. If you're looking to snap photos of the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap Ceres or the new moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook. 

The moon reaches its last quarter phase on Tuesday (March 14) when its face will be half illuminated by the sun. 

The last quarter moon will be visible from New York soon after it rises at 2:42 a.m. EST (0642 GMT), according to In the Sky. It will be visible until shortly before it sets, disappearing at around 11:20 a.m. EST (1520 GMT).

The last quarter phase, also referred to as the third quarter, falls exactly between the full moon and the new moon. Looking at images of the three phases together demonstrates how light from the sun has receded across the face of the moon during this time. Astronomers call this period "waning." 

The retreat of light across the lunar face has been occurring since the Worm Moon, March's full moon which fell on Tuesday, March. 7 and will continue past the last quarter phase this week until the next new moon on March 21. 

Related: What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2023

After the new moon occurs, marking the beginning of a new 29.5-day lunar cycle and the point at which the lunar face is completely dark, the sun's light will once again begin to spread across the lunar face. Before the cycle reaches its halfway point, the next full moon, it will pass through another half-illuminated stage known as the first quarter moon. 

The "mirror image" of the third quarter moon, the first quarter moon will illuminate the opposite side of the lunar face. The fact that these half-illuminated phases are called "quarter moons" may seem confusing, but the name relates to the fact that they occur a quarter of the way and three-quarters of the way through the lunar cycle. 

Of course, as only the permanently Earth-facing half of the moon is ever illuminated by the sun, when half of this face is lit by the sun that constitutes a quarter of the whole moon being illuminated. 

The illuminated face of the moon continues growing or "waxing", until April's full moon on the 6th of that month, also colorfully known as the Full Pink Moon and representing the first full moon of spring 2023.

Read more: No, the moon phase can't help find your soulmate on TikTok

The illuminated portion of the moon's face isn't the only thing that changes as the lunar cycle progresses from the new moon to the full moon and back again. The times at which the moon rises and sets also change.

So for example; during the third quarter moon phase, the moon will rise in the middle of the night and will be high in the sky around dawn before setting at around midday. Approaching the new moon, the moon will rise later each day, meaning it is visible for less time each subsequent night. By the time the new moon arrives, the moon will rise with the sun and will set with it at dusk, meaning it isn't visible at all during the night. 

If you're hoping to catch a look at the moon as reaches its last quarter phase our guides for the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. 

If you're looking to snap photos of the moon or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you snap the last quarter moon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

Follow us @Spacedotcom, or on Facebook and Instagram.