Skywatching

Learn about skywatching, astronomy, star gazing, and comets in the night sky at space.com. View astrophotography and images of celestial bodies.

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A composite image of a bull elk is silhouetted against a full moon rise in Yellowstone National Park.

July full moon 2022: 'Buck supermoon' passes Saturn

By Jesse Emspak published

The full moon of July also called the "Buck Moon" or "Thunder Moon," will occur July 23 at 10:36 p.m. EDT (0236 GMT on July 24).

Graphic showing Neptune's change of course as it moves across the night sky.

Planet Neptune will go into reverse as it moves in the sky on Tuesday

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Neptune will enter retrograde on Tuesday (June 28) and will appear to 'reverse its course' as it moves across the sky. Here's how to see it.

There's a lot going in space this year. Check out our up-to-date space launch schedule and calendar here!

Space calendar 2022: Rocket launches, sky events, missions & more!

By Hanneke Weitering published

Reference Here's a guide to all the rocket launches and astronomical events in 2022, as well as milestones for space missions, anniversaries and conferences.

Reference
Graphic showing the moon and Mercury close together in the predawn sky.

See the moon shine near Mercury before dawn on Monday as it concludes its planet tour

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The moon will pass close to Mercury in the predawn sky on Monday (June 27). Find out how and where to see this skywatching event.

A view of 5 planets aligned in the morning sky with labels.

You can watch the rare 5-planet alignment in a live webcast for free today

By Elizabeth Howell published

You can watch the five naked-eye planets align for free on a livestream that will be running Sunday (June 26).

A Celestron advanced vx 8-inch edge hd telescope in front of a brick wall

Celestron Advanced VX 8 Edge HD telescope: Full review

By Michael Covington published

Review This portable telescope setup is ideal for intermediate amateur astronomers who want to get serious.

Review
Graphic showing Venus close to the slim crescent moon in the predawn sky.

Don't miss Venus meet the moon before dawn on Sunday in gorgeous photo opportunity

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

A gorgeous photo opportunity will greet skywatchers on Sunday (June 26) when the slim crescent moon meets Venus in the early morning sky.

Wright Dobbs took this image of the five naked-eye planets from St. Cloud, Florida on June 24, 2022.

See the rare alignment of 5 planets and the moon in this stunning night sky photo

By Elizabeth Howell published

The rare sight of five bright planets lining up with the moon wowed skywatchers around the world Friday and you can still see it this weekend.

Telescope Deals: Image shows man with telescope against twilight background.

Telescope deals: Top picks from Celestron, Sky-Watcher and others

By Ruth Gaukrodger published

Deals We keep this best telescope deals guide up to date all year round — so keep checking back for the best discounts today.

Deals
Best photo editing apps for astrophotography: Image shows milky way over stream

Best photo editing apps for astrophotography 2022

By Ian Evenden published

Make your night sky images shine brighter by using one of the best photo editing apps for astrophotography.

Mirrorless camera in the hands of a photographer

Is a mirrorless camera worth the cost?

By Kimberley Lane published

Mirrorless cameras are rapidly rising in popularity, but are they actually worth the hefty price tag?

sky diagram of moon and venus

Venus and the crescent moon get together in dazzling dance early Sunday

By Joe Rao published

Get up early Sunday to see a celestial rendezvous between the two brightest objects in the night sky: Venus and the moon.

Graphic showing a line of planets and the moon across the predawn sky.

Rare alignment of 5 planets peaks Friday as crescent moon joins the parade

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

A rare planetary alignment will peak predawn on Friday (June 24) when the crescent moon joins the party. An alignment like this will not occur again until 2040.

fish-eye images of purple and orange skies

Blood-red aurora transforms into 'STEVE' before stargazer's eyes

By Brandon Specktor published

New footage shows the mysterious auroral phenomenon called STEVE emerging from a blood-red arc of light in New Zealand in 2015.

Side profile of the Sigma 150-600mm

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 OS HSM lens review

By Dave Stevenson published

Review Big, brutal, comparatively slow but this lens has world-beating zoom capabilities.

Review
Graphic showing where the moon will be located in the night sky with respect to Uranus on both June 24 and June 25.

See the moon 'jump' over Uranus in the predawn sky this week

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The moon will appear to hop over Uranus in the predawn sky as it continues its planetary tour. The event will occur between Friday (June 24) and Saturday (June 25).

A photo of a nearly full moon. The image was taken one day prior to the supermoon, or a moon that appears larger due to being the closest to Earth in its orbit.

Full moon calendar 2022: When to see the next full moon

By Kimberly Hickok published

Reference The full moon happens about once a month. Find out when.

Reference
Clare Rehill captured a blue spiral over New Zealand on June 19, 2022 associated with a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch.

Wild blue spiral in New Zealand sky likely made by SpaceX rocket (photo)

By Elizabeth Howell published

A New Zealand resident spotted a "bizarre but very cool" blue spiral above her house following a SpaceX launch on Sunday (June 19).

An image of comet C/2017 K2 PANSTARRS (K2) taken in June 2017 by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3.

A huge comet will fly by Earth in July and you might be able to see it

By Elizabeth Howell published

A comet first spotted in the distance in 2017 might finally be within view soon of amateur astronomers.

dark spots on the sun's disk

A giant sunspot the size of 3 Earths is facing us right now

By Elizabeth Howell published

A sunspot nearly triple the size of Earth is within firing range of our planet and may send out medium-class flares in the near future.