Trending

Skywatching

Latest

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

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

By Joe Rao

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

There's a lot going in space in 2019. Check out our up-to-date space launch schedule and calendar here!

Space Launch Calendar 2019: Sky Events, Missions & More

By Hanneke Weitering

Here's a guide to SpaceX's launch schedule, other rocket missions, astronomical events of the next year, as well as milestones for spacecraft already in travel.

A meteor lights up the midnight sky over the northeastern China provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang in this dashcam and surveillance camera video views taken on Oct. 11, 2019.

Brilliant Midnight Fireball Lights Up Sky Over Northeast China

By Tariq Malik

What appears to be a dazzling meteor lit up the sky over northeast China on Friday (Oct. 11), appearing as a brilliant fireball in surveillance video of the event.

Full Moon with Airplane

2019 Full Moon Calendar

By Tim Sharp, Kimberly Hickok

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

Full Hunter's moon over Bear River Valley

October Full Moon 2019: Hunter's Moon Is Smallest of the Year

By Jesse Emspak

The full moon of October, called the Hunter's Moon, will grace the skies Oct. 13, as the smallest full moon of the year. Don't miss Jupiter and Saturn, too!

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

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

By Joe Rao

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

Astrophotographer Jeff Johnson sent in a photo of the Pleiades (AKA The Seven Sisters or M45), an open star cluster in Taurus. Johnson is based in the southwestern United States and sent in the photo on Nov. 28, 2014.

Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Star Cluster

By Adam Mann

All about the bright star cluster known as the Pleiades.

The moon over Huntsville, Alabama.

International Observe the Moon Night 2019: Skywatching Livestreams

By Elizabeth Howell

As NASA continues its push to land humans on the moon again in 2024, you can celebrate International Observe the Moon Night via two livestreams (if you can't catch the moon outside).

An artist's depiction of The Planetary Society's LightSail 2.

Want to See the First Satellite Propelled Solely by the Sun? Here's How.

By Amy Thompson

LightSail 2, The Planetary Society's solar sailing spacecraft, has spent more than two months in orbit; here's how to spot it in the sky.

The crew aboard the International Space Station took this image of a full moon on Aug. 13, 2019. They snapped the photo while orbiting 270 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.

Watch Live Today! Slooh Celebrates International Observe the Moon Night Webcast

By Space.com Staff

It's International Observe the Moon Night and you can see spectacular views of the moon in a free webcast from the online astronomy telescope site Slooh.com. The show begins at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT).

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

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

By Joe Rao

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

The Stellina smart telescope is a fully automated tabletop telescope that makes astrophotography a breeze.

Stellina Smart Telescope Makes Astrophotography a Breeze: Review

By Hanneke Weitering

Dramatic Drone Video Captures Magic of Total Solar Eclipse

By Miguel Claro

See aerial views of the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019, above the Andes Mountains in Chile.

The moon completely blocks the sun, revealing its faint corona, during the total solar eclipse of 2019, in Chile.

Earthshine's Faint Illumination of the Moon Captured in Glorious Eclipse Photo

By Miguel Claro

A stunning photo captured during the total solar eclipse of 2019 in Chile reveals the sun's mesmerising inner and outer corona, as well as the lunar earthshine.

After the moon has completed the first quarter of its orbit around Earth, the relative positions of the Earth, sun, and moon cause us to see it half-illuminated - on its eastern side. A first quarter moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, so it is also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. The evenings around first quarter are the best times to see the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.

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

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in October's night sky.

The night sky is more than just the moon and stars, if you know when and where to look.

Night Sky, October 2019: What You Can See This Month [Maps]

By Chris Vaughan

Find out what's up in your night sky during October 2019 and how to see it in this Space.com stargazing guide.

First Quarter Moon near Saturn

Best Night Sky Events of October 2019 (Stargazing Maps)

By Chris Vaughan

See what's up in the night sky for October 2019, including stargazing events and the moon's phases, in this Space.com gallery courtesy of Starry Night Software.

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

Capricornus the Sea-Goat Rises into the Autumn Night Sky

By Joe Rao

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

This night-sky photo by astrophotographer Miguel Claro reveals a lovely summer scene where the arc of the Milky Way galaxy is shining bright above Pampilhosa da Serra, in Dark Sky Aldeias de Xisto, Portugal.

The Milky Way Sparkles Over Portugal's Newest 'Starlight Tourism Destination' (Photo)

By Miguel Claro

A brand-new "astrotourism" destination has just been born in the heart of Portugal, at Aldeias do Xisto, or the Schist Villages.

New Moon

September New Moon 2019: Inner Planets Emerge from Sun's Glare in 'Moonless' Sky

By Jesse Emspak

The new moon occurs on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 2:26 p.m. EDT (1026 GMT) — one day after the moon reaches perigee, or the closest point to Earth in its orbit.