Skywatching

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

Latest

Starry Night Software graphic showing Mercury and Regulus close together in sky after sunset. A green circle surrounds the pair, it demonstrated the field of view through a pair of binoculars.

See Mercury shine close to Leo's brightest star Regulus tonight

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Catch Mercury shining close to Leo's brightest star Regulus on Wednesday (Aug. 3). The due will be close enough to view with a telescope.

Celestron Cometron 7x50 binoculars in hands with foliage as a backdrop

Celestron Cometron 7x50 binoculars review

By David Sky Brody published

Review The Celestron Cometron 7x50 binoculars offer excellent views and remarkable value for money, all tied up in a lightweight package.

Review
Nikon binoculars deals: Image shows Nikon binoculars on wall

Nikon binoculars deals available right now

By Ian Evenden published

Deals Here's our handy guide to all the best Nikon binoculars deals with something for every level of astronomer and budget.

Deals
Best DSLR camera: Image shows man using DSLR next to lake

Best DSLR cameras: our top picks of full-frame and crop-sensor bodies

By Jason Parnell-Brookes published

Here are our picks of the best DSLR cameras on the market right now.

Best beginner cameras: Image shows person in woolly hat taking picture with water and mountains behind them

Best beginner cameras 2022

By Jacob Little published

Here are our top picks of beginner-friendly cameras to help you make the right buying decision.

The Virtual Telescope Project will livestream views of the Mars-Uranus conjunction on Aug. 1, 2022, at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT on Aug. 2).

Watch Mars and Uranus meet up in night-sky webcast tonight

By Mike Wall published

Mars and Uranus are night-sky neighbors at the moment, and you can get good views of their unusual meetup online tonight (Aug. 1).

Perseid meteor shower where meteors streak through the star-studded sky above wooden alpine cabins. The band of the Milky Way stretches across the sky in the center of the image.

Perseid meteor shower 2022: When, where & how to see it

By Sarah Lewin, Chelsea Gohd, Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference The Perseid meteor shower will peak between Aug. 11 and 12. Here we explore what the Perseids are, where they occur and how you can see them for yourself.

Reference
The full moon as seen from the International Space Station on Dec, 20, 2021.

Watch the full moon dance over one year in stunning time-lapse video by photographer

By Tariq Malik published

A new time-lapse video from astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy shows the moon's dance, or libration, over a year of full moons.

A Chinese Long March 5B rocket launches the Wentian module of China's Tiangong space station on July 24, 2022.

See China's huge uncontrolled rocket debris fall from space in fiery skywatcher videos

By Tariq Malik published

A huge Chinese rocket fell back to Earth this weekend in a dazzling (if fiery) display as it broke apart during reentry as it plunged from space over the Indian Ocean.

Starry Night graphic showing the location of Mars and Uranus in the night sky.

Use Mars to spot elusive Uranus on Sunday

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Mars will begin to approach Uranus early Sunday morning (July 31). The pair will be close enough to share the same field of view as seen through binoculars.

Noctilucent clouds appeared in the sky above Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada on July 2, 2011.

Rocket launches can create shiny clouds far from poles, study shows

By Elizabeth Howell published

Night-shining or noctilucent clouds are popping up farther from the poles, in part due to more rocket launches taking place from Earth.

Graphic from Starry Night software showing the location of the Aquarius constellation in the night sky.

The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower of 2022 is peaking now

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The Delta Aquarrids meteor shower peaks tonight (July 29). The shower commonly generates about 15-20 meteors per hour and is best viewed around 3 a.m. local time.

Graphic from Starry night showing the location of the new moon just above the sun.

The July new moon provides dark skies tonight to see Jupiter, Mars and more

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

The moon officially reached new moon phase today (July 28), leaving dark skies perfect for stargazing ventures.

A fireball is visible over College Station, Texas on July 24, 2022.

Brilliant fireball explodes high in Texas sky before dawn (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

A bright fireball exploded over Texas on Sunday night (July 24), waking up hundreds of residents with a sonic boom, which suggests parts of the rock may have reached Earth.

Bushnell binoculars deals

Binoculars deals: The best discounts and savings available

By Jason Parnell-Brookes published

Here are the best binoculars deals from Celestron, Nikon, and more, as well as the best Amazon Prime Day discounts still left.

Vortex binoculars 10x50 Crossfire HD

Vortex binoculars deals and discounts

By Ian Evenden published

We’re scouring the internet for the best Vortex binoculars deals, so you can get the lowest price available.

Bushnell binoculars deals: Image shows pair of bushnell binoculars

Bushnell binoculars deals: The best prices on popular models

By Ian Evenden published

Here's our round-up of Bushnell binoculars deals, the biggest discounts from reputable retailers plus some of our favorites.

Starry Night graphic showing the placement of the moon above Venus before sunrise.

Spot Venus shine under the thin crescent moon on Tuesday

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Before sunrise on Tuesday (July 26), Venus and the thin crescent moon will be close enough to share the same field of view through a pair of binoculars.

Telescopes at Walmart: Image shows man standing next to telescope looking at moon

Telescopes at Walmart: Deals on the best models from Celestron and others

By Ruth Gaukrodger published

There are several discounts on Celestron telescopes at Walmart, get them before they're gone!

Telescopes on Amazon: Image shows amateur astronomer pointing telescope at sky

Telescopes on Amazon: The best deals and discounts available online

By Ruth Gaukrodger published

Telescopes on Amazon are in abundance, so we've scoped out the best deals that are available.