Star Trak
As evening twilight fades during February, the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will highlight the sky as they come into view in the southwest. The best time to observe brilliant Venus with a telescope will be during twilight. The brightness of the sky will reduce the planet's glare, and it will be higher above the horizon than when the sky is completely dark, so its image will be sharper.
Full Story >>
The planets Venus and Jupiter will dominate the sky as darkness falls during January. Jupiter will be twice as bright as any star, and Venus will be four times brighter than Jupiter.
Full Story >>
Venus will be at its dazzling brightest as December begins, appearing in the southwestern sky after sunset. This beautiful "evening star" will set two hours after the sun on Dec. 1 and an hour later at month's end. Jupiter will come into view almost halfway up the southeastern sky as evening falls. It will be highest in the south around 8 p.m. local time and set in the early morning hours.
Full Story >>
Jupiter will be easy to see in the east as night falls in November. The bright planet was at opposition on Oct. 29, so during November it will still be visible almost all night at its maximum brilliance. This is when you can get good telescopic views of Jupiter without staying up late, as it travels high across the sky from southeast to southwest. Jupiter's four brightest moons will be visible with binoculars.
Full Story >>
As the short nights of summer give way to the longer nights of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, Jupiter will come into view above the southeastern horizon as the sun sets. The huge planet will be much brighter than any other object in the sky this month, reaching opposition on the night of Oct. 28-29. Since it will be opposite the sun in our sky, it will be visible all night, reaching its highest point in the south around midnight.
Full Story >>
The annual Perseid meteor shower of August is one of the most popular every year because it happens on warm summer nights, when gazing at the starry sky is always enjoyable. This year, however, the full moon will interfere with viewing the Perseids during their peak on the night of Aug. 12-13. Bright moonlight will wash out the fainter meteors, and instead of 100 per hour, observers may see only about 20.
Full Story >>
