Weekend Sky Report
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Weekend Sky Report
Matt Pelsor is an astronomy geek. He loves observing the stars, planets and other celestial objects that fill our night sky. With his help, you'll discover the magic of the skies, from streaking comets to harvest moons, in the Weekend Sky Report archives.
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First Quarter Moon
This weekend, if we're lucky to get clear enough skies, check out one of the best moon phases
for lunar observation.
Hyades
Right in the center of Taurus the Bull is the bright orange giant Aldebaran. Aldebaran is close… just over 60 light years away. And because of that, i...
Pleiades
Observations of the bright, open cluster known as The Pleiades have been recorded since the 17th century BC, and likely even before that. It was scien...
Halloween Full Moon
Saturday night is the spookiest night of the year. Not just because it’s Halloween… but also because it’s a Halloween with a full moon. This sort of t...
Cassiopeia
We all know about… the dippers. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor—the big and little dippers. We know about them because they’re out every night. But there’s...
Globular Cluster M22
While the moon is pretty to look at and easy to find, its light outshines a lot of deep sky objects. Galaxies, star clusters, nebulae… So moonless nig...
Planet Parade
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, AND Neptune will all be in the evening sky this weekend. And so will Pluto, if you still consider it to be a planet, bu...
Mars and The Moon
The moon will rise just after 8pm Eastern Time on Friday night. Just to the left of it will be a bright orange dot. The planet Mars. The two objects w...
Gibbous Moon and Planets
On Friday night, the moon rises just before 5pm, so by dark it will be high to the south/southeast. If you look at the moon on Friday night with a tel...
Double Cluster
Tonight’s target has been known since LONG before the telescope was invented. This of course means it can be seen WITHOUT a telescope, but ONLY under...
Alpha Persei Cluster
The brightest star in the constellation Perseus is Mirfak, and it’s where you need to look to find this weekend’s target.
The Alpha Perse...
Owl Cluster
Hiding in the constellation Cassiopeia… is a star cluster that goes by many names. Its most official name is NGC 457 for its place in Danish astronome...
Gibbous Moon & Planets
On Friday night, the moon rises just before 6pm, so by dark it will be high to the south/southeast. If you look at the moon on Friday night, you’ll pr...
Rho Cassiopeiae
Rho Cassiopeiae (row casio-pee-eye) is huge. More than 400 times the size of the sun and 40 times as massive. And did I mention it’s bright? Half a mi...
Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseid Meteor Shower is great not only because it falls among the warmest nights of the year, so you don’t really have to bundle up to see it. Bu...
Moon, Jupiter and Saturn
The weather doesn’t look great this weekend, but if we’re lucky enough to have clear or clear-ish skies, look the southeast after sundown… so around 9...
Moon, Comet NEOWISE, Jupiter and Saturn
There’s a lot in the sky this weekend for anyone with binoculars or a cheap telescope. For one thing, the crescent moon will rise higher in the southw...
Comet NEOWISE
If you have dark skies, you can see Comet Neowise with the naked eye, but urban and most suburban observers will probably need some help spotting it.
Jupiter
The largest planet in our solar system is clearly visible late at night. It rises to the southeast just after sunset, and it’s highest right around 2a...
Lunar Geography
If you get a chance to look up at the moon this weekend, you may wonder what you’re looking at. Where did the Apollo missions land? What’s that big cr...
Jupiter and Saturn
If you’re lucky, you’re spending your days… and nights in the AC. But if you have a good view of the southern sky, step outside for a few minutes and...
Summer Triangle
The stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair form what’s called the summer triangle, which sweeps overhead all night during the warmer months of the northern hem...
Messier 10 and Messier 12
Ophiuchus was one of the original 48 constellations listed by the second century Greek astronomer Ptolemy. At this time of year, it’s on its side, ris...
Strawberry Moon
The Strawberry Moon was officially full this afternoon when it was on the other side of the planet, but it’ll still look pretty “sweet” all weekend.
M13 (Hercules)
The PBS list of the 100 greatest books of our time or, The Great American Read, includes a title by Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut. His 1959 novel,...
The Virgo Cluster
The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies that appear between the constellations Virgo and Coma Berenices. It actually consists of over a thousand ga...
Procyon and Vega
Obviously, you don’t need to know constellations to tell what season you’re in, but there are big astronomical markers. In the colder months. The Wint...
The Great Diamond
We’re halfway through Spring. A perfect time to look for what some call the “Great Diamond.”
I’m Matt Pelsor, and this is your Weekend Sk...
Gibbous Moon
When the moon is out, it’s hard to see dimmer stars and deep sky objects. But there’s still plenty to appreciate about our natural satellite.
Messier 3
Messier 3 is a remarkable globular cluster. It’s over 33,000 light years away, but it’s bright enough to see with a small telescope, which means it’s...
Lyrid Meteor Shower
In 1861, Comet Thatcher appeared in the night sky, as it does about every 400 years. When it passed through, it left behind tiny pieces in its orbit a...
Gemini
In greek mythology, twins Castor and Pollux were the sons of Leda, a Spartan queen. They were fathered by different men though… Castor’s father was Ty...
Venus in The Pleiades
As Venus continues its rise in the evening sky through the end of this month, it will travel through many constellations. Tonight, Friday, April 3rd,...
Early Morning Planets
If we’re lucky enough to get clear skies in the early morning--before 7am Eastern, look to the south and you’ll see three bright points of light. From...
Beehive Cluster
It’s a great time of year for open clusters. There’s a lot to choose from in the evening sky. The Pleiades, the Hyades, Coma, Alpha Persei… but one of...
Antares B
All right—I’m no trickster, so I’d make a lousy leprechaun. No… there are no green stars. But there are a few that can appear green.
Blue stars...
Leo (Regulus)
Leo sweeps across the southern sky all night this time of year. In the evening, it’s to the east. To find it, look for the Big Dipper. It’ll be straig...
Orion's Dogs
Every good hunter needs support. Orion and his two dogs have reigned the evening sky in the winter since before human civilization. One of the earlies...
Lunar Occultation of Mars
If you’re lucky enough to have clear skies in the morning, grab a coat, step outside, and look to the southeast. You’ll see a bright orange point of l...
Sirius B
During the winter, Sirius is very prominent in the evening sky. It’s part of what’s called the Winter Triangle, a near-perfect equilateral triangle of...