The moon enters its new phase for February 2025 tonight, leaving the skies nice and dark for observing the many bright planets currently visible in the night sky. The new moon occurs Feb. 27, at 7:45 p.m. EST (0045 GMT Feb. 28), in New York, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. Tomorrow (Feb. 28), the … Read more
We now have a fine opportunity to view the planet that many astronomy guide books refer to as the most difficult of the naked-eye planets to see. The planet in question is Mercury. Beginning now and running through the end of the second week of March, this somewhat overgrown version of the moon will have … Read more
Mercury and Saturn stand side by side in the early-evening sky near the end of February. Note that Neptune is not visible to the naked eye. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly Friday, February 21The Moon passes 0.4° south of the bright red giant Antares in Scorpius this morning at 4 A.M. EST. The pair is visible … Read more
One planet was missing from the sunset lineup… until now. Perhaps you’ve seen the news headlines admonishing sky watchers to ‘See All Naked Eye Planets…at Once!’ in January. While this was basically true, it was also missing one key player: Mercury. This week, the swift inner planet joins the scene at dusk. It’s certainly rare … Read more
Mercury will reach its farthest angular distance from the sun at 3 UTC on December 25, 2024 (9 p.m. CST on December 24). Then it’ll be 22 degrees from the sunrise. No matter where you are on Earth, look east before sunrise to see Mercury now. The red star Antares will be nearby. Chart via … Read more