This Week’s Sky At a Glance

Check out Sky & Telescope’s weekly observing update, Sky at a Glance, published every Friday. Not only do we provide ordinary sky maps and observing tips for the upcoming week, we also keep you up to date on the latest celestial events.

A winter article might concentrate on the dazzling Orion Nebula, where thousands of starlets are forming in the cloud of gas and dust, only 1,300 light-years away. A spring article could guide you through the puny patch of sky in the constellations Cygnus, Lyra, and Draco where the Kepler Space Telescope has found more than 1,000 exoplanets. And a summer article might be bombarded with meteors from the stunning Perseids, which grace us with their presence every August, while a fall article might highlight the fortunate alignment of two or more planets in the evening sky.

No matter the week, take a look at Sky at a Glance to catch up on celestial current events.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, September one – nine

The waxing gibbous Moon is shows up identically distant from Saturn, well to its right, and Altair, high to its upper left.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August twenty five – September two

Look low in the west in twilight for the waxing crescent Moon. It forms a triangle with Jupiter and Spica below it.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August eighteen – twenty six

The Milky Way runs from Sagittarius in the south, up and left across Aquila and the Summer Triangle very high in the east, and down through Cassiopeia to Perseus low in the north-northeast.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August eleven – nineteen

The Perseid meteor shower should be at its maximum late Friday and Saturday nights, August 11-12 and 12-13.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August four – twelve

Saturn glows in the south at nightfall. Flamy Antares, less bright, twinkles 13° to Saturn’s lower right.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July twenty eight – August five

The Sagittarius Teapot is in the south after darkness is accomplish.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 21– twenty nine

Starry Scorpius is sometimes called “the Orion of Summer” for its brightness and its prominent crimson supergiant (Antares in the case of Scorpius, Betelgeuse for Orion). Catch Scorpius due south just after dark now. It’s total of deep-sky objects for binoculars or a telescope

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July fourteen – twenty two

Mercury is having a poor apparition low in evening twilight this month. But it’s bright enough (magnitude –0.Two this evening) that you can pick it up anyway if the air is good and clear.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July seven – fifteen

The utter Moon is low in the southeast as the starlets come out Saturday evening. Look far to the Moon’s upper left for Altair, and far to the Moon’s upper right for Saturn.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June thirty – July eight

The Moon forms a broad triangle with Jupiter and Spica in the southwestern sky during twilight and nightfall on July 1, 2017.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June twenty three – July one

This is the time of year when the two brightest starlets of summer, Arcturus and Vega, are identically high overhead soon after dark: Arcturus in the southwest, Vega toward the east.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June sixteen – twenty four

The term “Midsummer’s Night” is left over from when the seasons were commonly defined as beginning and ending around the cross-quarter days.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June nine – seventeen

For an easy-to-use constellation guide covering the entire evening sky, use the big monthly map in the center of each issue of Sky & Telescope, the essential guide to astronomy.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, June two – ten

For an easy-to-use constellation guide covering the entire evening sky, use the big monthly map in the center of each issue of Sky & Telescope, the essential guide to astronomy.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May twenty six – June three

Friday, May twenty six • While twilight is still bright, can you catch the skinny crescent Moon just above the west-northwest horizon? The Moon is only about 1¼ days old as seen at the time of dusk for North America (because fresh Moon was at Three:44 p.m. EDT yesterday the 25th). And, how about little…

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May nineteen – twenty seven

Three zero-magnitude starlets shine after dark in May: Arcturus high in the southeast, Vega much lower in the northeast, and Capella in the northwest.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May twelve – twenty

Three zero-magnitude starlets shine after dark in May: Arcturus high in the southeast, Vega much lower in the northeast, and Capella in the northwest.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, May five – thirteen

Friday, May five • Above the Moon tonight is Leo’s tail starlet, Denebola (by about a knuckle at arm’s length). Far to the Moon’s lower left at dusk is bright Jupiter, with Spica further on, as shown here. Saturday, May six • The Moon tonight forms a gently curving arc with, to its lower…

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April twenty eight – May six

Jupiter, among the starlets of Virgo, shines brightly in the southeast at dusk this week. It’s highest in the south by eleven or midnight daylight saving time.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April twenty one – twenty nine

Jupiter, in Virgo, shines like a beacon in the southeast at nightfall. It’s highest in the south by eleven or midnight.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April fourteen – twenty two

Arcturus shines brightly in the east these evenings, to the left or upper left of even brighter Jupiter.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, April seven – fifteen

In addition to three comets now in binocular view, Jupiter is at its fattest and brightest. Also look for summer starlet Vega in the northeast soon after dark.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, March thirty one – April eight

Catch two comets through your binoculars, and witness the waxing crescent Moon approaching Aldebaran and the Hyades Friday evening.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, March twenty four – April one

Look up at the starlets tonight and see the Little Dipper “pour” into the Big Dipper. Telescope users may attempt for Jupiter’s moon in eclipse and Comet 41P.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, March seventeen – twenty five

Find the dim constellation Cancer on the traditional divide inbetween the winter and spring sky. Last quarter Moon falls on Monday, March 20th.

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