Joe Rao
Joe Rao is Space.com's skywatching columnist, as well as a veteran meteorologist and eclipse chaser who also serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications. Joe is an 8-time Emmy-nominated meteorologist who served the Putnam Valley region of New York for over 21 years. You can find him on Twitter and YouTube tracking lunar and solar eclipses, meteor showers and more. To find out Joe's latest project, visit him on Twitter.
Latest articles by Joe Rao
The Full Wolf Moon 'eats' Mars on Jan. 13. Here's how to see it
By Joe Rao last updated
On the night of Jan. 13, the full moon will appear to pass in front of Mars, resulting in an occultation visible from the United States, much of southern and eastern Canada, and West Africa.
Watch the moon hide the 'Seven Sisters' of the Pleiades star cluster tonight
By Joe Rao published
The moon will pass in front of the Pleiades star cluster during an occultation on Jan. 9, 2025. Here's how to see it.
Once-in-a-160000-year comet G3 ATLAS could shine as bright as Venus next week. Here's what to expect.
By Joe Rao published
One of the brightest comets in 20 years, Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) returns for a close encounter with the sun — but will we be able to see it?
Black Moon: What is it and why does it occur?
By Joe Rao last updated
Reference A Black Moon is a rare occurrence. Here we explore what causes them and when the next one will happen.
The brightest planets in January's night sky: How to see them (and when)
By Joe Rao last updated
Reference Four bright planets are conveniently placed for viewing in January's evening sky. By far, the most brilliant is Venus, which dominates the southwest sky for several hours after sundown.
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight! Don't miss the 1st 'shooting stars' of 2025
By Joe Rao published
The 2025 Quadrantid meteor shower peaks overnight on Jan. 3, and could produce between 60 to 120 meteors per hour.
Full moon names 2025 (and how they came to be)
By Joe Rao last updated
Reference The full moon names for each month, why they're named so and what we can expect from these lunar events.
Eclipses, meteor showers and more: The must-see skywatching events of 2025
By Joe Rao published
A rundown of some of the exciting sky events — including meteor showers and the first total lunar eclipse for the U.S. since 2022 — that will take place this year.
Christmas night sky 2024: Venus, Saturn and Jupiter visit for the holidays tonight
By Joe Rao last updated
The Christmas evening sky is especially rewarding now. The eastern sky is filled with brilliant stars, a sort of a celestial Christmas tree.
Venus, Mars and more: How to see planets in the night sky in 2025
By Joe Rao published
Your guide to viewing the visible planets of the solar system in the night sky of 2025.
See the moon meet up with Mars this in the night sky tonight
By Joe Rao published
On Dec. 17, the moon and Mars will appear close together in the night sky in the Gemini constellation.
Geminid meteor shower peaks Dec. 13 alongside a bright moon. Here's how to see it
By Joe Rao published
The December Geminids — one of the best meteor showers of the year — will be adversely affected by bright moonlight, appearing the on the night before the full moon.
See the moon and Venus take a sunset stroll through the night sky tonight
By Joe Rao published
The two brightest nighttime objects, the moon and the planet Venus put on a lovely display in the western evening sky of Wednesday, Dec. 4.
Thanksgiving night sky 2024: Venus, Jupiter and Saturn stay for dessert
By Joe Rao last updated
For Thanksgiving 2024, we have a celestial feast as three bright planets shine prominently during the early evening hours: Saturn , Jupiter and Venus.
The moon eclipses bright blue star Spica early on Nov. 27. Here's how to see it
By Joe Rao last updated
A waning crescent moon will creep closer and closer to Spica until the star's light is extinguished in the blink of an eye on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The Leonid meteor shower peaks is peaking now. Are 'shooting stars' in the forecast for 2024?
By Joe Rao last updated
The annual Leonid meteor shower peaks on Nov. 17, 2024, but a bright moon just two days past full will make viewing this year's Leonids difficult.
Don't miss the Taurid meteor shower peak with colorful fireballs and shooting stars tonight
By Joe Rao last updated
The Southern Taurid meteor shower reaches its peak Nov. 12. Here's how to maximize your chances of seeing a colorful fireball from this shower.
Saturn and the moon put on a celestial show Sunday night. Here's how to see it
By Joe Rao published
Saturn gets close to the moon tonight, and some skywatchers in Florida, Central America and South America will see the ringed planet briefly disappear behind our lunar companion.
See the moon snuggle up to Venus after sunset tonight
By Joe Rao published
Monday evening (Nov. 4), the night before Election Day, will bring a lovely celestial display involving the two brightest objects in the nighttime sky: the moon and Venus.
Halloween night sky 2024: See Venus, Saturn and maybe some eerie fireballs tonight!
By Joe Rao last updated
Reference Don't miss these celestial treats this Halloween!
A star exploded almost 1000 years ago and left us with the gorgeous Crab Nebula. Here's how to see it
By Joe Rao published
To see the Crab Nebula for yourself, you'll have to wait until around midnight local daylight time, after it has sufficiently risen high enough above the east-northeast horizon.
Headless 'Halloween comet' could already be doomed
By Joe Rao published
While some are hoping for a bright "Halloween comet," astronomers say the speeding cosmic snowball has likely already broken apart.
Orionid meteor shower peaks this weekend: How to see bits of Halley's comet burn up in the night sky
By Joe Rao published
The Orionid meteor shower 2024 reaches its peak in the pre-dawn hours on Monday, Oct. 21, but this year a bright moon could make it difficult to see these shooting stars.
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