Latest articles by Joe Rao
Black Moon: What is it and why does it occur?
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)
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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.
Hunter's Supermoon rises this week, the biggest full moon of 2024. Here's how to see it
The largest full moon of 2024 rises this week when the Hunter's Supermoon takes to the sky on Wednesday (Oct. 16), becoming officially full the next morning.
Hopes dim for another bright October comet after Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
There's been talk of another spectacular comet putting on a show in our sky after Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. Unfortunately, however, it doesn't look like the newcomer will deliver.
The dazzling Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is emerging in the night sky: How to see it
Scientists are excited to begin capturing Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as the object is expected to soon be very bright in the night sky.
