SkyCaramba

One of the modern constellations is named for a device you would use to look at stars to figure out where you are. The first sextants were as big as buildings. Eventually, handheld sextants were invented. Mercury and Venus pass each other this week. Mars and Jupiter are close to the Hyades.

Perseid meteors are a possibility. Mercury begins its retreat from the evening sky. The solar cycle may be peaking sooner rather than later. And the lunistice keeps getting farther from the equator.

The Hyades feature prominently in the morning sky watching these days. The asterism's bright star Aldebaran is likened to a torch. Mars shines in a similar color nearby. In the evening, Mercury is at greatest elongation and draws close to Regulus.

A comet may be visible in binoculars this month. It's always hard to speculate just how bright any of these objects will become. See Mars pull away from the Hyades.

How far away would the sun have to be to blend in with the stars at night. Here are some answers to how far away the sun would be to shine as bright as the full moon, Venus, and various stars.

Mercury and Venus in the evening, Saturn late at night, other planets clustered in the morning, Earth at aphelion, and some info on how we know the sun is far away.

For a few years, there was a meteor shower in June that produced faint blue streaks. It doesn't happen anymore. It's not the only meteor shower to have gone extinct. But there's another shower that has come back. Saturn seems to be holding still. Mercury emerges into the evening.

Earth goes through northern solstice this week. Mars went through southern solstice earlier this month. The morning planets march along.

The moon will pass in front of Spica 20 times now through the end of next year. Find out where to see the first occultation. Mercury's turn to go behind the sun. Planet watching continues to be a morning thing.

The sun passes through 13 constellations during the year. The one people are surprised to learn about is the snake-bearer Ophiuchus. Jupiter and Mercury are very close in the morning sky this week. Not many people will get to see them though. Venus is hidden behind the sun.

A long snake slithers across the evening sky, taking a bird and a bowl with it. And some sky watchers can see Saturn disappear behind the moon.

Saturn and Mars are easy to spot in the morning. Some people may spot Mercury. The moon occults Antares this week. And sometimes, successfully finding something in your telescope means blocking something else out. It costs practically nothing to go to the extra trouble.

A star about 3,000 light years away is normally very dim--requiring a telescope and a dark sky to see. About 80 years ago, it flared up to easy naked eye visibility. Some astronomers think it might be about to flare up again. Also, the moon is about to pass in front of one of the stars in Virgo. The event will be visible from most of a continent.

All the planets will soon by on the same side of the sun. When something like that happened in 1982, some people carried on like the world would come to an end. Most scientists recognized the so-called alignment as an important opportunity.

Mars and Neptune will appear very close. To see this super close conjunction, you will need to be in a place where it's still dark when they're up. And you'll need magnification. How much? Not much. But you need something else too.

Earth is passing through the dust stream that produces the April Lyrid meteor shower this week. There are sometimes bright fireballs. The full moon is interfering though.

What an exciting week that just ended with a total solar eclipse. Red prominences showed in the corona. Why are they that color? And what did scientists learn about the sun by analyzing the corona's spectum?

Several planets are lined up in the morning. The moon is with them at first. One more admonition to protect your eyes during the solar eclipse. Several planets appear close to the sun during the eclipse. Then the moon passes Mercury and Jupiter in the evening.

Mercury's leaving the evening sky. Jupiter is heading toward Uranus. Three planets are leaving the morning sky, but there's time for the moon to meet up with them. And here's some more advice on how to experience the total solar eclipse.

Legends abound about seven stars and why only six of them are visible. We review what the ancient Greeks said about the Pleiades and which Pleiad is missing. As Comet Halley is at the halfway point between appearances, another comet with an orbit almost as long is showing in the evening sky. Find out about Comet Pons-Brooks. And planets keep working their way out of the evening and morning skies.

Evening planet viewing isn't so bad right now. It's getting hard to see the morning planets. There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse next week.

There are a lot of things to think about if you will travel to see the total solar eclipse next month. Do you need a place to stay? Where will you eat while you're there? How will you keep everyone in your party occupied during the trip? Maybe you should try to DX the eclipse. Listen for radio stations coming in from farther than usual during the daytime because of what darkness does in the up...

An asteroid is at opposition this week. It's one of the asteroids discovered by the "celestial police" who looked over areas of the sky for objects between Mars and Jupiter. And there's a reason they expected to find something there. But maybe it's just a coincidence that they did.

Jupiter still rules the evening. Venus and Mars are leaving the morning sky. The moon will soon pass in front of Antares. And part of a famous but long lost star catalog has been found.

An evening planet is heading into the sunset. Three morning planets are heading into the sunrise. And there will soon be a conjunction of two planets with each other and with the sun!