SkyCaramba

Mercury reaches greatest elongation. The moon reaches southern lunistice. Uranus continues traveling between the Pleiades and the Hyades.

Mercury zips past Mars. Saturn and Neptune remain paired. It's a good time of year to start looking at Algol eclipses. And we get a meteor shower during the new moon.

Mars appears to pass close to a quadruple star system this week. Keep looking at Saturn in a telescope for the rings to almost disappear. And I take the chance on telling you about a comet that may be bright enough to easily see.

The moon passes by a pair of planets. We have one of the closest full moons of the year. Venus gets away from the lion. And learn about the Saturn Nebula, named for the planet it sort of looks like in some views.

Mercury and Mars are in the evening sky for some observers. Saturn remains paired with Neptune. Venus slides under Leo's belly. And Cygnus is a good constellation to start with if you're interested in deep sky objects.

Saturn's at opposition. Neptune, too. They have moons with similar names. Orion shines bright in the morning. Venus slides under Leo's belly.

Part of the world gets a partial solar eclipse soon. Learn how eclipses are catalogued and grouped over thousands of years. Mercury comes out of conjunction. Mars continues heading into the sunset. Saturn's almost at opposition.

Mercury's missing. Well, not really. Saturn and Neptune rise around sunset. A minor meteor shower peaks this week. And learn how those distant, dim galaxies and nebulae get their names.

The coming full moon will be eclipsed. Mars and Virgo set. Jupiter and a star give you a vision test. Venus passes by the beehive.

The moon passes Mars. Saturn and Fomalhaut shine bright. Three planets still give morning greetings. And it's not too late to see Perseid meteors. I tell you about how meteor showers are put into four classes according to how easy they are to see.

Three naked eye planets greet morning sky watchers. Saturn rises earlier in the evening. The moon reaches northern lunistice. And let's learn about Christiaan Huygens and how he leveled up from Galileo's work.

Venus passes Jupiter in Gemini for a nice morning display. The moon passes by Saturn. And the Martian north pole is pointed toward us. Find out what it and its southern counterpart are made of and how they're different.

Mars just passed Zavijava and heads toward Zaniah. Saturn and Neptune rise mid-evening. Uranus is near the Pleiades. Mercury makes it to the morning. And you can start looking for Perseid meteors if you haven't already. I tell you about the comet they come from.

Mercury heads to inferior conjunction. Mars gets close to Zavijava. The teapot's on the meridian at dusk. Venus reaches Castor's feet in pursuit of Jupiter. And a couple of big geometry figures are starting points for many beginning astronomers.

The moon moves from morning to evening. Mercury is lost in the sunlight. Mars heads toward Virgo. Saturn goes retrograde. Venus continues to shine in the morning. Jupiter begins its morning appearance. And this is the best time all year to see Pluto--if you can.

Mercury retreats from the evening. Mars keeps crawling under Leo. Jupiter reaches Castor's legs. And recall how the Apollo 11 astronauts didn't get to go home right after their mission.

Mercury moves away from a donkey star. Mars is beneath the lion's belly. Saturn is stationary by the one of the two linked fish. Venus pulls up along the Hyades V in the bull's face. And for those wondering how much non-human involvement goes into these podcasts, I assure you very little.

The moon hides Mars and Spica this week. Mercury's at its best for the current evening showing. Earth is at aphelion. And Saturn and Neptune appear close. So do Venus and Uranus. We can use these close calls to appreciate how Galileo mistook Neptune for a star.

Jupiter's still out of view. Mercury's up in the evening. Mars is at the lion's belly. Venus and Saturn show in the morning. And see a fabled centaur and an unstoried wolf cross the meridian in the evening.

Jupiter is out of sight this week. Mercury passes through Gemini. Mars reaches the heart of Leo. Venus gets a visit from the moon. And the June solstice is coming. Most of us know that means midnight sun from far northern locations. However, we don't often think about midnight twilight from places not so far north.

Mercury and Jupiter pass each other in the evening. Mars continues moving toward Regulus. Venus is coming off its best morning appearance. And Mira is coming into magnified views for northern sky watchers. This star is called wonderful for many reasons, one of which is it seems to vanish and reappear.

Jupiter is almost at the feet of Gemini. Mercury moves to the evening. Venus shines bright from the Pisces linkage. A mostly daytime meteor shower. And Mars approaches the heart of Leo. There's a lot more to that star, Regulus, than meets the naked eye.

Jupiter's long slow goodbye from the evening sky continues. Mars is still prominent. Venus and Saturn look nice at dawn. Mercury approaches its semi-circle phase. But for some reason, we don't see it that way exactly when we should. And Mars has its northern solstice.

Jupiter and Mars climb among the evening stars. Mercury sinks into the sunrise. And can you see stars in the daytime from the bottom of a smokestack or deep well? Some serious studies have been done.

The morning planets are drifting apart. The evening planets climb toward their next destinations. The moon hides Antares. And there's a monster of a constellation several solar system objects pass through, yet we don't think of it as part of the zodiac.