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2024 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases

Jake Parks — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 15:38:58 +0000

The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunlight. Thanks to the Moon’s orbit around Earth, the angle of sunlight hitting the lunar surface and being reflected back toContinue reading "2024 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases"

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The Sky This Week from December 27 to January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks

Alison Klesman — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Friday, December 27By 8 P.M. local time, Gemini is well above the eastern horizon, rising to the left of the widely recognizable constellation Orion. The Twins’ two standout stars are Castor and Pollux in the northeastern reaches of the constellation, but tonight, look toward the opposite end of this star pattern: southwestern Gemini, near Orion’sContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 27 to January 3: The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks"

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Own a piece of the cosmos with Cosmic Collectibles

Mark Zastrow — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Find meteorites, scale models, flown-in-space artifacts, and more at The Space Store.

The post Own a piece of the cosmos with Cosmic Collectibles appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

You’re almost certainly not being visited by aliens

David J. Eicher — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 21:36:10 +0000

The recent furor over drones, planes, helicopters, aliens, or whatever centered on aerial sightings in New Jersey is causing a flap. Given the huge number of sightings and the tenor of alarm from many, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued 22 temporary flight restrictions along the approach paths to Newark International Airport and a fewContinue reading "You’re almost certainly not being visited by aliens"

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The Sky This Week from December 20 to 27: Welcome the winter solstice

Alison Klesman — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Friday, December 20Now that the evening sky is Moon-free, it’s time to aim for fainter targets, including 12th-magnitude Comet 333P/LINEAR. Located in far northern Cygnus, close to where that constellation’s border meets those of Cepheus and Draco, LINEAR sits some 8.4° northeast of magnitude 3.8 Kappa (κ) Cygni tonight. The comet is roughly halfway alongContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 20 to 27: Welcome the winter solstice"

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Commemorative NASA pins are a great way to honor space history

Mark Zastrow — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Show off your love of space exploration with swag from The Space Store.

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The Moon passes Mars: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher

David J. Eicher — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 17:53:02 +0000

In this episode, Dave Eicher invites you to observe the nearly full Moon as it passes Mars on the evening of December 17. Both objects closely follow the Sun’s apparent path through the stars, called the ecliptic. This time, however, they’ll be quite close, only about 1 degree apart. That distance is twice the diameterContinue reading "The Moon passes Mars: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher"

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Explore the Big Dipper this winter

Stuart Atkinson — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:29:00 +0000

Although it’s visible all year round from mid- and high-northern latitudes, now is a great time of the year for newcomers to stargazing to look for and find the famous star pattern known as the Big Dipper or the Plough. Many people grow up believing the Big Dipper is a constellation, but it’s not. It’sContinue reading "Explore the Big Dipper this winter"

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The Red Planet lights up a famous star cluster this month

Stephen James O'Meara — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Beginning in late November during the waning phases of the Moon, and then again in late December, you can investigate the possibility of a curious optical phenomenon. It involves a bright planet passing by a large and diffuse star cluster visible with the naked eye. On the evening of June 13, 2023, I went outContinue reading "The Red Planet lights up a famous star cluster this month"

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The Sky This Week from December 13 to 20: 2024’s last Full Moon

Alison Klesman — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Friday, December 13The bright gibbous Moon passes 4° north of Uranus at 5 A.M. EST. At that time, the Moon sits in Aries the Ram, while Uranus is just over the border in far western Taurus the Bull. The two set together around 5 A.M. local time. You might have better luck spotting the iceContinue reading "The Sky This Week from December 13 to 20: 2024’s last Full Moon"

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