What's in the Night Sky
Monthly guide to stars, constellations, and planets visible from your city
Monthly guide to stars, constellations, and planets visible from your city
View looking up at midnight. North is at the top.
The brightest star in the entire night sky. A close neighbor to Earth, its blue-white brilliance dominates winter skies in the Northern Hemisphere.
The second-brightest star, a supergiant visible mainly from the Southern Hemisphere. Used for centuries in celestial navigation.
A red giant and the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle to find it.
A brilliant blue-white star and part of the Summer Triangle. It was the former North Star around 12,000 BC and will be again around AD 13,700.
Actually a system of four stars appearing as one bright golden point. The sixth-brightest star in the sky.
A blue supergiant in Orion, about 120,000 times more luminous than the Sun. It marks the hunter's left foot.
The 'Little Dog Star', one of the closest bright stars to Earth. It has a white dwarf companion.
A red supergiant nearing the end of its life — it could explode as a supernova at any time within the next 100,000 years.
One of the closest visible stars and part of the Summer Triangle. It rotates extremely fast, completing one spin in about 9 hours.
The 'Eye of the Bull' in Taurus, an orange giant. It appears to sit among the Hyades star cluster but is actually much closer to us.
A brilliant blue-white binary star in Virgo. One of the stars used to discover precession.
The 'Heart of the Scorpion', a red supergiant so large that if placed at our Sun's position, it would extend beyond Mars's orbit.
The current North Star, sitting almost exactly at the north celestial pole. Essential for navigation for centuries.
The 'Lonely One of the South', surrounded by a famous debris disk. One of the first stars with a directly imaged exoplanet candidate.
The nearest star system to the Sun, only 4.4 light-years away, and the third-brightest star in the night sky. Together with Beta Centauri it points the way to the Southern Cross.
A strong but brief shower peaking in early January. The narrow peak window of just 6 hours makes timing crucial. The meteors are often faint but can produce bright fireballs.
One of the oldest known meteor showers, observed for over 2,700 years. While not the strongest, the Lyrids occasionally produce bright fireballs and unexpected outbursts of up to 100 meteors per hour.
Debris from Halley's Comet produces some of the fastest meteors, entering the atmosphere at 66 km/s. Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, where rates can reach 50 per hour. Known for persistent glowing trails.
The most popular meteor shower of the year, peaking during warm August nights. Consistently produces 60–100 bright, fast meteors per hour with many fireballs. A favorite for beginners and experienced observers alike.
The second shower caused by Halley's Comet. Fast meteors can leave persistent ionization trains lasting several seconds. Activity is spread over several nights around the peak.
Famous for producing spectacular meteor storms roughly every 33 years when Earth passes through dense debris. The 1966 storm produced thousands of meteors per minute. Normally modest but always worth watching.
The king of meteor showers — the most reliable and prolific annual shower. Unlike most showers, the parent body is an asteroid (3200 Phaethon), not a comet. Produces up to 150 multicolored meteors per hour.
Best observed in the predawn hours. The radiant rises in the northeast after midnight. Dress warmly — January nights are cold! A waning crescent or new moon is ideal.
Look toward the northeast after midnight. The radiant is near the bright star Vega, making it easy to locate. April weather can be unpredictable, so have a backup plan.
Best viewed in the predawn hours, 2–3 hours before sunrise. From northern latitudes, the radiant is low on the horizon — look for long 'earthgrazer' meteors skimming across the sky.
Best after midnight when the radiant is high. Lie on your back and look at a wide area of sky — don't stare at the radiant. Allow 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to darkness.
Best after midnight when Orion is high. The fast meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. A reclining chair and patience are your best equipment. Watch over multiple nights for best results.
Peak rates occur after midnight. Look for fast, bright meteors radiating from the Sickle of Leo. Even in non-storm years, watch for occasional brilliant fireballs leaving smoky trails.
Uniquely, this shower is visible from early evening — you don't have to wait until midnight. The radiant is near the bright star Castor in Gemini. Peak activity often occurs around 2 AM local time.
It never gets astronomically dark here at this time of year – times refer to nautical darkness (−12°).
How is the stargazing score calculated? It combines the moon-free dark hours of the night with the moon's brightness: many dark hours without the moon give a high score. Weather and light pollution are not included.