SKY VIEWING

TONIGHT'S SKY MAPS

Select the latitude closest to your own.  Then click on "Get Sky Maps" and enjoy tonight's sky marvels!

Hover at bottom of map for current Earth Day & Night.

SKY VIEWING:  Tonight, This Week, This Month
      What's Up In Tonight's Sky
      HubbleSite's Tonight's Sky
      NASA's What's Up: Skywatching Tips
      USNO's The Sky This Week

Find your  Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise & Moonset  times.

FOUR AWESOME ONLINE SKY MAPS:

Stellarium Web      Solar System Scope
The Sky Live      ESA's Star Mapper

2024 HIGHLIGHTS

BEST PLANET CONJUNCTIONS:
      Jan 27  Mercury-Mars  (0.23° apart)
      Mar 22  Venus-Saturn  (0.33° apart)
      Apr 3  Venus-Neptune  (0.28° apart)
      Apr 29  Mars-Neptune  (0.04° apart)
      Jun 4  Venus-Uranus  (0.12° apart)
      Aug 14  Jupiter-Mars  (0.30° apart)

  MERCURY'S GREATEST ELONGATIONS:
      Morning:  Jan 12   23.5° W   Mag: -0.0
      Evening:  Mar 24   18.7° E   Mag: 0.1
      Morning:  May 9   26.4° W   Mag: 0.7
      Evening:  Jul 22   26.9° E   Mag: 0.7
      Morning:  Sep 5   18.1° W   Mag: -0.0
      Evening:  Nov 16   22.5° E   Mag: -0.1
      Morning:  Dec 25   22.0° W   Mag: -0.1

2024 ECLIPSES:
      Calendar
      Penumbral Lunar:  Mar 25   Total Solar:  Apr 8   
      Partial Lunar:  Sep 18   Annular Solar:  Oct 2

METEOR SHOWERS: Next 12 Months

2024:  Perihelion & Aphelion   Equinoxes & Solstices

MOON:  
      Phase & Position in Phase Cycle
            View with  Moon Phaser  interactive tool
      Distance, Apparent Size and Phase from Earth
      Location in the Constellations

QUICK VIEW OF 2024

MOON PHASES & ECLIPSES (UTC)

SOLAR: Total = T, Annular = A    LUNAR: Partial = P, Penumbral = Pn

Click on months for Phases

      2024 Phase List      with more Astronomical Events
      2024 Best Moon-Planet Conjunctions

MOON PHASES 2024
video credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

1.     New MoonsNew Moons essentially rise and set with the Sun and reflect no sunlight toward Earth.  So they do not impede Deep Sky Observing all night.

2.     Waxing Crescent MoonsWaxing Crescent Moons generally
rise between sunrise and "local
noon".  Setting between sunset
and "local midnight", they are up
and impede Deep Sky Observing
early in the evening.

3.     1st Qtr Moons1st Qtr Moons generally rise near "local noon".  Setting near "local midnight", they are up and impede Deep Sky Observing for the first
half of the night.

4.     Waxing Gibbous MoonsWaxing Gibbous Moons generally
rise between "local noon" and sun-
set.  Setting between "local midnight"
and sunrise, they are up and
impede Deep Sky Observing from
sunset through the early morning.

5.     Full MoonsFull Moons generally rise near
sunset, then set near sunrise.  So
they are up and impede Deep Sky Observing all night long.

6.     Waning Gibbous MoonsWaning Gibbous Moons generally
rise between sunset and "local
midnight".  Setting between sunrise and "local noon", they are up and impede Deep Sky Observing in the
late evening through sunrise.

7.     Last Qtr MoonsLast Qtr Moons generally rise near "local midnight" and set near "local noon", allowing Deep Sky Observing only during the first half of the night.

8.     Waning Crescent MoonsWaning Crescent Moons generally
rise between "local midnight" and
sunrise.  Setting between "local
noon" and sunset, they are up and
impede Deep Sky Observing only during the early morning.

      Moon Phase Interactives:    #1   #2
      Lunar Phase Simulator

Old Format Previous Months' Phase Calendars:
2014:  Jan      2013:  Dec    Nov    Oct    Sep    Aug    Jul                              Jun    May    Apr    Mar    Feb   

      Make a 2024 Moon Phases Calendar & Calculator
      2024 Lunar Perigees & Apogees
      2020-2022 Supermoons & Extreme Perigean Tides

  ECLIPSE "SEASONS" 2019 - 2030

AWESOME TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE:
2024 April 8      Maps      Videos

SOLAR ECLIPSE QUICK REFERENCE MAPS

2001-2020      2021-2040      2041-2060

W A R N I N G !   It is never safe to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye!  Moreover, looking at it—even for an instant—through either a telescope or binoculars without adequate safeguards can cause permanent blindness!  NEVER DO IT!  To learn how to safely "observe" the Sun and a Solar Eclipse, consult your local planetarium or observatory.

     NASA's 5 Millenia of Eclipses:  Solar  Lunar

MAJOR LUNAR FEATURES

View the Moon's Features  that are visible from Earth with binoculars or low-power telescope.

Download NASA's Moon Observation Journal 

View and download Moon maps to aid your viewing:
      USAF Lunar Earthside Map (high-res)
      NASA Apollo-Era Lunar Charts:
            Polar and Equatorial (small)
      Moon Landing Sites

CURRENT SUN, MOON AND MAJOR PLANET
VIEWS AND CONDITIONS FROM EARTH

Distances, Apparent Sizes, Phases, Moon Locations
Sun      Moon      Mercury      Venus      Mars
Jupiter      Saturn      Uranus      Neptune

Current Relative "Apparent" Sizes
of the Major Planets from Earth

Current Locations of the Planets in their Orbits

CELESTIAL EQUATOR AND ECLIPTIC

Below, scroll the sky map to the right and left to view the current circumstances along the Celestial Equator (aqua line) and the Ecliptic (red line).  You will notice that the Ecliptic is plotted in line segments, as the sky map is a composite, built up right to left of several segments, each accurate.  Remember: east and west appear reversed because you are looking up, not down.

Courtesy: Fourmilab Switzerland

Note that you may click on the name or symbol of any object in the above legend, which opens a separate page for that object.  This will show the object centered and zoomed-in on a map of a smaller, more detailed portion of the sky.

You will quickly find the locations of the Sun, the Moon, the major planets and dwarf-planet Pluto in the constel- lations of the zodiac, i.e. the constellations in which the Ecliptic lies.  The plane of Earth's orbit, the Ecliptic is generally regarded as the plane of the Solar System, and it is usually the most active part of the sky.  With this map and a  Larger More Detailed Version, which both open centered on the Vernal (March) Equinox (), you will be able to keep track of the long-term motions of the Sun, the Moon, the major planets and Pluto, in- cluding when they move past each other or past major stars.  For a slightly different perspective on this part of the sky, also see our  Sun's Apparent Motion along the Ecliptic  and  Sun's Location on the Ecliptic  pages.

Motion of Sun Simulator

Here is a map that purports to show  Every Visible Star in the Night Sky, in One Map 

And don't forget to also check out the  Current Sky.

CURRENT YEAR'S ELONGATIONS
Major Sky Objects 2021-2030
Greatest:  Mercury      Venus 

NEXT TRANSITS: MERCURY & VENUS
Mercury:  2032 Nov 13        Venus:  2117 Dec 11

Current Locations of Jupiter's Galilean Moons

EQUINOXES, SOLSTICES & THE
SUN'S APPARENT MOTION

THE MESSIER OBJECTS

The Messier objects rank among the all-time favorites of avid sky viewers!  This is because they can easily be viewed in small telescopes (as small as 4" aperature).  They thus include some of the most famous sky objects, many of which are known even to non-sky-enthusiasts.  M31, for example, is the famous Andromeda Galaxy and M42 is the Orion Nebula.

Here is a link to the SEDS site's excellent  Interactive Messier Objects page.  Clicking on each object's image leads you to loads of images and info, including its coordinates and diagrams to help you find it in the sky.

DEEP-SKY OBJECTS (DSO's)

The term "deep-sky objects" (DSO's) typically refers to celestial "groupings" or "formations" that are neither ordinary stellar systems nor members of any solar system.  These include star clusters, nebulae and galaxies, and they offer sky viewers some of the most captivating observations possible.  For example, the 110 Messier objects are all deep-sky objects.  But there are also myriads of others!

The New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (abbreviated "NGC") and the Index Catalogue (abbreviated "IC") are two standard references that offer lists of thousands of deep-sky objects.  (The Messier Objects are also included in the NGC.)

The SEDS site's  Interactive NGC Catalog Online  offers one of the best portals to information about deep-sky objects.

Wikipedia's  New General Catalogue  and  IC Objects  pages are also good sources of information about deep-sky objects.

Also check out  our own Deep-Sky Objects page.

OBSERVING PROGRAMS

Okay, we know it; the Universe is a "biggggggg" place!  So, at times, deciding which of the sky's innumerable marvels you want to observe can seem a bit daunting.  Would you like some help?  The  Astronomical League  has established some terrific  Observing Programs  to help you get the most out of your sky viewing.

MORE SKY-VIEWING AIDES

Moon 2013    Moon 2014

Mercury's and Venus's Sky Paths 2013–2014

Mars's Sky Path 2013–2014

Jupiter's Sky Path 2013–2014

Saturn's Sky Path 2013–2014

Free SFA Observatory Full-Sky Star Charts PDF

NASA JPL Night Sky Planner

VIEWING CONSIDERATIONS

THE EFFECTS OF TWILIGHT

HORIZON EFFECT

ESTIMATING ANGULAR DISTANCES

Since your hand is always "handy", you can use these rules of thumb (so to speak) to estimate how far apart objects appear in the sky.  Views are of your hand held out with your arm fully extended.

Another very useful benchmark to remember is this: a U.S. penny held 43 inches from your eye subtends an angle of 1° (one degree).

PARALLAX

Parallax is the apparent displacement of a closer object relative to a farther object as we change the position from which we view them.  Here's a nice little interactive that demonstrates  Parallax.