|
|
|
|
Hello skywatchers!
This week's skies are all about the predawn hours (sorry night owls). If you're willing to set the alarm a little earlier, you'll be rewarded with a beautiful sequence of encounters as the waning moon glides past Saturn, the Pleiades and Mars over four consecutive mornings. Meanwhile, evening observers can enjoy a brilliant Venus shining alongside Regulus, the heart of Leo.
Elsewhere in this issue, we're helping you plan for the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 with a list of the best Spanish cities to experience totality, showing you how to find elusive Uranus and taking you on a journey back 250 years to explore what the night sky looked like on America's first Independence Day. We've also launched the brand-new Space.com app, making it easier to keep up with the latest space and skywatching news wherever you are.
Here's what to watch for in the nights (and mornings) ahead.
Daisy Dobrijevic
Skywatching Editor
|
|
 |
| (Starry Night) |
Start your day before sunrise to catch a beautiful pairing between the waning crescent moon and Saturn in the southeastern sky. The two are easily visible with the naked eye, while binoculars or a small telescope can help reveal Saturn's iconic rings and possibly its largest moon Titan.
|
|
 |
| (Starry Night) |
After sunset, brilliant Venus shines close to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. The contrast between dazzling Venus and the much fainter blue-white stars makes for a striking naked-eye sight.
|
|
 |
| (Starry Night) |
Before dawn, the slender crescent moon passes close to the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters), one of the sky's most iconic open star clusters. |
|
 |
| (Starry Night) |
The week's celestial tour concludes as the waning crescent moon sits beside the rusty glow of Mars before sunrise. Compare Mars' steady orange-red light with nearby Aldebaran, the bright eye of Taurus, and enjoy one of the prettiest predawn scenes of the week through a pair of binoculars.
|
|
|
The moon spends the week in its waning crescent phase, making each morning's predawn sky a little darker and revealing more of the faint stars behind it. This is one of the best phases to see earthshine, the soft glow on the moon's dark side caused by sunlight reflecting off Earth's oceans and clouds.
Want to explore more? Check out our ultimate guide to observing the moon for tips and tools to get the most out of each phase.
|
|
|
|
As the U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday, here's what Benjamin Franklin and other colonists would have seen when they looked up on July 4, 1776.
|
|
|
Our new Space.com app takes you out of this world, every day, for the latest space mission news, astronomical discoveries, night sky guides and more.
|
|
|
From the Apollo landing site to the North America Nebula, these celestial sights offer a uniquely American way to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.
|
|
|
Get your eyes on the seventh planet, and you can graduate as a skywatcher — and there's a perfect way to cheat this week as Mars glides by Uranus.
|
|
|
|
From A Coruña and Bilbao to Madrid and Zaragoza, here's where to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, in some of Spain's biggest cities.
|
|
|
| Astronomy Kit and Accessories |
|
|
The best solar viewing gear available for the next solar eclipse. Spy the best solar glasses, filters, telescopes and binoculars.
|
|
|
| Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. |
|
|
|
 | Follow Night Sky This Week |  |  |  |  |
|
|
|
When you purchase through links in our content, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Future US LLC © |
| Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036. |
|
|
|
|
