Each season has a notable constellation or group of stars that can serve as a guidepost to that part of the sky. In summer it’s common to use the Summer Triangle and in autumn we have the Great Square of Pegasus.Delta College Public Radio

The Moon will take on an oval shape this week as the visible portion starts to wane, or become smaller. This allows the Moon to be seen in the morning sky after sunrise.Delta College Public Radio

The media buzz is growing about what could be a bright comet gracing our skies this month. It’s called Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or “A3” for short, and astronomers have been eagerly anticipating its approach for many weeks.Delta College Public Radio

Look high in the northeast for a group of bright stars that resembles a big “W” sitting on its end. This is the constellation of Cassiopeia the Queen.Delta College Public Radio

If you look low in the southeast sky after dark, you’ll see a moderately bright star that doesn’t twinkle as much as the others. This is the famous ringed planet Saturn, and it recently made its closest approach to Earth.Delta College Public Radio

By September 13, the Moon will look a little more than half illuminated in the south. This is when the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City will celebrate this year’s International Observe the Moon Night!Delta College Public Radio

From late August through September, Sagittarius the Archer will appear low in the south at evening twilight. With the Milky Way running through it, Sagittarius is a treasure trove of deep sky wonders for binoculars.Delta College Public Radio

Away from city lights and bright moonlight, this is the time of year to see the faint band of the Milky Way stretching right over the top of the sky.Delta College Public Radio

For decades now, amateur astronomy continues to be one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world. Why is that? What gets people so hooked on space and the night sky?Delta College Public Radio

On August 19, the moon will be full, but this won’t be just any ordinary full moon. It’s the first "super moon" of 2024.Delta College Public Radio

One of the best meteor showers of the year comes to a maximum on the evening of August 11th and morning of the 12th.Delta College Public Radio

After a long hiatus, the planets Jupiter and Mars are making their way back into the pre-dawn sky.Delta College Public Radio

After dusk, look about a third of the way up the eastern sky for Altair, the brightest star in Aquila the Eagle and part of the Summer Triangle.Delta College Public Radio

Now is a good time to see the dark round plains called “maria,” and bright splashes of lighter material called “rays.” The southern maria offer some interesting sights in a small telescope.Delta College Public Radio

Hercules, the strong man of ancient mythology, rides high overhead in early summer. While its stars are not particularly bright, its most distinctive shape are the four stars in its center known as the Keystone. Within its borders lies one of the most famous globular star clusters of the entire night sky.…

As twilight ends around 10:30 pm, look low in the southeast for a bright reddish star – this is Antares, the heart of the Scorpion.Delta College Public Radio

Now that summer has arrived, the famous “Summer Triangle” of stars has returned to guide us around the evening sky.Delta College Public Radio

Even to the unaided eye, the moon reveals round dark regions called "maria." Before the age of telescopes, people imagined these dark stretches as oceans of water. In reality, they are vast lava plains left behind by asteroid impacts.Delta College Public Radio

At the beginning of the week of June 10, the moon appears as a crescent in the west after sunset. But each night, the moon will appear to slip a little farther back or eastward among the stars.Delta College Public Radio

If you follow the arc to Arcturus and keep the curve going even farther down into the south, you’ll come to a fainter bluish star, Spica.Delta College Public Radio

Observe the night sky long enough and you’re bound to see something strange that’s hard to identify. It’s easy to think of a UFO, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s an alien spaceship.Delta College Public Radio

In binoculars, look near the very center of the lunar disk for a large crater that seems to have a dark, smooth floor. This is Ptolemaeus, named for Claudius Ptolemy, an astronomer of ancient Greece. Two more large craters in a line below Ptolemaeus, Aphonsus and Arzachel, complete the chain.Delta College Public Radio

The moon is "new" this week, which keeps the night sky dark enough to see more stars and deep sky wonders. One distinctive little springtime constellation to look for in the south is called Corvus, the Crow.Delta College Public Radio

Each season has that one constellation that serves as a signpost to the sky. In spring, many stargazers use the zodiacal constellation of Leo the Lion.Delta College Public Radio

Mid-April to mid-May is a good time to see a collection of bright stars in the west called "The Arch of Spring."Delta College Public Radio

As the phase of the moon grows steadily from Crescent to First Quarter to Full, it’s a good opportunity to explore the contrasts of light and dark on its surface.Delta College Public Radio

This is the time of year when the Big Dipper climbs to its highest point in the north, appearing almost directly overhead by month’s end.Delta College Public Radio

There's a fuzzy glow in the constellation of Cancer the Crab that's barely visible to the naked eye, but binoculars will reveal a pretty little star cluster called the Beehive.Delta College Public Radio

One of the most amazing spectacles in nature is coming on Monday, April 8 – a total eclipse of the sun! Here's how you can make the most of it.Delta College Public Radio

Mercury is rarely visible because it never wanders far from the sun in the sky, but we're approaching the opportunity to see it now. As a bonus, Comet Pons-Brooks is visible in binoculars in the west at dusk!Delta College Public Radio

Whenever the crescent moon is thin, the nighttime side of the moon can look faintly illuminated. This effect is called Earthshine.Delta College Public Radio

If you’ve heard reports of increased Aurora activity, there’s a good reason for it! The sun is approaching the peak of its 11-year sunspot cycle, and that can trigger solar storms that effect the Earth.Delta College Public Radio

Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse form a giant triangle in the southern sky known as the Winter Triangle. And like Orion’s Belt, it can make for an excellent pointer and guidepost to the winter night sky.Delta College Public Radio

All this week, the phase of the moon grows larger and brighter as it moves from First Quarter toward Full. It’s also a good time to look for the 'Man in the Moon'.Delta College Public Radio

No matter the time of year, under a clear dark sky you can expect to see four or five little streaks of light each hour. Sometimes called shooting stars or falling stars, these are meteors that burn up in our atmosphere.Delta College Public Radio

About two hours after sunset, the distinctive constellation of Orion the Hunter is almost due south. You can use the three stars in Orion's belt as a guidepost to the sky.Delta College Public Radio

About two hours after sunset, look halfway up the eastern sky for two bright stars that are relatively close to one another. These are Pollux and Castor, the heads of Gemini the Twins.Delta College Public Radio

After the Full Moon of January 25 the shape of the lunar disc will decrease into a thinner oval each night called the Waning Gibbous.Delta College Public Radio

The orange star Aldebaran – the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull – is a great target for the January sky. It also lies within a beautiful star cluster called the Hyades.Delta College Public Radio

Venus is the second planet from the sun, but during the week of January 8th you’ll have a rare opportunity to glimpse the elusive planet Mercury, hugging the eastern horizon at morning twilight.Delta College Public Radio

Ushering in the new year is one of the best-known constellations of all, Orion the Hunter.Delta College Public Radio

December's full moon, called the Cold Moon, falls on the 26th and will be placed among the season's brightest constellations as it says goodbye to 2023.Delta College Public Radio

Many of our modern holiday traditions have their roots in the winter festivals of long ago, and that includes the dating of Christmas Day.Delta College Public Radio

One of the best meteor showers of the year is already active and comes to a peak on the evenings of December 13 and 14.Delta College Public Radio

About 90 minutes after sunset, look low in the south for the medium bright star, Fomalhaut. At only 25 light years away, astronomers have found a disk of material that could be new planets forming.Delta College Public Radio

The holidays are one of the most popular times of year for buying a telescope. So, what's the best one to look for?Delta College Public Radio

Right now is the best time to see the seventh planet from the sun. Uranus is at its closest approach to earth right now, which makes it barely visible as a faint star to the naked eye if you know exactly where to look under dark skies.Delta College Public Radio

Look low the east after dark and you should see a pretty little cluster of stars. Its shape might remind you of a miniature little dipper, but it’s actually the famous Pleiades Star Cluster.Delta College Public Radio

Also called the “sister spiral” to our own Milky Way Galaxy, Andromeda is the most distant object you can see in the entire night sky without a telescope.Delta College Public Radio

Low in the east, soon after dark, you’ll find a star so bright that it looks like a fiery beacon in the sky. It’s actually the planet Jupiter, and it’s making its closest approach to Earth this week.Delta College Public Radio