A rare total eclipse of Jupiter by the Sun on June 19, 2013

A rare total eclipse of Jupiter by the Sun on June 19, 2013

Planet Jupiter began the month of June 2013 being positioned very low in the west sky just after sunset. However soon it will disappear into the solar glare, as Jupiter is approaching the Sun for a solar conjunction on June 19, 2013. At that time Jupiter will

Unusually good season of Noctilucent Clouds ahead

Unusually good season of Noctilucent Clouds ahead

Every summer, above the North pole, icy crystals begin to cling to the smoky remains of the meteors, forming hypnotic electric-blue clouds known as noctilucent clouds (NLC`s). These clouds are especially of interest to high latitude skywatchers, and around the Arctic

What's up for June 2013?

What's up for June 2013?

The month begins with a gorgeous trio of planets: Mercury, Venus and Jupiter, low on the west-northwest horizon. As the month progresses, Jupiter slips into the sunset while Mercury and Venus rise higher in the sky. 

Asteroid 1998 QE2, which safely passed by

Expected return of the Gamma Delphinid meteor shower on June 11, 2013

Expected return of the Gamma Delphinid meteor shower on June 11, 2013

In early June 2013 we may witness the return of the gamma Delphinids, a rather elusive meteor shower. Three observers from American Meteor Society noticed a short-lived meteor outburst from unknown source on June 11, 1930. Only a few meteors from this shower

Supermoon falls on May 24-25, 2013

Supermoon falls on May 24-25, 2013

The full moon of May, 2013 is the third full moon after the March equinox. The moon is only one day away from lunar perigee, when it reaches closest point to Earth. The May 24/25 moon stays almost opposite the sun during the whole night, so it will rise

Triple conjunction in the sunset sky on May 26, 2013

Triple conjunction in the sunset sky on May 26, 2013

The three brightest planets in this month's night sky are lining up for a remarkable sunset conjunction at the end of May. 

On May 26, 2013, in a triple conjunction, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will form a tight triangle only three degrees

2013 Eta Aquarid meteor shower overview

2013 Eta Aquarid meteor shower overview

This year’s annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaked on May 5/6 as our planet passed through a stream of debris from Halley’s Comet. International Meteor Organization (IMO) reported peak of 135 meteors per hour on May 6, 2013. Far more than initially…

May 2013 Skywatching guide

May 2013 Skywatching guide

May 2013 brings few interesting sky events. This years Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak on May 6 with expected zenith hourly rate of 55 meteors per hour. We are about to experience annular solar eclipse on May 9/10. Annularity will be visible from

What’s up for April 2013

What’s up for April 2013

JPL released another video guide for skywatchers, introducing sky events in April 2013. Jupiter’s moon Io crosses Jupiter’s face on April 3, followed by its tiny black shadow. Comet PanSTARRS will pass 2° west (lower right) of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31 on April 4.

What’s Up for March 2013

What’s Up for March 2013

The first of this year’s two potential bright comets is visible for those who can see low on the western horizon and find out which spacecraft is on a 10-year mission to catch up with another comet.Credit: JPL