Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for August and September
Visible planets and night sky guide. Tonight, find the approximately half-lit moon near the bright red star Antares, Heart of the Scorpion.
Earth
Human World
Hurricane Katrina retrospective: 20 years after the storm
It is the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest hurricanes to ever impact the United States.
Today's Image

Baby planet caught carving a path in its star’s dusty disk

Astronomers spot a baby planet shaping its star’s protoplanetary disk. This is a rare look at planet formation in action, 430 light-years from Earth.
Astronomy Essentials

What’s a globular cluster? The Milky Way has about 150

A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars orbiting in the halo of spiral galaxies. Our own Milky Way galaxy has over 150 globular clusters.
Human World
Space

How to find aliens: Look when their planets are aligned

A new study proposes a novel idea for how to find aliens: Look for their deep space communications when their planets are in alignment, as seen from Earth.
Astronomy Essentials
Clusters Nebulae Galaxies

See the Trifid nebula aka Messier 20 tonight

If you have a dark sky, you can spot the Trifid nebula as a fuzzy patch within the Milky Way. And binoculars or a telescope will reveal more details.
Human World

Starship redeems itself in spectacular 10th test flight

After a series of explosive failures this year, SpaceX’s Starship saw spectacular success during its 10th flight test on August 26, 2025.
Space

Star spots and planetary transits on distant stars

NASA scientists use TESS and Kepler data with a new method to map star spots on distant stars to enhance our understanding of stellar activity and exoplanets.
Constellations

Aquila the Eagle soars along the Milky Way

Aquila the Eagle is home to the bright star Altair, which forms one corner in the Summer Triangle. Look for it in the evening sky from July to November.
Space

How dark matter in exoplanets could create new black holes

A new study suggests that particles of dark matter in exoplanets could form tiny black holes, which would eventually turn entire planets into black holes.