Sky Guides
Why Does the Moon Look Bigger on the Horizon?
Everyone has seen it. A full Moon climbing over the rooftops looks enormous, far bigger than the same Moon high in the sky a few hours later. Then…
Blog
Guides, sky news and viewing tips for the Moon, eclipses, meteor showers and planets
This Week's Sky
Night Sky This Week: October 12 to 18, 2026
The Moon returns to the evening sky this week, growing from a hair-thin crescent on Monday to first quarter on Sunday. Mercury reaches greatest elongation on Monday, Mars…
Full Moon
Hunter’s Moon 2026: Date, Time and Why It Rises Early
The Hunter’s Moon of 2026 is full at 11:11 PM Central Time on Sunday, October 25, which is 04:11 UTC on Monday, October 26. So in the Americas…
Sky Guides
How to Find the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters Star Cluster
The Pleiades are back in the evening sky. The little cluster known as the Seven Sisters rises in the east-north-east before 9 PM in mid-October and a few…
Planets
Mercury at Greatest Elongation: October 12, 2026
Mercury reaches greatest elongation east on Monday, October 12, 2026, when it stands 25 degrees from the Sun in the evening sky, as far as it gets on…
Planets
Mars Crosses the Beehive Cluster: October 10 to 12, 2026
For three mornings this week Mars drifts straight through one of the best star clusters in the sky. On Saturday, October 10, the red planet sits at the…
Meteor Showers
Orionids 2026: Halley’s Comet Meteors Peak October 21
The Orionid meteor shower peaks before dawn on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. These are pieces of Halley’s Comet, hitting the atmosphere at 66 kilometres a second, and at…
Sky Guides
What Is Earthshine? The Glow on the Crescent Moon
Look at a thin crescent Moon this week and you may notice something odd: you can see the rest of the disc too, glowing faintly inside the bright…
This Week's Sky
Night Sky This Week: October 5 to 11, 2026
This is the darkest week of October and one of the busiest. The Moon shrinks from a morning crescent to new moon on Saturday, leaving every evening moonless.…