Current Astronomy News

  • Last chance to visit the Kaleideum North Planetarium

    As you may know, Kaleideum North will be closing on December 31, 2023. It will be replaced by a brand new Kaleideum museum downtown on 3rd street. The new museum will include The Digital Dome – a full dome digital planetarium. The new Kaleideum will open in the spring of 2024. November and December will…

  • Leonids Meteor Shower / November 17-18, 2023

    One of the lesser known meteor showers is coming up on the night of Friday, November 17 through the morning of Saturday, November 18. The Leonids radiate from around the constellation of Leo and are remnants from the Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor shower is best viewed in the early morning hours from a dark location,…

  • The Autumn Night Sky

    As we move into autumn, the time changes, and it starts to get dark earlier. It is a great time to go stargazing. Here are a few notes taken from two earlier FAS Astronomers Blogs. The Night Sky During the Fall, find the Great Square of Pegasus to the south. Add a few more stars…

  • Jupiter at Opposition on November 2-3

    The planet Jupiter will reach opposition on the night of November 2nd to 3rd this year. Opposition means that it is opposite the Earth from the Sun. Typically, this is when Jupiter is at or near its brightest when viewed from the Earth. If you’d like to see Jupiter up close, come on out to…

  • International Observe the Moon Night October 21st

    We almost missed it! Tonight (October 21st) is International Observe the Moon night. Find out more from the folks at NASA. For more about observing the Moon and other fantastic celestial objects, see our Astronomy Resources, and in particular, the page on Navigating the Night Sky.

  • Orionids Meteor Shower / October 21-22, 2023

    One of the better known meteor showers will take place on the night of Saturday, October 21 and into the morning of Sunday, October 22. The Orionids radiate from around the constellation of Orion and are remnants from Halley’s comet. The meteor shower is best viewed in the early morning hours from a dark location,…

  • Night sky viewing in North Carolina (WXII12)

    FAS was in the news! Check out WXII12’s “Night sky viewing in North Carolina, meteor showers in October, and is it a fireball or a UFO?” by Michelle Kennedy. As she notes, FAS has a resource page with information about the night sky, telescopes, and more.

  • Light Pollution in 2023

    The night sky is one of the most spectacular scenes in nature, if you can see it. Unfortunately, artificial light gets in the way. We call this Light Pollution. And it’s everywhere!

  • Perseids Meteor Shower – August 12-13, 2023

    One of the year’s best meteor showers will take place on the night of Saturday, August 12 and into the morning of Sunday, August 13. The Perseids radiate from around the constellation of Perseus and are remnants from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. A near new Moon that night should result in great viewing – weather permitting.…