Current Astronomy News

  • 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.…

  • 2023 Supermoons

    According to the folks at EarthSky (and they checked with Fred Espenak, formerly of NASA) there will be four successive Supermoons this year on July 2-3, August 1, August 30-31, and September 28-29.

  • Asteroid Day – Friday, June 30, 2023

    66 million years ago, asteroid day wasn’t much fun for the dinosaurs. Just recently, there was another article about an asteroid having a close encounter with the Earth. Despite these warnings, the odds of one hitting us is very low. However, if you’re worried (or even if you’re not), Friday, June 30, 2023 is Asteroid…

  • Total Lunar Eclipse – Morning of Tuesday November 8

    It’s the dark side of the Moon! No, wait! It’s actually the light side of the Moon and a Full Moon! But there’s more! The last total lunar eclipse of the year begins on the morning of Tuesday, November 8th just after 4 am EST in the Winston-Salem area. It reaches totality, when it looks…