NASACast: What's Up? Video Podcasts: Recent Episodes
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
What's Up? -- A monthly video that gives tips for where you can find the moon, planets and stars in the night sky. Also includes amateur astronomy news and updates on NASA missions.
Enjoy the bright beacon of Venus on September mornings, end the month with a Harvest Moon, and seek the elusive zodiacal light under dark skies.
What are some skywatching highlights in August 2023? Saturn reaches opposition this month, meaning it's at its biggest and brightest for the year, and visible all night. The "shooting stars" of the annual Perseid meteors are a must-see, overnight on August 12th. And this month brings two full moons – the second of which is a "Super Blue Moon."
What are some skywatching highlights in July 2023? Mars and Venus start the month close together, but part ways and head lower as July goes on. Mars appears very near Regulus in Leo on the 9th and 10th. Saturn and Jupiter rule the night, along with bright star Fomalhaut. And July is prime time for viewing the Milky Way core from dark sky locations.
What are some skywatching highlights in June 2023? Mars and Venus get closer, the bright stars of Summer, and how an ancient scholar used the June solstice to determine the size of planet Earth.
Planets strike a pose with the Moon, we reach "peak Venus," and what's different about the skies of the Southern Hemisphere.
Mercury reaches its highest in the evening sky for the year for Northern Hemisphere observers.
Venus climbs high while Jupiter dives sunward, and the little planet that shares its namesake with your breakfast cereal.
The brightest planets converge, the constellation Auriga, and two star clusters you might want to get Sirius about.
Some lovely groupings this month include the Moon with Mars, and later with Jupiter, and a close conjunction of Venus and Saturn.
Your evening planet highlights, including the disappearance of Mars, and the constellation Pegasus.
Mars is on the move this month, forming a "red triangle" with bright red stars Aldebaran and Betelgeuse.
What are some skywatching highlights in July 2022? The naked-eye planets of dawn – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – dominate the sky, appearing more spread out each morning.
Meet the morning planets, the nearest star cluster, and some do-it-yourself exoplanets.
Jupiter makes its exit, Venus at peak brightness, and the star-forming cloud next door.
The quadrantid meteors peak after midnight on Jan. 3, and catch some close pairings of the Moon with Jupiter, Mars, and Venus.
What to look for this month at sunrise and sunset, and two brilliant stars vying for the "pole" position.
August is perhaps the best time this year to enjoy viewing Jupiter and Saturn, as both planets reach opposition this month.
Sunsets in July come with an added bonus: a brilliant gem low in the western sky, calling to us to come and explore its many mysteries.
The morning sky on April 6th finds Jupiter and Saturn forming a lovely trio with the crescent Moon.