November’24 – Rick’s Picks

Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: After favoring the morning sky for much of the year, the planets’ transformation into evening targets is nearly complete as November opens, and unmistakable by...

October ’24 – Rick’s picks

Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the solar system becomes a little more balanced this month, as Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus continue to light up the predawn sky even as they move inexorably into...

September ’24 – Rick’s picks

Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing  All month: the planets’ repopulation of the evening sky continues its slow advance this month, while the pre-dawn sky now begins to lose its solar system lineup. Venus...

August ’24 – Rick’s Picks

Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the planets continue their slow and hesitant return to the evening sky this month. As August opens, Mercury is a mag +0.9 waning crescent 9 arcseconds from tip...

April ’24 – Rick’s Picks

Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: planet-watchers won’t have much to do on April evenings this year, since Mercury will vacate the sunset sky before the end of April’s first week, heading for...

April ’24 – Rick’s Picks Special Addendum

The sky at totality: April 8, 2024 This is how the sky will look during totality from the NAA viewing site near McLeansboro IL.For locations farther east, move everything in the illustration slightly to the west; for more westerly locations, move everything a little...