Sky Map · The Living Sky
Sky Events
What’s coming in the sky over the next six months — moons, eclipses, meteor showers, planets at their best, and retrogrades. Tap any event to see what it looks like and how to spot it. Celestial only.
Computing the sky…
During these weeks the planet appears to drift backward against the fixed stars — something you can watch for yourself by tracking its position over several nights.
Mercury retrograde is the famous one — traditionally a nudge to double-check plans, tech and travel.
The Moon is absent from the sky tonight — you won’t find it. With no moonlight, these are the darkest nights of the month: the best time to see faint stars, the Milky Way, and distant objects.
You’ll see exactly half the Moon lit, high in the sky in the evening after sunset. Along the line where light meets shadow, craters and mountains stand out sharply — the best time to look at the Moon’s surface.
Watch the full Moon climb into the eastern sky as the Sun goes down. It stays up all night and sets as the Sun comes up — round, fully lit, and bright enough to cast shadows and to wash out fainter stars.
Again you’ll see half the Moon lit — the other half this time. It rises after midnight and hangs in the morning sky, still there as the day begins.
Watch the full Moon slowly darken and turn a deep coppery red over the course of an hour, then brighten back to normal. It’s safe to watch with your bare eyes — no filter needed — and anyone facing the Moon that night can see it.
In daytime the Sun is gradually eaten away until, along a narrow track, it goes dark and day briefly turns to twilight, with a glowing ring or crown around a black disc. Never look at the Sun without proper eclipse filters. Check whether the path reaches you.
The planet is at its biggest and brightest of the year and is up all night — rising as the Sun sets, setting as it rises. This is the best time to see it, and to point a telescope at it.
Mercury and Venus only ever appear low in twilight, close to the Sun. Right now this one sits at its highest above the horizon in the dawn or dusk sky — the easiest time of all to catch it.
Over the coming weeks, watch this planet appear to slow, stop, and drift backward against the fixed stars, night after night. You can track the shift yourself by noting its position next to nearby stars.
The backward drift ends: the planet appears to pause, then resume its normal slow march eastward through the constellations. Compare its place against the same stars over a few nights to see it move again.
On the peak night you may see shooting stars streak across the sky, seeming to come from one direction. Best after midnight, away from city lights — no equipment needed, just a dark sky and patience.
Day and night are close to equal in length, and the Sun rises due east and sets due west — a clean marker of the changing season.
The year’s longest or shortest day, when the midday Sun climbs highest or stays lowest in the sky. A marker of the turning seasons.