NASA
Every Cosmic Herald story on NASA — missions, launches, discoveries, and the business of space, newest first.
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Stargazing
Your First Telescope: What to Buy, What to Skip, and What to Look at First
Aperture matters more than magnification, Dobsonians beat department-store refractors, and the Moon is the best first target. A no-nonsense buying guide for your first serious look at the night sky.
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Stargazing
Solstice Week 2026: A Daytime Venus Occultation, the Longest Day, and a Strawberry Moon
Late June 2026 packs three marquee events into one stretch of sky: the summer solstice, a rare daytime occultation of Venus by the Moon on June 17, and the June 29 Strawberry Moon — plus a western planet lineup and the rising Milky Way.
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Stargazing
Mercury Reaches Peak Evening Visibility on June 15: Your Guide to the 2026 Viewing Window
Mercury hits its greatest elongation from the Sun on June 15, 2026, shining at magnitude 0.5 and appearing 25° from the solar disk—the best evening viewing window of the year paired with Venus and Jupiter.
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Stargazing
Galaxy Season: A Guide to Observing the Local Group This Autumn
Every autumn the great galaxies of the Local Group rise into prime viewing position. Here's how to find M31, M33, and their satellites — and what you're actually looking at when you do.
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Stargazing
America's Astronomy Clubs: A State-by-State Guide
From Stellafane in Vermont to the Houston Astronomical Society, 203 amateur astronomy clubs span all 50 U.S. states — and what they offer goes far beyond monthly meetings under the stars.
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Stargazing
How to see the Milky Way's core — and why it's harder than it used to be
The central bulge of our galaxy rises above the southern horizon in summer, a dense river of light that was once visible to everyone everywhere. Light pollution has made it a journey for most observers now — but this practical guide covers when, where, and how to actually see it.
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Stargazing
Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest of the year. How to make the most of it.
Every thirteen months, Earth laps Jupiter in their orbits around the Sun, bringing the giant planet to opposition — closest approach, fully illuminated, visible all night. Jupiter's 2026 opposition puts it in a favorable position for northern observers, and a modest telescope will show you cloud bands, the Great Red Spot, and four moons that.
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Stargazing
Saturn's rings are nearly edge-on. Here's why that's worth watching.
Saturn's rings appear to open and close as the planet orbits the Sun, presenting a full face every fifteen years or so — and then nearly vanishing as they tilt edge-on. We are approaching one of those disappearing acts. Understanding the geometry, and how to watch it unfold, makes an ordinary telescope into a front-row seat for orbital mechanics.
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Stargazing
The Night Sky for the Rest of June 2026: A Planet Parade, a Venus Occultation, and the Strawberry Moon
Mercury joins Venus and Jupiter in the evening twilight, the crescent Moon lines up with all three on June 16, then occults Venus on the 17th. Add the solstice, noctilucent clouds, and the low-riding Strawberry Moon on June 29 — your night-by-night guide to the rest of the month.
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Stargazing
The highest clouds on Earth glow electric blue at midnight — and their season is starting
On summer nights, long after sunset, a rare kind of cloud can shine an eerie electric blue near the horizon. Noctilucent clouds form at the very edge of space, and June and July are prime time to catch them from northern latitudes.
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Stargazing
What to watch in the June 2026 sky: a planet parade and a vanishing Venus
June brings the two brightest planets together at dusk, a Moon that briefly hides Venus, the summer solstice, and the long, deep-sky nights that follow. Here's what to look for and when.
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Stargazing
A beginner's guide to the naked-eye sky
Naked-eye observing rewards technique far more than equipment. A practical guide to what's worth finding — including June 2026's Venus–Jupiter meeting — and the habits that separate a frustrating session from a memorable one.
