Graphic from Sky and Telescope's app JupiterMoons shows the planet with the great red spot, plus 3 moons

Great Red Spot Transit

Nov. 15, 2022

Got a telescope? Watch the Great Red Spot transit Jupiter’s central meridian tonight at 6:25 MST. Curious about the G, E and I? Download the JupiterMoons app. Graphic credit: Sky & Telescope

Series of photos as the Moon enters a total lunar eclipse Photo credit Sophie Adams, former Fiske employee

Total Lunar Eclipse

Nov. 8, 2022

Enjoy the Total Lunar Eclipse this morning! The umbral phase begins shortly after 2:00am MST and total eclipse occurs between 3:16am-4:42am. Start watching at 3:00am as the Moon enters totality - this is the most exciting time! Then, go back to bed and set your alarm for around 4:30am to...

Ghost Nebula by the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter (Credits Adam Block, Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, University of Arizona)

Happy Halloween!

Oct. 31, 2022

Happy Halloween! Today’s astronomical holiday was celebrated by ancient people with a deep knowledge of the sky. Being in tune with the seasonal rhythms of our planet’s axial tilt, they knew it was a cross-quarter day between the fall equinox and winter solstice.

Graphic from Stellarium showing the constellation of Orion on the eastern horizon with the radiant for the meteor shower by Betelgeuse

Orionid Meteor Shower 

Oct. 20, 2022

The Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight! As we pass through the incoming stream of Halley’s comet you’ll see 10-20 meteors per hour moving through the sky at 150,000mph. The comet is in Hydra now (3.3 billion miles away, but will return in 2061), but has left some sparkly treats for...

Graphic from Stellarium showing the Moon and planet Mars in between the tips of the horns of Taurus - Aldebaran and Betelgeuse are highlighted too in orange

Moon & Mars in the Horns

Oct. 14, 2022

The Moon and Mars are rising in the horns of the Bull tonight! Check out this spectacular sight at 11pm and take a peek at two brilliant orange suns - Aldebaran and Betelgeuse. Graphic credit: Stellarium

Photo of the moon with cottonwood tree on the horizon

Full Moon

Oct. 9, 2022

Full Moon tonight! With all the vibrant colors of fall it’ll make for a picture perfect moment.

Graphic from Stellarium showing the Moon above the southeastern horizon with Jupiter on its left and Saturn on the right distances listed

Moon sandwiched between Jupiter and Saturn

Oct. 6, 2022

Let the Moon be your guide tonight to spot massive Jupiter on its left and ringed-Saturn on its right. In terms of light travel time, you’ll see the Moon as it was a little over a second ago, Jupiter about 30 minutes ago and Saturn as it was 80 minutes...

Graphic from Stellarium showing the constellation of Perseus above the Northeastern horizon with the star Algol notated

Algol - The Demon star

Oct. 1, 2022

Algol is known as the demon star! A fascinating variable in Perseus that looks like a single magnitude 2.1 star to the unaided eye, but is actually a 3-star system. It dips to mag 3.4 every 2.8 days when 1 of the stars partially eclipses the other. The main binary...

Photo of Jupiter's Southern Hemisphere by Juno Mission

Jupiter at Opposition

Sept. 26, 2022

Jupiter is at opposition tonight and directly opposite of the Sun, so it’ll rise in the east as the Sun sets and set in the west the Sun rises. Plus, Jupiter is the closest it’s been to Earth since 1963, a mere 367 million miles away. Should be a beautiful...

Photo of aspen trees starting to turn yellow

Fall Equinox

Sept. 22, 2022

Happy Fall Equinox! The Sun is directly over the equator creating an equal amount of daylight and nighttime hours. Enjoy the day and the continuous cycles of change.

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