All articles tagged with #night sky
New Zealand-based astrophotographer Tom Rae rappelled about 100 meters into a glow‑worm–lit cave to capture a long‑exposure, star‑tracked night‑sky panorama that won first place in the Capture the Dark 2026 contest's Creatures of the Night category; the shot was filmed, and Rae spoke of challenging humidity and cave lighting.
A long-form piece argues that almost all of Europe now lives under light-polluted skies that erase real darkness, a change scientists are increasingly treating as a public-health issue because nighttime artificial light is linked to sleep disturbances and mental-health patterns. Citing a 2016 atlas showing 99% of people in the U.S. and Europe under skies too bright to see real darkness, plus research from the National Institute of Mental Health and others, the article contends that excessive lighting shifts physiology and mood. It blends personal experience—standing under a pristine sky in Bronchales—with scientific context to emphasize that darkness is a measurable environmental factor, not just an astronomy concern, and calls for urban lighting that preserves stars while maintaining safety and function.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight into early Thursday morning, with the best viewing after midnight through dawn on Aug. 13 under a new moon that won’t wash out the sky. Observers in dark, rural areas could see up to 50 meteors per hour as debris from Comet Swift–Tuttle burns up in Earth’s atmosphere; the meteors radiate from the Perseus constellation and travel about 37 miles per second, often showing colored trails that reveal the meteors’ composition (red from nitrogen/oxygen, orange from sodium, yellow from iron, green from magnesium, blue from magnesium/calcium, and purple from calcium/nitrogen). If you miss the peak, glimpses may continue through Aug. 24.**
A California startup, Reflect Orbital, won FCC approval to test Earendil-1, a prototype satellite that deploys a large reflector to bounce sunlight onto a designated area up to about 3 miles (5 km) across. While the project aims to demonstrate space-based lighting, experts warn the reflected light could damage eyes and disrupt astronomical viewing, prompting environmental groups to call for transparency and environmental review before any broader deployment.
The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak the night of Aug 12–13 in the early hours, offering potentially 100+ meteors per hour under a new Moon with no bright moonlight; observers should find a dark, wide view and allow 20–30 minutes for eyes to adapt. A shallow partial solar eclipse will also be visible in the UK in the early evening (not total there), so if you look at the Sun you must wear certified eye protection. Most of England and Wales are expected to have clear skies, though northern Scotland may see more cloud; always check the latest BBC Weather updates.
A 2023 Science study analyzing 51,351 naked-eye reports from Globe at Night finds artificial night-brightening is increasing about 9.6% per year, faster than satellite records showed, which could reduce the number of visible stars for a growing portion of the world’s population (roughly 6.5%/yr in Europe and 10.4%/yr in North America). The mismatch arises because satellites measure radiance differently from how the human eye perceives star visibility, especially with blue-rich LEDs and light scattered by the atmosphere. The overall message is that light pollution is advancing quickly and solutions like shielding and smarter lighting could help retain the night sky for future generations.
July’s Buck Moon reaches full on July 29, 2026—the second full moon of summer in the Northern Hemisphere—setting the stage for a busy eclipse stretch that includes a total solar eclipse on August 12 and a partial lunar eclipse on August 28. The moon peaks at 10:37 a.m. EDT and remains bright on surrounding nights, with viewing best around southeast moonrise in North America. Named for deer antlers, it’s also called Thunder Moon and Hay Moon, and is among the year’s lowest-hanging full moons in the region. The next full moon, the Sturgeon Moon, rises August 27 and will be partially eclipsed as Earth’s shadow passes over it. Viewing can be done with the naked eye or a telescope, and sky-watchers can expect a continued eclipse season into August.
Astronomers warn that mega-constellations planned by private companies—potentially more than a million data-center satellites—plus Reflect Orbital’s mirrors could form a bright, Saturn‑like ring around Earth, crossing the sky twice daily and outshining stars for hours after sunset. If realized, this artificial ring could severely hamper ground- and space-based astronomy, telescope time, and near‑Earth object searches. The FCC has granted a license for Reflect Orbital, drawing criticism from the AAS and researchers who caution that the work isn’t yet peer‑reviewed and that regulatory oversight may be inadequate as deployment plans accelerate.
July 2026 brings several celestial events to look for: visible planets in the night sky, the Buck Moon full moon, and the Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower, giving summer stargazers a chance to enjoy the skies this season.
On July 4–5, 1776, observers in the American colonies would have seen a sky not far from today’s: Saturn in Virgo setting after sunset, with Mercury, Jupiter and Mars visible low in the east-northeast before sunrise, while Venus remained hidden near the Sun. Almanacs guided navigation and timekeeping, and a rare total lunar eclipse on July 30 would unfold largely before moonrise in eastern cities, lasting about 1 hour 35 minutes. Polaris was about 1.88 degrees from the celestial pole then (not as close as now), Arcturus showed only a tiny proper-motion drift, and Philadelphia’s weather was mild and mostly clear on July 4, with clouds moving in later. In short, the night sky was broadly familiar but with subtle historical differences shaped by Earth's wobble and the era’s observational tools.
July offers a chance to see the Milky Way’s galactic center from the Northern Hemisphere during Milky Way season; no telescope is needed—just dark skies away from city lights. The best viewing is around the new moon on July 14, with visibility often strongest from midnight to the early morning hours. The Fourth of July weekend may feature a bright moon until it wanes, which can hinder viewing, but around the new moon the sky should be darkest. Use the Summer Triangle as a guide and check local sunset/sunrise times for optimal viewing windows.
An ESO study modeling current and planned satellite constellations proposes capping the total satellites at about 100,000 that are faint enough not to be seen with the naked eye (magnitude 7) to protect astronomical observations; with SpaceX and Reflect Orbital proposing up to 1.7 million satellites, even a portion of brighter satellites would cause major image losses for telescopes like the Rubin Observatory and the VLT, potentially forcing the limit lower, and regulators (the FCC) now must decide on these filings.
Be prepared for the strawberry moon, the first full moon of summer, which will rise Monday night across the U.S.—Washington around 8:53 p.m., Miami 8:24 p.m., Chicago 8:49 p.m., and Los Angeles 8:26 p.m.—and it will appear smaller as it’s near apogee.
June is a prime time in the Northern Hemisphere to shoot the Milky Way as the galaxy’s bright core climbs into the southeastern sky around 11:30 p.m. Local viewing windows are best between the last-quarter moon around June 8 and the days after the new moon around June 14, with dark skies crucial. Use a full‑frame DSLR/mirrorless with RAW, a sturdy tripod, and a wide lens (14–24 mm); set about f/2.8, ISO 3200–6400, and 10–25 second exposures, then manually focus and post‑process for contrast and color. Don’t forget compelling foregrounds to add depth, and consider southern destinations in July–September as the Milky Way moves across the sky.
The 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year winners showcase dramatic panoramas of the Milky Way’s center from around the world, including Geminid Symphony Over La Palma and Galactic Gandalf by Evan McKay, with entries from New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and Yellowstone; the collection highlights astrophotographers’ craft—from long exposures and focus stacking to advanced gear—that reveal the Milky Way’s colors and structure across diverse landscapes.