All articles tagged with #planets
Two decades after Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006, the debate over its planetary status persists: while many people still regard Pluto as a dwarf world, some voices — including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman — advocate reinstating it as a planet, underscoring that the discussion far from over.
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.
Over 250 years, the list of recognized planets in our solar system has swung from six (Mercury through Saturn in 1776) to seven after Uranus’s 1781 discovery, briefly to 11 as Ceres and similar bodies were once counted as planets, then back to seven before Neptune’s discovery brought the count to eight; Pluto’s 2006 reclassification as a dwarf planet dropped the official total back to eight. The shifts show how scientific definitions evolve with new data (eg., TNOs and the Kuiper Belt) and ongoing debates between dynamical versus geophysical criteria, implying future discoveries could again reshape what we call a planet.
On Sunday, June 21, 2026 (the summer solstice), the evening sky features a bright lineup of Mercury in Gemini, Jupiter, Venus, Regulus, the Moon, and Spica tracing a line along the ecliptic after sunset; the summer solstice occurs at 4:25 AM EDT, with sunrise about 5:32 AM and sunset around 8:32 PM. The Moon is waxing gibbous (about 52% illuminated) and First Quarter Moon arrives at 5:55 PM EDT. The article also highlights checking Sky This Week for more sky events.
On June 17, after sunset, a slender crescent Moon will glide through the Beehive star cluster alongside Jupiter, Venus and Mercury in a spectacular western-sky parade; Mercury will vanish within about two hours, while the Moon remains visible for roughly an hour longer, and binoculars or a small telescope will help skywatchers enjoy the view across the U.S.
Researchers say a rare Sahara meteorite may originate from a lost planet that was destroyed in the early days of the solar system, potentially offering new clues about planet formation and the young solar system's history.
Space.com provides a detailed day-by-day guide for June 2026’s night sky, highlighting lunar phases, planetary alignments (Mercury near M35 on June 2; Venus–Jupiter conjunctions around June 9–12), a three-planet parade, notable deep-sky targets (M13, M5, Ring Nebula M57, Whirlpool Galaxy M51) and events such as Arietid meteors and noctilucent clouds, plus practical observing tips and safety notes for both beginners and advanced observers.
Three bright planets will glow after sunset this weekend, creating a planetary parade in the evening sky; binoculars or a small telescope can enhance the view, though the event is often visible to the naked eye with clear skies.
NASA released a new batch of ultra-high-resolution images of Solar System planets, including Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Mercury, and Venus, showcasing extraordinary detail from Earth’s weather and continents to Jupiter’s storms and Saturn’s perfectly visible rings, while Uranus appears blue and desolate and Mercury/Venus are shown in vibrant color thanks to advanced imaging tech.
Astronomers studying about 70 objects ranging from Jupiter-sized planets to brown dwarfs find no sharp mass cutoff separating planets from stars; instead, formation appears as a continuum where both core accretion and cloud fragmentation contribute, and metallicity does not clearly predict the object's origin.
Six planets—Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Jupiter—will appear rising near the western horizon after sunset in a rare planetary parade. The alignment is a line-of-sight effect, not a true orbital chain. Bright planets (Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter) are visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require binoculars or a telescope. For best viewing, find a clear western outlook about 20–30 minutes after sunset; the grouping is not a single-day event and lasts for weeks. No special equipment is needed for the brightest worlds, though binoculars help with the fainter ones, and a red-night mode app can aid night vision.
Six planets align in a rare 'planetary parade' after sunset across California, with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn visible to the naked eye and Uranus and Neptune detectable with telescopes; visibility varies by location due to clouds (SF Bay Area may be obscured, LA and San Diego should be clear, northern California could miss it); the event recurs only every few years, with the next alignment not until 2028.
NASA says a six-planet alignment will brighten the night sky this Saturday (weather permitting): Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter should be visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune will require binoculars or a telescope. The display is best at twilight and visible worldwide, with viewing times varying by location and planets roughly 10 degrees above the horizon. Venus will be the brightest after the Sun and Moon; Mars will appear as a red dot; Saturn will have a yellowish hue; Jupiter will be high overhead; Mercury will be the hardest to spot, best about 30–60 minutes after local sunset. The event illustrates how planetary orbits shift relative to Earth and even informs mission planning; keep an eye out for related celestial events later this year, like a total lunar eclipse and a Venus–Jupiter pairing on June 8–9.
Six planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus—will be visible at once in the early-evening sky over the next few days, a rare alignment last seen with all seven last year and not due again until 2040. Neptune and Uranus require binoculars or a telescope, while Venus will be the brightest and Mercury the faintest near the horizon. The best viewing windows are after sunset (about 5:45 pm UK / 6:00 pm US), with the lineup forming a curved arc across the western sky; the pattern differs in the southern hemisphere. NASA has released new sonifications from the Chandra X-ray Observatory for Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. The Moon will also be visible, and observers should avoid looking at the Sun through binoculars or telescopes.
Skywatchers can expect six planets to be visible in the night sky toward the end of February, offering a rare multi-planet view for observers under clear, dark skies.