Observing | Page 6 of 68 | Astronomy.com

The constellation Orion the Hunter hosts two of the 10 brightest stars in the sky, Betelgeuse and Rigel. At magnitude 0.5 and 0.2, respectively, Betelgeuse (orange star at upper left) and Rigel (blue-white star at lower right) stand in stark contrast to many of the surrounding stars.

Why do astronomers measure stars in magnitudes?

Mars and Jupiter conjunction

The Sky This Week from August 9 to 16: A conjunction of Mars and Jupiter

Perseid meteors

Observing, Upcoming Events

How to watch the Perseids, 2024’s best meteor shower

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the nearest major galaxy, and spans a width equivalent to more than six Full Moons.

Deep-Sky Objects

How to grasp the scale of the cosmos from your backyard

Observing, Observing Basics

Why aren’t the constellations always drawn the same way?

How legendary dark-sky advocate David Crawford sparked the fight against light pollution

Deep-Sky Objects, Observing

Explore the Hercules Cluster: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher

Crescent Moon and Venus

The Sky This Week from August 2 to 9: The Moon meets Venus

Star trails over Joshua Tree National Park

August 2024: What’s in the sky this month?

Orion Nebula

Observing, Observing Basics

How do light pollution filters work?

perseid meteors

Observing, Upcoming Events

Must-see: Catch a double meteor shower tonight

Deep-Sky Objects, Observing

Gaze into the Snow Globe: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher