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Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
An Astronomer's Guide to Seeing the Planetary Cluster This April
Getty Images From blood moons to partial solar eclipses, there's been no shortage of exciting astronomical events in 2025. Over the course of a couple of weeks in mid-April, early risers will get a treat looking to the east before sunrise: three naked-eye planets will be clustered low to the horizon, at times separated by just 8 degrees (less than the apparent size of your fist held at arm's length). Meet the author: Dr. Phil Plait is an astronomer, author, and science communicator with a PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia. He has written four books on astronomy and consulted on space TV shows and movies, including the 2016 hit, Arrival. He was also the head science writer for the first season of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix. The planets are Venus, Mercury, and Saturn, and all you need to see them are clear skies, an unobstructed view to the eastern horizon, and a willingness to get up before dawn. Binoculars might help you spot the trio, though they aren't strictly necessary. The grouping is visible anywhere on Earth, though the closer you are to the equator, the easier it will be to see. Of the three planets Venus is by far the most obvious, the third brightest natural object in the sky after the sun and moon, shining 25 times brighter than the other two planets. It's also highest above the eastern horizon, making it a cinch to catch even when the sky begins to glow with the impending dawn. Venus is closer to the sun than Earth is, which means it moves more rapidly around the sun. It just 'lapped' us in late March, passing the sun in the sky and sliding ahead of us in its orbit to become a 'morning star.' As it continues to move away from the sun, it will appear higher every morning at the same time. Due to its changing geometry relative to the sun and Earth, we see Venus going through phases much as the moon does. By eye it will look like a brilliant star, but with binoculars it will appear as a crescent, much like the new moon. Its proximity to Earth—about 50 to 70 million kilometers from mid to late April—means we catch more of its light, so it appears extremely bright. It's often mistaken for an airplane or UFO. Mercury is closer to the sun even than Venus, but is far smaller in physical size and also less reflective—Mercury's surface is mostly dark volcanic rock, while Venus is enshrouded in clouds that are far better at reflecting sunlight—making Mercury much fainter than Venus by eye. On top of that, it's also lower to the horizon making it harder to spot. While visible to the naked eye before dawn, binoculars will help here; sweep around the sky below Venus to spot the elusive planet. Saturn will appear as the third vertex of this planetary triangle, just 2 - 3° from Mercury (roughly the width of two fingers held at arm's length) on April 10 through April 15. Even though Saturn is physically far larger than Mercury, at over 20 times wider, its distance of 1.5 billion kilometers from Earth is so much farther away that the two planets appear to be nearly the same brightness in the sky. Again, binoculars may help you spot it below Venus. The hazy atmosphere of the gas giant world will likely make it appear yellowish to the eye. Your April 2025 Horoscope: It's Time for a Pilgrimage, Whatever That Means for You Professional astrologer Steph Koyfman reads your monthly horoscope—and spells out how it may shape your travels. Over a few weeks the individual motions of the planets change their relative positions in our sky; Venus gets higher fairly rapidly from morning to morning, while Saturn moves in a more stately fashion. Mercury is at its highest pre-dawn on April 11, and moves closer to the sun after that. The three are closest together between April 10 and April 13. The thin crescent moon joins the trio on April 24 and 25 as well, adding a bit of icing to this celestial cake (though by then Mercury may be too low to easily observe). I suggest going out over several mornings to see how they've moved. How well you can see all of this also depends on your location. Near the equator the sun rises nearly straight up, perpendicular to the horizon, and the planets will be directly above it as they rise, making them much easier to spot. If you're in mid-latitudes north or south, the planets rise at more of an angle making them lower in the sky and more difficult to view when dawn breaks. Either way, your best bet is to be on the lookout about an hour before sunrise, compromising between the sky getting brighter and the planets getting higher in the sky and easier to catch. A triple meetup like this is somewhat rare, so grab your chance (and a cup of coffee) and spot them while you can. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips Stop Counting the Countries You Visit How Safe Is Flying Today? 5 Things Experts Want Travelers to Know The Best Places to See the Northern Lights Worldwide
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How to See the Partial Solar Eclipse of March 29, 2025
Lou Gaioto / Getty Images This calendar year has already been filled with exciting astronomical events, from a 'planetary parade' to the recent total lunar eclipse. This weekend we have a partial solar eclipse on March 29, 2025, when the moon passes directly in front of the sun as seen from Earth. This will appear as though the moon is 'taking a bite' out of the sun—the portion that the sun is covered is highly variable depending on the viewer's location, but in some places as much as 90% of the sun's disk will be blocked. Solar and lunar eclipses happen once a year or so, usually separated by about two weeks, during a period known as eclipse season. Normally the tilt of the moon's orbit means it misses the sun in the sky, passing above or below it as seen from the ground. But when the sun, Earth, and the moon fall into a line we can get a lunar eclipse, then, two weeks later when the moon has moved halfway around its orbit, we see a solar eclipse (or vice-versa). Meet the author: Dr. Phil Plait is an astronomer, author, and science communicator with a PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia. He has written four books on astronomy and consulted on space TV shows and movies, including the 2016 hit, Arrival. He was also the head science writer for the first season of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix. Unlike a lunar eclipse, when Earth casts its shadow on the moon, in a solar eclipse it is the Earth that falls into the moon's shadow. In a partial solar eclipse, like what we'll get on March 29, the moon doesn't fully block the sun, but instead cuts a chord across it. Because the moon is between the sun and us, during a partial solar eclipse we're looking at the unlit side of the moon in silhouette against the far brighter sun, so by eye it looks like a perfect but utterly black section of a circle against the solar disk. Last year's total solar eclipse drew thousands of umbraphiles to the path of totality (the next total solar eclipse is on August 12, 2026 and will be visible from parts of the Arctic, Greenland, and Spain). The partial eclipse won't be as exciting, but it's still quite striking to see the clockwork gears of the heavens revealing the motions of the heavenly bodies in this way, so it's well worth checking out. Which brings us to an important point: Never look at the sun without proper protection. You can very seriously damage your eyes doing so; the ultraviolet and infrared light from the sun can cook your retinae (sunglasses don't block enough of that light to protect you, either). The best way to observe it is to specially made dark eclipse glasses, but you should get them from legitimate vendors. Don't just shop online for them because many companies sell cheap and dangerous knockoffs that can still hurt your eyes. The American Astronomical Society keeps a list of approved sellers; most are quite inexpensive, just a few dollars. They also list sellers of binoculars and telescopes designed specifically to view the sun, and filters if you already have your own equipment. So who will get to see the partial solar eclipse of March 29, 2025? The best place for viewing is the extreme northeast US and southeast Canada—in southeast Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island), up to 92% of the sun will be blocked by the moon. Maine will see 60 – 85% coverage, depending on the exact location. Iceland gets up to 69%, and Greenland as much as 87%, while various locations in western Europe will see from 20 – 40% of the sun blocked by the moon. The Scandinavian Peninsula gets a decent view, with Finland seeing about 20%, Sweden in the mid-20s, and Norway getting as much as 60% (and, mind you, if you stay for a few nights you might also get a chance to see an aurora). Northwest Africa is on the edge of the moon's shadow, where Morocco, for example, will see about 17% of the sun covered. Even South America gets a (very small) piece of the action; the sun will get nicked by the moon in Suriname and French Guyana, with just 1-2% of its surface blocked. In the US, Canada, and other western locations, the eclipse happens around sunrise, but the farther east you view it the later in the day it occurs. The entire event, from the moon first starting to edge onto the sun to when it moves off, takes about an hour and a half for the locations seeing the deepest eclipse, while for other sites it may only last half an hour. How much of the sun you'll see blocked and when the eclipse starts and ends depend strongly on your exact location. Your best bet for information on locations and timings is the terrific Time And Date website. For those in the States, NASA has published a list of when to see the partial solar eclipse in major cities, including the below: Baltimore 6:55 a.m. Boston 6:31 a.m. New York 6:44 a.m. Philadelphia 6:49 a.m. Portland, Maine 6:27 a.m. Washington, D.C. 6:56 a.m. NASA also has a nice summation of how to see the eclipse, including a somewhat technical overview, and an interesting (if low-res) animation showing the moon's shadow moving across Earth's surface for the March 29 event. If you choose your location wisely, you'll see a bizarre effect: the crescent sun will rise above the horizon with the 'horns' of the crescent pointing upwards (a bit like a lopsided Cheshire cat smile). As the sun clears the horizon it will look as if two triangular suns are rising next to each other. This 'double sunrise' will only last a minute or two, so you have to be quick to catch it. It will be visible in extreme eastern Maine, and in southwestern New Brunswick, western Nova Scotia, and eastern Quebec in Canada. May you have clear skies and an unobstructed view so you can see this wonderful celestial treat—with the proper eyewear, of course. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips Stop Counting the Countries You Visit How Safe Is Flying Today? 5 Things Experts Want Travelers to Know The Best Places to See the Northern Lights Worldwide
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Week's Total Lunar Eclipse Will Reveal a ‘Blood Moon'—Here's How to See It
Guang Cao/Getty This week, on the evening of March 13 and into the morning of March 14, the moon will slide into Earth's shadow, creating a wondrous and graceful event: a total lunar eclipse. The whole show, over three hours long, will be visible across almost the entirety of North America, Central America, and most of South America. From western Africa the moon will set while still eclipsed, and in extreme eastern Russia the moon will rise already in eclipse. One great aspect of a lunar eclipse is that you don't need a telescope or binoculars to see it; just your eyes and a clear night sky. You don't even necessarily need to leave the city to see it, though when fully eclipsed the dark moon might be hard to spot if there is too much light pollution. If you do have astronomical equipment on hand it will certainly enhance your enjoyment, since you'll get a close-up view of what's transpiring. In order to best appreciate the cosmic show, it's helpful to understand the fascinating science behind a lunar eclipse (including why the moon appears red, a phenomenon also known as a 'blood moon"). Below, we break down exactly what you'll be able to see in the night sky come Thursday evening—all you have to do is look up. Meet the author: Dr. Phil Plait is an astronomer, author, and science communicator with a PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia. He has written four books on astronomy and consulted on space TV shows and movies, including the 2016 hit, Arrival. He was also the head science writer for the first season of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix. It's a bit odd to think of Earth having a shadow, since there's nothing in space for it to be cast upon. However, a shadow is just where an object is blocking a source of light, so if you're in a spot in space exactly behind Earth with respect to the Sun, the solid body of our planet obstructs our star. You'd be in shadow. A total lunar eclipse is a relatively rare astronomical event because the moon usually passes above or below Earth's shadow in the sky due to the tilt of its orbit. But once or twice a year the heavens literally align and the moon moves directly into that region of space. The Earth is round, so we see it casting a circular shadow on the moon. As the moon orbits Earth, one edge of the moon's disk appears to darken when it enters Earth's shadow—we call this the beginning of the partial eclipse—and over a few minutes that spot grows into an arc, a dark circular segment that moves over the lunar landscape. It continues to swallow the moon, which eventually becomes a crescent shape, until, finally, the entirety of the moon is in Earth's shadow, which we call totality. Totality can last for well over an hour, depending on how deeply the moon penetrates into Earth's shadow. This is the phase of the lunar eclipse you don't want to miss—at this time, an amazing thing happens: the normally somewhat colorless moon doesn't appear completely dark, but instead orange or even blood red. That's why lunar eclipses are sometimes called 'blood moons.' Why does this happen? Earth's atmosphere is a spherical shell surrounding our planet. When you look straight up you're looking through roughly 100 kilometers of air, but when you look to the horizon that line of sight is far longer, closer to 1,000 kilometers. As sunlight passes through Earth's air, the atmosphere blocks or scatters bluer light; the farther the distance the sunlight has to travel through Earth's atmosphere, the more red it appears. For example, near sunset or sunrise, the light is traveling through that longer path of air to reach your eye, making the sun look very red when it's near the horizon. From the moon, our atmosphere appears as a ring around Earth, and during an eclipse, when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, sunlight has to travel all the way through that thick layer of atmosphere surrounding the planet. From the moon's viewpoint, it's seeing all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth simultaneously! That means the sunlight reflected by the moon is highly reddened, giving the moon its eerie hue during totality. The moon continues to move in its orbit, of course, so eventually it begins to move out of the shadow. Totality ends, and the partial phase then moves in reverse to what it did before: the last part of the moon to be covered is the first to be uncovered, until finally the moon is once again outside of Earth's shadow. You may notice a slight darkening to the moon even before the partial phase begins. There's an outer portion of Earth's shadow, called the penumbra, where the sun is only partially blocked from the moon. It's difficult to see at first, but deepens as the moon moves farther into it. The darkest part of Earth's shadow, where the sun is completely blocked, is called the umbra. Because this event happens in space, everyone on the side of Earth facing it sees it at the same time. The actual time you see on the clock depends on your location; here are the times in Coordinated Universal Time (or UTC) to the nearest minute. Converters to your local time zone are available online. Penumbral begins: 03:57 Partial begins: 05:09 Totality begins: 06:26 Totality ends: 07:32 Partial ends: 08:48 Penumbral ends: 10:00 Note that these UTC times are for March 14; for most places where the eclipse is visible this means it starts on the evening of March 13 (for example, the US east coast is UTC-4 hours so it starts at 11:57 p.m. March 13). Clear skies will certainly aid your sighting, but if you miss it, don't fret: the next total lunar eclipse is in March 2026, visible over Europe and Africa. It may very well be worth the trip. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips These Are the World's Most Powerful Passports in 2024 Are Gate Lice Soon to Be Exterminated? The Friendliest Cities in the US, According to Our Readers
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
11 Exciting Astronomical Events in 2025—and How to See Them
Getty There's a variety of astronomical events in 2025 well worth planning a trip around this year—whether that means driving to the closest national park for a meteor shower or booking a cruise to Norway to see the northern lights. Astrotourism is becoming increasingly mainstream—as evidenced during last year's total solar eclipse—meaning more hotels and destinations are catering to travelers with sky-high expectations. Wherever your travels take you on our fair planet, don't forget to look up—there's plenty of sightseeing to do in the sky, too. Here's a list of cosmic phenomena the skies are offering this year, from those aforementioned meteor showers to lunar eclipses—plus expert tips on how and where to see them. We've organized these can't-miss events by month, so you can align best with your calendar. All times are in UTC; be sure to convert to wherever you're based so you don't miss a thing. Alternatively, you can also use the online tool Time and Date to figure out exactly when an astronomical event is visible from your location in the world. Meet the author Dr. Phil Plait is an astronomer, author, and science communicator with a PhD in astronomy at the University of Virginia. He has written four books on astronomy and consulted on space TV shows and movies, including the 2016 hit, Arrival. He was also the head science writer for the first season of Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix. The last few days of February provide a nice lineup of the brightest planets in the sky for mid-latitude observers both north and south of the equator (some are calling it a 'planetary parade'). At dusk Mercury appears as a middling bright star very low to the western horizon starting around February 25, and is a bit higher every night until March 8. Saturn is nearby, though much fainter and so low it will be difficult to spot without binoculars, while Venus is a brilliant white beacon somewhat higher up in the sky. By the time the sky is fully dark, bright Jupiter can be seen nearly straight up overhead, and orange-red Mars lower and to the east. During that week the thin crescent moon will also be visible low to the west, punctuating the scene. Next up, there's a lunar eclipse on March 14 that starts at 05:09 UTC. At that time you'll see the Earth's dark shadow slide over the western side of the moon, slowly eating at it until 06:26 when the eclipse becomes total, and the moon engulfed fully—it may look deeply red or even brown to the eye. That lasts for over an hour, and at 07:31 the eastern part of the moon becomes lit by the sun once again. By 08:48 the entire face of the moon is visible once again. This eclipse will be visible to the Americas, as well as western Europe and Africa. This year there's no total solar eclipse—when the moon fully covers the sun in the sky—but on March 29 a partial one will grace the extreme northeastern US, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, western Europe, and Scandinavia. Canada gets the best view, with parts of Nunavut seeing up to 90% of the sun covered by the moon, leaving just a thin sliver of our star visible. Check the wonderful Time and Date website for exact timings for the event. Remember, looking at the sun unfiltered can damage your eyes, so make sure you have proper protection. (The American Astronomical Society has a list of vendors that sell eclipse glasses.) Here's our complete solar eclipse guide to planning an international trip around the 2026, 2027, and 2028 total solar eclipses. During the week of April 12-18 early risers anywhere in the world will get to see an unusual cluster of three planets: Mercury, Venus, and Saturn low to the eastern horizon just before sunrise. You'll want to be out just before the sky starts getting brighter to see them all together. The thin crescent moon passes by on April 24-25, adding an extra thrill. May 3-5 brings the peak of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, with up to 50 shooting stars visible per hour. The American Meteor Society has viewing tips and more in their shower FAQ. On August 12, the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will be very close together (1 degree, twice the size of the full Moon) in the eastern sky at dawn. They approach each other slowly over many days, so make sure you look every morning for a few days before and after August 12. September 7 brings the second total lunar eclipse of the year, visible from extreme eastern Africa, most of Asia, western Australia, and Antarctica. The partial eclipse starts at 16:27 and ends at 19:56, with totality from 17:30 to 18:52. The very thin crescent moon and Venus will make a beautiful pair in the pre-dawn eastern sky on September 19. They will be very close together, and for some locations (extreme northwest Canada and Alaska) the moon will actually pass directly in front of Venus, what astronomers call an occultation—check the International Occultation Timing Association site for local times. On September 21 there will be a second partial solar eclipse as well. New Zealand will see the sun about 70% covered, though off the coast of Antarctica as much as 85% of the sun will be in eclipse. Again, timing depends on your location so check Time and Date for local specifics. The wonderful Geminid meteor shower peaks December 13-14, which can produce over 100 meteors per hour. The lead of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office previously shared his expert tips for catching the Geminid meteor shower—and what exactly makes it so special. This year is likely to be a good one for aurora hunters, thanks to heightened solar activity. While the northern and southern lights aren't predictable more than a few days in advance, the probability is highest between late September and late March under cloudless, dark skies. Here are some of the best places to see the aurora borealis around the world, plus the best Airbnbs for spotting the northern lights. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips These Are the World's Most Powerful Passports in 2024 Are Gate Lice Soon to Be Exterminated? The Friendliest Cities in the US, According to Our Readers
