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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
June 27-July 3, 2025 Sky Watch: Track the Moon's Disappearance and Dramatic Return With Earthshine Display
There's something deliciously dramatic about the moon's monthly disappearing act. One moment it's dominating our night sky, and the next — poof! — it's gone, only to make a grand re-entrance days later as a delicate sliver of light. Consider this your guided tour through the celestial drama unfolding above, with special attention to the lunar phases we'll witness in real time. Friday and Saturday bring us the new moon, astronomy's most delightful contradiction — we celebrate what we literally cannot see. The moon tucks itself precisely between Earth and the sun, showing us its unilluminated side. It's cosmic stealth mode. But here's where the magic happens for serious stargazers: with no moonlight washing out the sky, these two nights offer premium conditions for deep-sky object hunting. Think of it as nature turning down the lights so you can better see the subtle details. Point your telescope toward the Hercules Cluster (M13) sitting high overhead — a magnificent ball of approximately 300,000 stars that's traveled around the galaxy dozens of times since its formation. (Makes your morning commute seem rather quaint, doesn't it?) The Ring Nebula (M57) in Lyra also puts on a spectacular show — the cosmic equivalent of watching a star's elegant farewell tour, as it sheds its outer layers in a perfect smoke ring of glowing gas. Starting Sunday evening, our lunar friend begins its coy return as a waxing crescent. Look west after sunset for what ancient cultures often called "the young moon" — a slender illuminated curve hugging the horizon. Each evening, this arc grows slightly larger as the moon moves farther from its alignment with the sun, revealing more of its sun-kissed face to Earth. It's nature's version of dramatic lighting unfolding in slow motion. Earthshine Wonder: Here's where it gets interesting (and where I get unreasonably excited): while admiring that crisp crescent edge, look at the darkened portion of the moon. Notice that ghostly glow illuminating the entire lunar disk? That's earthshine — sunlight that bounces off Earth, hits the moon's dark side, and reflects back to our eyes. Think about that journey: light traveling 93 million miles from the sun, bouncing off our oceans and clouds, traveling another 238,000 miles to the moon, then returning the same distance to your retina. That's roughly 186 million miles of cosmic pinball just so you can see that subtle glow. Worth stepping outside for, wouldn't you say? This week isn't just about our moon's game of hide-and-seek. Several planets join the celestial party: For the truly dedicated, Mercury makes a challenging appearance very low on the eastern horizon just before sunrise. Spotting this innermost planet requires clear skies, an unobstructed eastern view, and possibly the determination of someone hunting for the last parking spot at a Black Friday sale. When to Watch: Time: About 30 minutes before sunrise Direction: Very low on the eastern horizon Challenge Level: High — binoculars might help (but never point them at the rising sun!) Our waxing crescent moon doesn't return to the sky alone — it brings a rusty companion. Watch as the young moon sidles up to Mars in the constellation Leo, creating what astronomers call a conjunction. It's essentially cosmic neighbors appearing to hang out together, despite being millions of miles apart — the celestial equivalent of those forced-perspective tourist photos where someone pretends to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. When to Watch: Time: Early evening, just after sunset Direction: Western sky Photography Tip: This pairing creates a stunning composition with the earthshine-illuminated crescent next to the reddish planet Saturn flaunts its bling for night owls this week. Those rings — tilted just so — are like the universe's answer to "tell me you're a gorgeous gas giant without telling me you're a gorgeous gas giant." The planet's position in Aquarius means it rises later than its planetary siblings, requiring either a late bedtime or an early alarm. When to Watch: Time: After midnight until dawn Direction: Southern sky (within Aquarius) Gear Recommendation: Even a small telescope will reveal those iconic rings Venus dominates the pre-dawn sky with the subtlety of a disco ball in a library. Outshining everything but the sun and moon, it's basically the celestial equivalent of that friend who always has to be the brightest person in the room (and somehow we still love them for it). When to Watch: Time: 1-2 hours before sunrise Direction: Eastern horizon Can't Miss Factor: The brightest point of light in the pre-dawn sky There's something profoundly connecting about watching the moon's phases. This predictable cycle has guided human calendars, agriculture, and rituals for thousands of years. When you step outside to watch the crescent moon emerge this week ahead, you're participating in perhaps humanity's oldest continuous observation. The dance between light and shadow we witness — from the invisible new moon to the delicate interplay of direct sunlight and earthshine on the crescent — reminds us that even in our hyper-technological world, the fundamental rhythms of our solar system continue their ancient patterns. Whether you're armed with sophisticated equipment or simply your naked eyes and a sense of wonder, this week offers a perfect opportunity to reconnect with the sky. After all, in a world of endless digital notifications, there's something refreshingly analog about looking up and watching the actual, physical universe unfold above us. Clear skies, fellow skywatchers. The show is about to begin. Where Cosmic Birthdays Meet Ancient Stones Space Stunner: 1st Images From World's Largest Digital Camera The Summer Solstice Seen From Space
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Astrophotography in June 2025: what to shoot in the night sky this month
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Deep-sky astrophotographers are in for a treat this month, with some of the most beautiful nebulae — and a globular cluster — at their best, though with the solstice on 20 June, astronomical darkness will be hard to find. However, such a thing is hardly necessary for a trio of conjunctions this month involving the crescent moon, Mars, the Pleiades, and Regulus, the 'Heart of the Lion.' Here's everything you need to know about astrophotography in June 2025. This is the perfect night for deep-sky astrophotographers to image one of the most beautiful objects in the summer night sky. M13 is the prime example of a globular cluster, a dense ball of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars almost as old as the universe itself that orbits in the halo of the Milky Way. It's called the Hercules Cluster because it's found in the constellation Hercules, which is high overhead at midnight this month, so in the darkest part of the night sky as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. M13 is about 20,000 light years from the solar system — and a fabulous target for telescopes using CCD cameras and smart telescopes like the Unistellar eVscope 2 and Seestar S50. Read: Astrophotography: How-to guides, tips and videos Though officially full on Wednesday, 11 June, moonrise where you live on Tuesday, 10 June is when to be out to catch the most southerly-rising full moon in 2025. This full 'Strawberry Moon' is occurring during a major lunar standstill, a once-in-18.6-years event, meaning it will rise much farther to the southeast than usual. Use apps like PhotoPills and The Photographer's Ephemeris to plan a shot of it rising behind an unusual landmark. Read: How to photograph the full moon Although both of these targets can just be seen with the naked eye from Bortle 1 or dark skies, the larger and brighter Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the smaller Trifid Nebula (M20) in Sagittarius are typically seen only in deep-sky astrophotography images. June is a wonderful time to explore Sagittarius, which is rich in nebulae and star fields, though the more southerly you are, the better view you'll get (tip: wonderful views of Sagittarius are possible from Malaga in Spain and Florida in the U.S., two common places for family vacations). Read: The best light pollution filters Here comes a colorful close encounter in the west after dark. The red planet Mars and blue-white star Regulus in the constellation Leo will appear just 0.7 degrees apart while shining with almost identical brightness. It's a rare chance to take an image showing contrasting colors — and an alternative to the seasonal cliche of the Albireo double star in the Cygnus constellation in the Summer Triangle (which is also high in the sky in June). Read: The best cameras for astrophotography The darkest night skies of each month are always those between the last quarter moon and a few nights after the new moon, when there's little moonlight. That's true this month, with the last quarter moon on 18 June signaling the return of moon-free evenings. However, there's a huge spanner in the works in June's astrophotography window for anyone who lives at northerly latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere — the solstice. It means astronomical darkness will be in short supply and, indeed, impossible at latitudes above 50 degrees north. Read: The best star tracker camera mounts If there was ever a reason to rise early, it's this. A slender 6%-lit crescent moon will appear just half a degree from the Pleiades' open cluster of stars (also called M45 and the 'Seven Sisters') in the eastern sky this morning. The duo will rise at about 3:30 a.m. local time and be visible in twilight, and until dawn breaks. Venus will shine nearby. Use a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a telephoto lens (at least 100mm) on a tripod and keep exposures under one second to avoid blur, or bracket exposures to capture both the bright crescent and M45's fainter stars. Read: When to photograph the moon See the moon with a cherry on top tonight, when a quarter-lit crescent moon will shine in the west after sunset with Mars just a fifth of a degree above it. From parts of the Pacific and northern South America, the moon will briefly occult Mars. From twilight onwards, use a 200mm (minimum) telephoto lens on a tripod and use short exposures (1/100sec or faster) to capture the sharp crescent and Mars as a point of light. Read: Best deep-space telescopes Late June is the peak time of the year to see noctilucent clouds (NLCs) from mid-northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. These shimmering, silvery-blue wispy clouds tend to appear in the northwest as summer nights darken, glowing long after the sun has set (principally because the sun doesn't get that far beneath the horizon at this time of year), so watch from 30-90 minutes after sunset. Formed from ice crystals clinging to meteor dust about 50 miles (80km) up, they sometimes get the nickname 'space clouds' because they sit just beneath the Kármán line, Earth's boundary with space. Camera settings will be similar to any twilight-night photography, which is to say, use a wide aperture (say, f1.8-2.8 or whatever your DSLR or mirrorless camera's wide-angle lens can manage) and experiment with ISO and exposure. Start with ISO 400–800 and expose for one to six seconds. Read more: • Best equatorial mounts • Best deep-space telescopes • The best light pollution filters • The best CCD cameras for astrophotography • The best spotting scopes • The best binoculars • The best microscopes
