The Sky This Month - Astronomy Magazine

Tune into the most observable events in this month's sky.

A trio of evening planets

June 2013: Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter line up in evening twilight.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: April 22, 2013

Bright planets meet at dusk

May 2013: Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter join together for a spectacular series of conjunctions in evening twilight.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: March 25, 2013

Saturn struts its ringed glory

April 2013: Jupiter blazes in the western sky after darkness falls, and glorious Saturn hangs low in the east at nightfall before climbing high in the south around midnight.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: February 25, 2013

Comet fever strikes

March 2013: All eyes will be on the western sky after sunset to see whether Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) puts on a great performance.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: January 28, 2013

Mercury's twilight romp

February 2013: The solar system's two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, put on nice displays during February. Mercury and Mars add to the evening scene during twilight.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: December 21, 2012

Jupiter’s evening reign

January 2013: The first month of 2013 will provide plenty of solar system targets set against the starry canopy.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: November 26, 2012

Jupiter dazzles all night

December 2012: Jupiter reaches its yearly peak in December and dominates the sky all night. The morning sky, on the other hand, offers some superb views from Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and a crescent Moon.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: October 29, 2012

A day with two dawns

November 2012: Jupiter approaches its peak during November and shines brilliantly among the background stars of Taurus nearly all night.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: September 24, 2012

Jupiter grabs the Bull's horns

October 2012: All eyes will be on Jupiter this month. The giant planet climbs higher in the eastern sky before midnight, a beacon shining among the background stars of Taurus.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: August 28, 2012

Uranus reaches its peak

September 2012: Saturn and Mars grace the twilight as September evenings unfold; Jupiter becomes the main attraction in the morning sky as it climbs high before dawn.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: July 23, 2012

Neptune shines at its brightest

August 2012: Bright planets occupy both evening and morning skies this month while one of their fainter siblings, distant Neptune, reaches opposition and peak visibility.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: June 25, 2012

Brilliant planets gather at dawn

July 2012: Mercury hangs above the western horizon after the Sun sets in early July, and Mars, Saturn, and Virgo's brightest star, Spica, pop into view.

By Martin Ratcliffe, Alister Ling // Published: May 29, 2012