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May’s night sky is packed with rare celestial sights—from vanishing rings to meteor showers—offering stargazers nine unforgettable reasons to look up. May’s night sky is packed with celestial activity, offering stargazers a spectacular month of planetary pairings, ancient star clusters, and shimmering meteor trails. As reported by National Geographic, these events range from rare p

China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission came home on Wednesday (April 30) after six months in orbit. The Shenzhou 19 spacecraft — carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze — undocked from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday (April 29) at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT; 4 a.m. on April 30 China Standard Time), according to Chinese space officials. The trio spent about nine h

This is not what the sky will look like. (Jackyenjoyphotography/Moment/Getty Images) There are a lot of things in Earth's night sky, and every now and again, they line up in such a way to give us all a little bit of a giggle. On the nights of Thursday 24 and Friday 25 April, just such an alignment is going to take place, just before dawn. The current waning crescent Moon will be joi

Mark your calendar for April 25, 2025 – sky watchers worldwide will witness an extraordinary celestial event as Venus, Saturn, and a crescent moon align to form what astronomers call a “cosmic smile” in predawn skies. Many sky events demand special equipment or perfect conditions, but this planetary alignment offers a rare opportunity visible to anyone with clear eastern horizon a

Want the best view of the Lyrid meteor shower? Here's when to look up for the best chance of catching the springtime shooting stars. Want the best view of the Lyrid meteor shower? Here's when to look up for the best chance of catching the springtime shooting stars. (Image credit: Created in Canva Pro by Daisy Dobrijevic) The Lyrid meteor shower is active between April 16 and

A rare 'smiley face' triple conjunction is coming to Earth's morning skies on April 25, when Venus, Saturn and the crescent moon form a celestial smirk near the horizon. A triple conjunction between two planets and a crescent moon has the appearance of a smiley face in the sky. (Image credit: Jackyenjoyphotography via Getty Images) If you look up to the sky in the early hours

The Lyrid meteor shower is active between April 16 and April 25. Here's how to see it. Credit: Daniel Reinhardt/dpa via AP, File FILE - The Lyrid meteor shower is seen over Burg on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn off Germany, Friday, April 20, 2018. The Lyrid meteor shower has returned, and some lucky skywatchers are already catching glimpses of these bright met

Roughly 20 "shooting stars" per hour may be visible during the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower overnight on Monday, April 21-22. (Image credit: Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images) The first meteor shower of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the Lyrids, will peak overnight on Monday, April 21-22. This year, the annual meteor shower will peak in virtually moonless night

Spring in the northern hemisphere brings with it the promise for the Lyrids, the first good meteor shower of the season. Weather is just warming up in April, but we're not yet in the midst of summer, waiting up late hours for darkness to fall. (Dneutral Han/Moment/Getty Images) As a bonus, several other showers are active in late April, to include the Eta Aquariids and perhaps, a newly

April 25, 2025: A rare Venus-Saturn-Moon gather occurs in the eastern sky before sunrise. This morning Venus passes Saturn, a Venus-Saturn conjunction. Photo Caption – 2023, November 9, Venus appears with the crescent moon in the east-southeast before sunrise. by Jeffrey L. Hunt Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:55 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:43 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunse