Have you seen them yet? On Tuesday, Mercury and Venus will be closest in the morning sky for all of 2019. They should fit into a single binocular field. Charts and more.
We see this nearly star system as a single star in our sky, but it's really 3 stars. Of the 3, Proxima is closer to our sun than any other known star. Read more.
Beta Centauri - aka Hadar - joins Alpha Centauri in pointing to the Southern Cross. Like Alpha, Beta Centauri is also 3 stars, but 2 of Beta's stars will someday become nearby supernovae. Read more.
Sundial and clock agree every year in middle April. It means that, when the midday sun climbs highest, the sundial reads 12 noon and your local clock says 12 noon. Read more.
Note that Mercury is fainter than Venus. Catching it is all about timing. You’ll want to look before sunrise, but not too shortly before. If your sky is too bright, you might still see Venus, but fainter Mercury will be washed from view by the glow of the coming sunrise. Use your binoculars! Read more.
