A general ASTRONOMY site to get you started exploring the night sky
Optimized for desktops and laptops.
Most pages on phones and tablets will overlap.
For information on celestial events like ECLIPSES or COMETS, I recommend Space.com or SpaceWeather.com
PARADE OF PLANETS • August 2026
MORNING
Mars rises in the east around 1 AM. This is not the best time to view Mars through a telescope because it is fairly far away from Earth and thus appears small—difficult to see any detail. Yes, it is reddish in color which makes it easier to identify. Mars gets close to Earth every 26 months and at these times it will appear large enough in telescopes to see its various features. The next time this will occur is February 2027.Jupiteris a morning star and rises about an hour before the Sun which makes it difficult to see because it gets lost in the morning sky glow.
EVENING
Venus is up in the western sky after sunset. You can’t miss it because it is the brightest “star” in the whole sky. It sets within a few hours after the Sun. Saturn rises in the east a few hours after sunset in Pisces, which is a constellation of fainter stars so Saturn is the brightest star in that whole area.
Remember • Twinkle Factor
The planets DO NOT normally twinkle like stars unless they are very close to the horizon or the atmosphere is extremely turbulent. So, even thought Saturn is not very bright, it is easier to identify because it does not twinkle.
SKY
WATCH
There should be a naked eye NOVA star showing for a few days in the night sky sometime during the next year. Click here for more information.
Header Image
The celestial image used for this site's header is part of the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan) visible throughout most of the summer and fall. This triangular wedge is a fainter part somewhat between the two major sections that make up the Veil Nebula and it is called Pickering’sTriangle. I took this image using a 6-inch diameter refractor telescope.
