The Rhythm of the Spheres

Reading the Night Sky

Wandering in Astronomy

The night sky is the oldest pattern of man, and every culture reads it differently. The stars above keep silent time, moving to a rhythm we are just now beginning to understand. Astronomy is where math, science, art, music, and words meet in a wondrous collision. In this section of our site, learn the basics of astronomy: from how a star chart is made, to projections and art that map the night sky, to how an astrolabe works just like it did thousands of years ago. Watch the North Star shift across centuries, explore how one sky has been mapped by many traditions, read what happened on this day in space, and see tonight’s moon for your location.

Map the Stars

The math behind star charts, with a projection explorer and a working astrolabe.

The Moving Sky

How the sky shifts across centuries, with a precession clock you can run.

The Traditions

One sky reads many ways, with a same-sky overlay of the world’s constellations.

This Day in the Stars

The sky’s events, discoveries, and lore tied to today’s date.

The Moon Tonight

Its phase and face, drawn live for where you’re standing.

โœฆ  Astronomy Picture of the Day  โœฆ

183 Days in the Sun

December 22, 2023
Credit: Josรฉ Zarcos Palma
See this entry on NASA's APOD โ†’
A single 183 day exposure with a pinhole camera and photographic paper resulted in this long-duration solargraph . Recorded from solstice to solstice , June 21 to December 21, in 2022, it follows the Sun's daily arcing path through planet Earth's skies from Mertola, Portugal. On June 21, the Sun's highest point and longest arc represents the longest day and the astronomical beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. The solstice date with the fewest hours of daylight is at the beginning of winter in the north, corresponding to the Sun's shortest and lowest arc in the 2022 solargraph. For 2023, the northern winter solstice was on December 22 at 3:27 UTC. That's December 21 for North America time zones.

Customized Star Charts Coming 1st Quarter 2027

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โœฆ  EarthSky  ยท  Astronomy.com  ยท  Phys.org  โœฆ
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