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 undertand. Astronomy is where math, science, art, music and words meet in a wonderous collision. On this section of our site, learn the basics, from how a star chart is actually made, to projections and art that map the night sky, to how astrolabe work the same as they did thousand years ago. Watch the North Star shift across centuries and explore how one sky has been mapped by many traditions. Check what happened on this day in space, or see tonight’s moon drawn for where you stand.

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.

✦  Astronomy Picture of the Day  ✦

Daytime Moon Meets Evening Star

June 20, 2026
© Debra Ceravolo
Venus is now appearing on the celestial stage as Earth's brilliant evening star, performing with the Moon, other wandering planets, and bright stars in western skies. For evening sky gazers on June 17, the celestial beacon rose after sunset close by a young, slender, crescent Moon. But from some locations the Moon could be seen to occult or pass in front of Venus. And from a backyard observatory in southern British Columbia, Canada, the lunar occultation was played out in daylight. This stunning telescopic snapshot captured a scene in dramatically cloudy skies, following Venus' hour long disappearance, as the evening star emerged beyond the bright lunar limb.

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✦  EarthSky  ·  Astronomy.com  ·  Phys.org  ✦
Today in the History of Astronomy Jun 20, 2026

June 20, 1955: Pingualuit Crater is discovered

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Today in the History of Astronomy Jun 19, 2026

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Today's Image Jun 19, 2026

34 dust devils on Mars in 1 shot! Can you spot them all?

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Astronomy Jun 18, 2026

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