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, from how a star chart is made, to projections and art that maps the night sky, to how an astrolabe works the same way as it did thousands of 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.
Psyche Receives Gravity Assist from Mars
Customized Star Charts Coming 4th Quarter 2026
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.
Homing in on the X-ray sky with eROSITA's second data release
The German eROSITA consortium (eROSITA-DE), which includes the University of Bonn and is led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), has released its second major public dat…
ReadAndromeda’s star formation is slowing down
Star formation in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy (M31) has been slowing down over the last 500 million years, according to a new study using Hubble Space Telescope data. The study was published …
ReadHow one student captured the universe without light
Astrophotography tends to blur the boundary between science and art. The incredible images from Hubble and JWST, for example, captivate us as much for their aesthetic beauty as for their data. Rece…
ReadFirst AI-driven telescope goes stargazing
Every night, astronomers must carefully assess changing weather, the intensity of moonlight and shifting atmospheric conditions before deciding where to point a telescope. It's a constant balancing…
Read2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases
The phenomenon of a Full Moon arises when our planet, Earth, is precisely sandwiched between the Sun and the Moon. This alignment ensures the entire side of the Moon that faces us gleams under sunl…
ReadAstronomers finally measure the full size of the largest known galaxy
Researchers have obtained the deepest images ever taken of IC 1101, allowing them to identify the galaxy's outer edge for the first time. The observations confirm it as the largest known galaxy, sp…
ReadStar formation in Andromeda – our neighbor – is winding down
Star formation in Andromeda - the giant spiral next door to us - is winding down, astronomers say. And it could be related to a nearby dwarf satellite galaxy.
ReadLake Powell is shrinking toward ‘dead pool’ levels
Lake Powell is the 2nd-largest reservoir in the U.S. But with climate and usage stresses, the lake is shrinking. It could reach dead pool by spring 2027.
ReadSun news: M flare breaks lull as Jupiter sails by
Sun news July 31, 2026: An M1.9 flare from AR4492 broke the activity lull. It sent out a powerful burst of sun-stuff, which Jupiter appeared to soar through.
Read