Venus, Jupiter and the moon steal the show this week

The moon teams up with Venus and Jupiter in a week packed with easy skywatching targets Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version   May 18, 2026 FOLLOW US FOLLOW US   Just Look Up! SIGN UP ⋅   SHARE   What's Up This Week? Hello skywatchers! This week's night sky is packed with beautiful moon pairings and easy-to-spot celestial sights. A delicate crescent moon glides past brilliant Venus before teaming up with mighty Jupiter and the sparkling Beehive Cluster later in the week. It's also a fantastic time to track Jupiter's Galilean moons.  Elsewhere in this issue, I'll be sharing my experience with the Vespera Pro and how it completely changed my mind about astrophotography from light-polluted skies. We'll also take a look at the newly announced Vespera III and Vespera Pro 2 smart telescopes, plus showcase a stunning reader astrophoto capturing Markarian's Chain in remarkable detail. Here's what to watch for in the nights ahead.  Daisy Dobrijevic Skywatching Editor (Starry Night) Monday, May 18: The moon meets Venus  A delicate crescent moon pairs up with brilliant Venus low over the western horizon after sunset in one of the prettiest twilight displays of the month. The pairing is easy to spot with the naked eye, while binoculars will reveal beautiful earthshine softly illuminating the moon's darkened surface. Read more: Venus and a razor-thin moon steal the show after sunset tonight (Starry Night) Tuesday, May 19: Jupiter and the Galilean dance Tonight is a fantastic opportunity to turn binoculars or a small telescope toward Jupiter in Gemini. Even basic equipment will reveal Jupiter's four largest moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto — lined up beside the giant planet. Check back later in the evening and you might notice the moon's shifting position in orbit. (Starry Night) Wednesday, May 20: The moon meets Jupiter The waxing crescent moon slides close beside Jupiter in the western evening sky, creatign an eye-catching conjunction. (Starry Night) Thursday, May 20: The moon meets the Beehive Cluster  The waxing crescent moon passes close to the beautiful Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer. Using binoculars, place the moon just outside the edge of your field of view and the Beehive Cluster will appear as a glittering swarm of stars. (Starry Night) Saturday, May 24: Waxing gibbous moon The waxing gibbous moon dominates the evening sky in Leo and offers excellent opportunities for lunar observing. Aim binoculars or a telescope along the terminator (the dividing line between light and shadow) to reveal dramatic crater walls, jagged mountain peaks and intricate lunar detail. Moon Calendar Notable moon phase this week: First quarter moon May 23 The moon reaches its first quarter phase on Saturday, May 23. This is one of the best times of the month for observing our lunar neighbor because sunlight strikes the surface at a shallow angle, casting long shadows that dramatically highlight craters, mountains and other lunar features along the terminator. Want to explore more? Check out our ultimate guide to observing the moon for tips and tools to get the most out of each phase. Full Story: Space (2/22) In The News I thought my backyard had too much light pollution for astrophotography. The Vaonis Vespera Pro proved me wrong Surrounded by streetlights and terraced houses, I never expected to capture detailed deep-space images from my backyard until I tried the Vaonis Vespera Pro telescope. Read More Northern Lights Forecast Aurora forecast May 18 - Northern lights possible tonight as glancing solar storms approach Earth The latest aurora forecast for tonight helps you make sure you're in the right place at the right time to see the northern lights. Read More Your Amazing Astrophotos Astrophotographer captures remarkable view of galactic 'Eyes' with backyard telescope The string of galaxies is just a small part of the colossal Virgo Galaxy Cluster Read More Astronomy Kit and Accessories With the Vespera III and Vespera Pro 2, telescope-maker Vaonis unveils its sharpest optics yet They boast a new optical design for sharper images and host a bunch of upgraded features to make stargazing a breeze. The Vaonis Vespera III and Vespera Pro 2 are available now. Read More Get $341 off the limited X edition of the Vaonis Vespera II at Walmart The Vespera II X edition features a sleek, transparent shell and has internal temperature sensors for optimized deep sky observation. Read More Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. Sign Up   Follow Night Sky This Week Contact Us: Feedback | Advertise Sign Up | Update Profile | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms and Conditions When you purchase through links in our content, we may earn an affiliate commission.   Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.

JWST maps universe's largest structure | Psyche probe will fly within 3,000 miles of Mars today | SpaceX's Starship will do something new on Flight 12

JWST maps universe's largest structure | Psyche probe will fly within 3,000 miles of Mars today | SpaceX's Starship will do something new on Flight 12 Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version   May 15, 2026 FOLLOW US FOLLOW US   Taking you out of this world, every day SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad JWST maps universe's largest structure We made it to the weekend!  We're still counting down to SpaceX's Starship V3 launch. The megarocket is set to take off for Flight 12 on Tuesday, May 19 but while we wait there's plenty to start looking forward to. While this new version of Starship has a lot of new features, this flight will also see it do something totally new: it will take a look at itself during it's suborbital journey.  There's a lot more up in the sky this weekend, as elevated geomagnetic activity has sparked increased auroras, so take a look to see if you might be lucky enough to see such a natural wonder in the night sky.  Beyond our own skies, today NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which is on a mission to an asteroid, will fly by Mars and we can't wait to see what Psyche sees on its journey. We've also got new science on dark matter, and NASA's Perseverance rover has snapped a new selfie!  Check out what's big in space this week below! Explore the cosmic web Experts Recommend This AI-Powered Hearing Aid Struggling to hear clearly? Horizon IX offers German-engineered clarity with advanced AI that separates voices from noise in real time. Nearly invisible and trusted by 500,000+ users. Experience modern hearing with a 45-day no-risk trial. Discover Clarity ADVERTISEMENT Trending Psyche probe will fly within 3,000 miles of Mars today NASA's asteroid-bound spacecraft Psyche is headed for an encounter with Mars on Friday (May 15) to get a boost from the Red Planet. Follow the flyby!   Spaceflight SpaceX's Starship will do something new on Flight 12 SpaceX's advanced new "V3" Starship megarocket is set to fly for the first time ever next week. The debut will feature some in-space action never seen before on a Starship mission. What will it do? NASA's Perseverance rover stuns in new selfie on Mars Perched along the rugged western rim of Jezero Crater, NASA's Perseverance rover snapped a dramatic new selfie revealing ancient Martian terrain, fractured cliffs and clues to the Red Planet's distant past. See the selfie Skywatching Geomagnetic storm could spark northern lights in U.S. A fast stream of solar wind could trigger G1 geomagnetic storm conditions overnight, boosting aurora chances across parts of the northern U.S. Look up! I thought my backyard had too much light pollution  Surrounded by streetlights and terraced houses, I never expected to capture detailed deep-space images from my backyard until I tried the Vaonis Vespera Pro telescope. See the photos Science & Astronomy We still can't see dark matter. Can we hear it? Black holes smashing together may churn dark matter "butter," scientists say. Dark matter 'butter'? Today in Space Auroras over Australia look like sci-fi from space  An astronaut aboard the ISS captured the brilliant green and pink glow. Look at the photo Entertainment The 'Doctor Who' TV movie at 30 How an unlikely transatlantic alliance attempted to bring a Time Lord back from the dead. What do you think? Editor's Note Editor's Note And that's it for our space update today!   Stay tuned as we count down to SpaceX's Starship V3 launch, this newest iteration of the company's megarocket is on its way to blast off. We've seen Starships before, but with all of the upgrades and modifications to the rocket (and its planned trip), we're excited to see what will really happen.  Coming up, we'll also get to see new stories diving into the strange world of megaconstellations, we'll explore the feasibility of a real moon base, Jupiter and Venus make sparkling appearances in the night sky, and Manhattanhenge is upon us once again.      Ad astra per aspera  Chelsea Gohd Content Manager, Space.com Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. Sign Up   Follow SPACE Contact Us: Feedback | Advertise Sign Up | Update Profile | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms and Conditions When you purchase through links in our content, we may earn an affiliate commission.   Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036