It’s hardly a “Great American Eclipse,” but on Aug. 12, 2026, some parts of the North American continent will see a partial solar eclipse. Will it be as impressive as on April 8, 2024, when totality visited Mexico, 15 U.S. states and six provinces in Canada? No, yet in some parts of the U.S. and […]
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Specifications Resolution: 2,073,600 counts/rev; 0.625 arc-second Slewing speeds: 16x and 1200x Payload capacity: 8.8 lbs/4kg Dovetail saddle: 45mm Vixen-style Controls: Power button and 8-way sliding switch Power: 8x AA batteries (not supplied)/external 12V DC via adaptor panel Mount head weight: 2.9 lbs/1.3kg Total weight with optional tripod: 8.8 lbs/4.05kg Tripod: 31.7-59.8 inches/80.5-152cm adjustable aluminum tripod […]
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Solar observation can be tricky or underwhelming when trying to observe with handheld methods such as using solar eclipse glasses and solar binoculars. Hunting for the sun with binoculars can be tricky due to the essential ISO 12312-2 rated solar filters on the glass blocking all vision except for the solar disk itself. This is […]
Read MoreIt will be a magnificent day for England’s south coast. From Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard and Brighton’s Royal Pavilion to Dorset’s Jurassic Coast and Cornwall’s Land’s End, beaches and cliff tops will be plunged into darkness in the day during the U.K.’s first total solar eclipse for almost 91 years. There is, however, a problem — […]
Read MoreAre you ready for the eclipse? Whether you’re bound for the path of totality or set to see a partial eclipse from Europe, Canada or the northeast U.S. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, there’s a dirty word eclipse chasers hate to utter during an eclipse season, and yet become completely obsessed with — clouds. Related: Total […]
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The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse is less than a week away! We know that eclipse planning can be daunting, so we’ve put together a list of great eclipse apps to help make things that little bit easier. Over 15 million people across Spain, Greenland and Iceland will witness totality on Aug. 12, while almost […]
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The total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 will sweep across parts of the Northern Hemisphere, offering millions of people a chance to witness one of nature’s most spectacular sights. The path of totality — in which the moon completely covers the sun — begins over the Arctic Ocean, before crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland […]
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The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse is nearly here, and if you’re hoping to observe totality, you will likely be heading to Greenland, Iceland, or Spain. The UK gets a solid 90% show, while the US only catches a small partial solar eclipse. Wherever you’re watching it from, do not look directly at the sun […]
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Get notified of updates One week until the total solar eclipse 2026: The countdown has begun… are you ready? The countdown has begun! The total solar eclipse 2026 will occur on Aug. 12. (Image credit: Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) In just one week, millions of people across Greenland, Iceland and […]
Read MoreGet ready stargazers! We’re just one week away from the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, when millions of stargazers will be treated to a spectacular display as the lunar disk passes in front of the sun, blocking its light. Roughly 15.2 million people spread across Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, Russia and Spain will be in […]
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Meet the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative — a passion-driven citizen science endeavour that shares breathtaking views of total solar eclipses while capturing valuable data on the sun’s incandescent atmosphere. At the heart of our solar system is a burning ball of superheated gas 100 times the width of Earth, with a thermonuclear reaction raging at […]
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The full moon of August 2026 will occur at 12:18 a.m. (0416 GMT) on Aug. 28, as the lunar disk shines directly opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. Its arrival will trigger a breathtaking lunar eclipse late in the month, which will be visible across the Americas and parts of Africa and Europe as Earth […]
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When brand new entry-level telescopes start at a few hundred dollars, the idea of getting anything decent for pocket change sounds like a pipe dream. Yet the secondhand market often hides real bargains for those willing to hunt them down. Deals like this appear because people buy on impulse, then quickly lose interest for various […]
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Specifications Aperture: 3 inches / 76mm Focal length: 25-inches / 630mm Focal ratio: f/8.3 Optical design: Achromatic doublet dedicated H-alpha refractor Filter type: Hydrogen-alpha, 656.28nm (meets ISO 12312-2) Etalon: Sky-Watcher Solis etalon technology (<0.5 Å bandwidth) Blocking filter: 11.5mm blocking filter integrated into supplied diagonal Tuning system: Mechanical Trifid/Triffid pressure tuner Focuser: 2-inch dual-speed Crayford […]
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Mention that a total solar eclipse is coming, and almost nobody will say, “Wow, we get to see the solar corona!” That’s despite the sun’s tenuous outer atmosphere being the number one sight during totality — a genuine jaw-dropper. Instead, the focus on social media is always on the darkness during the day, arguably the […]
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Spotting scopes are typically used by birders and for hunting, but under a dark sky, the Nocs Provisions Lite View reveals a different personality. With a 56mm objective lens and a versatile 9x-27x zoom range, this compact spotting scope is surprisingly capable when turned toward not just the moon, but bright star clusters, too. Key […]
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The excitement of the new moon mission has potentially helped create a new generation of stargazers, just like the Apollo program did 60 years ago. These new observers will be looking for a beginner’s telescope that is easy to use and which can show them the craters on the moon in particular. The Celestron Moon […]
Read MoreIf you’ve not seen the Milky Way this year from the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time to make a plan. August’s dark sky window opens around Aug. 6, when the moon begins to rise late at night as a waning crescent, meaning dark moonless skies for about 10 nights. That’s when to see the Milky Way […]
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Looking forward to the 2026 solar eclipse, happening on Aug. 12? I know I am and even though it’s not a total solar eclipse here in the UK (the path of totality crosses Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain), we’ll still get to watch the moon obscure around 90% of the Sun, a sight that terrified […]
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Venus dominates the evening sky throughout August, but early risers have a special treat too, as Mercury and Jupiter draw together in a beautiful dawn conjunction around mid-month. From our vantage point on Earth, Venus reaches the end of its tether to the sun on the evening of Aug. 15, when it is at greatest […]
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The full Buck Moon rose to delight and dazzle stargazers with a spectacular display of moonlight on July 29 and we’ve got the photos to prove it! July’s moon is also known as the full “Buck Moon” — a traditional name used by Native American tribes to reflect the time of year when young deer […]
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The best smart telescopes have transformed astrophotography over the past few years, combining small telescope optics and automated mounts with dashcam-style camera sensors and image-processing software. The result? Compact devices that can be controlled entirely from a smartphone. Impressively, the DwarfLab Dwarf Mini pushes that concept even further. Roughly the size of a thick paperback […]
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The July full “Buck Moon” rises tonight to lead Saturn, Mars and Mercury in a spectacular mini planetary parade through the summer sky. Here’s what you need to know. July’s full moon phase occurs at 10:36 a.m. EDT on July 29 (1436 GMT), when the lunar disk will appear fully illuminated. It’s often called the […]
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Venus beside the International Space Station as captured by photographer A.J. Smadi from Edmonds, Washington on July 18, 2026. (Image credit: AJ Smadi) An astrophotographer captured a breathtaking scene as the International Space Station zoomed by Venus in the daytime sky. What is it? Photographer AJ Smadi set up the scene on July 18 in […]
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One month from today, skywatchers across the Americas, Europe and Africa will have the chance to witness the best lunar eclipse until New Year’s Eve 2028. On Aug. 28, Earth’s shadow will cover up to 96% of the moon’s disk in an exceptionally deep partial lunar eclipse. At maximum eclipse, only a thin sliver of […]
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Smart telescopes like the Seestar S30 Pro have changed astrophotography and, arguably, urban astronomy. The Seestar S30 Pro takes that concept further than most. Small enough to fit inside a camera backpack, it combines a refractor telescope, motorized mount, dual cameras and image-processing software into a compact unit controlled entirely from a smartphone. Within minutes […]
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In a rare first for me, I actually used autofocus for this entire astrophotography shoot. If I’m being honest? I prefer it when shooting astro with a mirrorless camera. Why? Because it is quicker and that means more time capturing the stars and less time setting up. I can get a star in sharp focus […]
Read MorePicture it: A slash of vivid green light splits the starry sky. There for a moment and then gone, leaving nothing but a short-lived glowing trail and a moment of pure joy. You’ve finally caught it, your first Perseid shooting star of the season. What you saw was the final moment of a story billions […]
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The Canon 18×50 IS binoculars are ideal for stargazing and are able to deliver clarity on night sky objects, thanks to their image stabilization. The 50mm objective lenses are the benchmark for stargazing binoculars and are able to deliver bright views of the night sky. They are currently 30% off their retail price. You can […]
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Aug. 12, 2026, offers a rare double-header for skywatchers across northeastern North America: a partial solar eclipse during the afternoon followed, hours later, by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower beneath dark summer skies. The eclipse is part of a total solar eclipse happening in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. “The neat […]
Read MoreThe Perseids may be the summer meteor shower everyone marks on the calendar, but they are not the only reason to look up this season. From mid-July through late August, Earth plows through several other streams of comet and asteroid debris, triggering a series of lesser-known meteor showers across Northern Hemisphere skies. Most will not […]
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