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EarthSky
@earthskyscience.bsky.social
Updates on your cosmos and world.
This evening, the 1st quarter #moon will lie near the famous #Pleiades star cluster, also called the 7 Sisters. The Pleiades is in the constellation Taurus the Bull. And #Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, will also be nearby. They’ll be visible past midnight.
buff.ly/rhOpyl4

📸 EarthSky.org.
January 26, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Jarrod Lyman in Damascus, Oregon, took this wonderful photo and wrote: "While driving to work I noticed that there was one of the most pronounced #sundogs I had ever seen. I stopped at a tree farm I know that makes for a perfect #sunrise viewpoint." Thank you, Jarrod!
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January 26, 2026 at 4:30 PM
For the 1st time, researchers have identified a #tigershark mating site off Maui. Their findings reveal a predictable annual gathering, challenging long-held view that these creatures live alone and reproduce mainly through random encounters. 🦈
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📸 Cory Fults/Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa.
January 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Check out this image from the James Webb Space Telescope (#JWST). Most of the specks you see are distant galaxies. At the center are elliptical galaxies whose immense gravity dominates the scene.

Find out more here: buff.ly/1rCMxgs

📸 ESA/ Webb/ NASA/ CSA/ C. Willott/ R. Tripodi.
January 25, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Our friend Sheryl R Garrison in Southern Alberta, Canada, saw these beautiful, natural winter formations last week. Very interesting! Thank you, Sheryl!
January 25, 2026 at 5:03 PM
The #moon’s terminator is the boundary between day and night on the moon, sometimes called the twilight zone because it marks where the sun is rising or setting on the moon. Got binocs? Look for more distinct features along the terminator line. Read more at: buff.ly/XmcjeHu
📸 David Hawkes.
January 25, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Oceans on Mars: older research indicated a long-lost ocean on ancient #Mars. Now a new study bolsters the idea, based on evidence of river deltas in the giant Valles Marineris canyon. Read about the new evidence at: buff.ly/Oi10w2w

📸 Kevin Gill/ Flickr (CC BY 2.0).
January 25, 2026 at 4:03 PM
The orbiting #Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is now in its twice-yearly eclipse season, when its view of the #sun is occasionally blocked by Earth. For more about the Earth eclipses, read the sun news at: buff.ly/DYgkBtm

📸 NASA/ SDO/ JHelioviewer.
January 25, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this image of the #OrionNebula (M42). Thank you, Mario!
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Have a photo of your own to share? Submit it here!
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January 24, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Irwan Kamarulzaman in Port Dickson, Malaysia, caught this one-of-a-kind image of a jet plane, its #contrail and shadow on a cloud layer. Wow! Thank you, Irwan!
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Have a photo of your own to share? Submit it here!
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January 24, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Jeremy Likness captured this image on Tuesday night from Oregon, showcasing an "all-sky" camera imaging #aurora and star trails.
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Have a photo of your own to share? Submit it here!
buff.ly/30wTujX
January 24, 2026 at 4:03 PM
NOAA's most recent #sunspot numbers for #SolarCycle25 saw a drop last November to a monthly value of 91.8, while December showed an increase to 124. August 2024 remains highest at 216. We’re still at Solar Max.

Read the #sun news at: buff.ly/DYgkBtm

📸 NOAA.
January 24, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Christoph Stopka in Wet Mountain Valley, Colorado, shared this stunning image and wrote: "A few rays of the rising #sun found their way through an opening in the clouds and a beam of light perfectly illuminated a beautiful #buck, grazing quietly at the edge of the #forest." Thanks!
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January 24, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Tonight, the lighted part of the waxing crescent #moon will point at #Saturn. Saturn is one of just 2 planets in our night sky right now. For more sky events, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide at: buff.ly/rhOpyl4

Or watch this video.
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January 23, 2026 at 5:33 PM
EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd shares how our view of #Jupiter has transformed over history, from a bright dot in the skies of our ancestors to the stunning planet we can explore today.

Watch this 4-minute video here!
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January 23, 2026 at 5:04 PM
On January 24, 1986, the #Voyager2 spacecraft swept past Uranus, the solar system’s remote 7th planet, coming within 50,640 miles (81,500 km) of its icy blue-green cloud tops. Read more at: buff.ly/nsv3Ux7

📸 NASA/ JPL.
January 23, 2026 at 4:33 PM
#Astronomers watched a giant gas cloud dim its star for nearly 9 months. They analyzed the cloud's light to find out more about a mysterious object within the cloud. Read more here: buff.ly/XV3tXMH

📸 International Gemini Observatory/ NOIRLab/ NSF/ AURA/ P. Marenfeld & M. Zamani.
January 23, 2026 at 4:03 PM
A #winterstorm is coming! Areas from Texas across the Deep South and up into the Mid-Atlantic and New England should be on alert for #snow, ice, and extreme temperatures. Find out how long it will last and how to prepare: buff.ly/VUBIdTi

📸 NOAA.
January 23, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Earlier this week we had #geomagnetic storming and #auroras thanks to an X flare on the sun. Now, Earth's magnetic field is disturbed again, this time due to fast solar wind from a large coronal hole on the #sun.

Read the sun news at: buff.ly/DGUm6TE

📸 NOAA.
January 23, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Danielle Leef captured this impressive view from New York on Tuesday and wrote: "This is an #aurora borealis I was lucky enough to capture at the right time. Beautiful to see these pink pillars of light shining about." Thank you!
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See more images and submit your own:
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January 23, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Have you wondered where the #sun is in our #MilkyWay galaxy? Our sun is approximately halfway from the center of the galaxy's disk to the visible edge. We lie on the edge of a relatively minor spiral arm: the #OrionArm, which is probably 3,500 light-years wide. ☀️🌌🔭
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📹 EarthSky.org.
January 22, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Paul C. Peh in Mokuleia, #Hawaii, shared this wonderful image and wrote: "Hiking around the rim of Makua #valley. Incredible views of the west #coast and Waianae range." Thank you!
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Is there an image you took that you would like to share with us? Submit it here:
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January 22, 2026 at 9:01 PM
See #Jupiter's moons! Yesterday, EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd went live to show you how to see Jupiter's 4 largest #moons with just #binoculars. She also gave an update on where the other bright #planets have gone and when they'll be back in our skies. Find out more here:
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📸 EarthSky.org.
January 22, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Hi stargazers! Tonight, the waxing crescent #moon will pay a visit to the steady golden light of the planet #Saturn. It will be there the next night, too! They’ll set before midnight. 🌒🪐🔭

Watch this video for more information:
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📹 EarthSky.org.
January 22, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Did you hear? There’s a new #comet headed into the inner solar system, named C/2026 A1 (MAPS). It’s the 1st comet found in 2026. It will make an extremely close pass by the #sun on April 4-5, about half the sun’s diameter away from our star. ☄️☀️🔭
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📸 Gerald Rhemann/ Michael Jäger.
January 22, 2026 at 3:30 PM