Most people have never seen the Little Dipper, because most of its stars are too dim to be seen through light-polluted skies.

Polaris, also known as the 'Pole Star' or 'North Star', is arguably the most famous stellar body to hang in the western hemisphere's night sky. For centuries it has served as a vital waypoint for ...

On May 1, Venus’ disk spans 36″ and appears 29 percent lit. At month’s end, the planet measures 24″ across and the Sun illuminates 49 percent of its Earth-facing hemisphere.

So, in this month’s column I’ll focus on a feature of our skies that is undoubtedly best when viewed from the southern hemisphere, and particularly at this time of year: the Milky Way.

The Southern Hemisphere skies have two “ new stars ” visible to the naked eye. Though they appear as points of light like any other star, each one was caused by a stellar explosion called a nova.

The Aquarids should be visible around the globe, anywhere in the sky, assuming clouds and a bright moon do not obscure the view. However, the meteors are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

The Aquarids should be visible around the globe, anywhere in the sky, assuming clouds and a bright moon do not obscure the view. However, the meteors are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere.

This solstice falls between June 20 and 22. Meanwhile, at the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the sun — leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year.

On April 1, Venus shows a disk 57″ in diameter that’s just 4 percent lit. As the month closes, the planet spans 37″ and the Sun illuminates 28 percent of its Earth-facing hemisphere.