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Monday, 29 December 2025 | Default Location
Showing the sky from Greenwich, London. Log in to use your own location.
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Tonight at a Glance

Waxing Gibbous 72%
Dark window: 17:19 – 06:40 (13 h 20 m)

Bright moon tonight — best deep-sky viewing after moonset (03:22)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 36° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Io Occultation begins
Io Occultation ends
Saturn mag 1.0 · 17° alt · Aquarius Details
Rings: Barely open (1.0° north face)

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 6.6 · 26° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.18 AU Perihelion: Apr 19 (in 19d)

For Beginners (naked eye)

Hyades
Open Cluster
mag 0.5

At 21:00 look high in the south

Taurus
M42
Great Orion Nebula Nebula
mag 4.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southeast

Orion
M31
Andromeda Galaxy Galaxy
mag 3.4

At 21:00 look high in the west

Andromeda

Binocular Targets

Mira
68 Cet Variable Star
mag 3.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southwest

Cet
M34
Spiral Cluster Open Cluster
mag 5.5

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus
M81
Bode's Galaxy Galaxy
mag 6.9

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Ursa Major

Small Scopes (3–6 inch)

Castor
HIP 36850; Alpha Gem; 66 Gem Double Star
mag 2.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the east

Gem
C10
NGC 663 Open Cluster
mag 7.1

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Cassiopeia
NGC 246
Planetary Nebula
mag 8.0

At 21:00 look low in the southwest

Cet
M101
Pinwheel Galaxy Galaxy
mag 7.9

At 21:00 look low in the north

Ursa Major
32 Eri
Double Star
mag 4.8

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Eri

Big Scopes (8–12 inch)

C8
NGC 559 Open Cluster
mag 9.5

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Cassiopeia
NGC 1514
Planetary Nebula
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look high in the south

Tau
C5
IC 342 Galaxy
mag 9.2

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Camelopardalis
M76
Little Dumbbell Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 10.1

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus
M97
Owl Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 9.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the northeast

Ursa Major

The Week Ahead

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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

M1: The Crab Nebula

This is the mess that is left when a star explodes. The Crab Nebula, the result of a supernova seen in 1054 AD, is filled with mysterious filaments. The filaments are not only tremendously complex but appear to have less mass than expelled in the original supernova and a higher speed than expected from a free explosion. The featured image was taken by an amateur astronomer in Leesburg, Florida, USA over three nights last month. It was captured in three primary colors but with extra detail provided by specific emission by hydrogen gas. The Crab Nebula spans about 10 light years. In the Nebula's very center lies a pulsar: a neutron star as massive as the Sun but with only the size of a small town. The Crab Pulsar rotates about 30 times each second. Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator

Image credit: Alan Chen — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

Sendoff for Artemis II Crew

NASA's Artemis II crew of four astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) completed their sendoff event ahead of the historic crewed lunar mission scheduled for April 2026.

NASA — 30 Mar 2026

NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $180.4 million to deliver seven science payloads to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, supporting Artemis program objectives.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA released the launch countdown timeline for Artemis II, with the mission targeting no earlier than April 1, 2026, to send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science

NASA selected 10 scientists to develop the lunar surface science plan for Artemis astronauts, including deploying instruments and collecting lunar samples at the lunar south pole.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

Plan your session before dark

Use Tonight to find targets, then add them to a Plan so you have a checklist ready when you're outside.

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