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Tonight’s sky · Mars 39′ from Regulus · Saturn rising 21:14 UTC

The Universe,
catalogued.

A field journal of the night sky — chronicling planets, deep-sky objects, and the small wonders above our backyards. Curated weekly by amateur astronomers and observatory contributors.

Read the Journal Browse Planets
8 Planets profiled
142 Journal entries
38 Contributors
Featured planet
Distance

628 M km

from Earth · May 2026
Moons

95

natural satellites

JUPITER · GAS GIANT

Featured this month

— Catalogue I

Eight worlds, one neighbourhood.

Each entry pairs current ephemeris data with notes from the field — visible features, best viewing conditions, and recommended equipment.

Mercury
Inner Planet 01

Mercury

Distance · 57.9 M km No moons
Venus
Inner Planet 02

Venus

Distance · 108.2 M km Densest atm.
Earth
Inner Planet 03

Earth

Distance · 149.6 M km Cradle of life
Mars
Inner Planet 04

Mars

Distance · 227.9 M km 2 moons · Phobos
Jupiter
Gas Giant 05

Jupiter

Distance · 778.5 M km 95 moons
Saturn
Gas Giant 06

Saturn

Distance · 1.43 B km Iconic ring system
Uranus
Ice Giant 07

Uranus

Distance · 2.87 B km Tilted 98°
Neptune
Ice Giant 08

Neptune

Distance · 4.50 B km Wind 2,100 km/h
Open Full Catalogue
— What to look for

Tonight, look up.

A pocket guide to this evening — what is rising, what is at opposition, and where to point your eyes.

Visible Tonight Meteor Showers Deep Sky Lunar Phase
Mars
Rise · 21:42 UTC

Mars

Rises in the east

Saturn
Rise · 23:14 UTC

Saturn

Best viewed after midnight

Jupiter
Rise · 02:11 UTC

Jupiter

Visible into dawn

Apr 19 – May 28

Eta Aquariids

Up to 50 / hr · pre-dawn

Jul 17 – Aug 24

Perseids

Peak Aug 12 · NE sky

Dec 4 – Dec 17

Geminids

Strongest annual shower

M42 · Orion Nebula

M42 · Orion Nebula

Stellar nursery, naked-eye visible

M31 · Andromeda

M31 · Andromeda

Spiral galaxy, 2.5 M ly away

M45 · Pleiades

M45 · Pleiades

Open cluster, 7 visible stars

New Moon

May 31

First Quarter

Jun 07

Full Moon

Jun 14

Last Quarter

Jun 22

— From the Field

Latest dispatches.

All entries
The light that left Andromeda when we found fire
Uncategorized · 1 min read

The light that left Andromeda when we found fire

The Andromeda Galaxy — M31 — is the most distant object visible to the unaided human eye, at 2.537 million light-years from…

Continue reading →
Lucky imaging: planets from your back garden
Uncategorized · 1 min read

Lucky imaging: planets from your back garden

Astrophotography of planets does not require expensive equipment. A small refractor, a colour camera capable of high frame-rate video, and a free…

Continue reading →
A short guide to the Orion Nebula
Uncategorized · 1 min read

A short guide to the Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula — M42 — is the brightest stellar nursery visible from Earth, and one of the few deep-sky objects you…

Continue reading →
— Index

Browse by subject.

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— Our Mission

A library of the night, written from backyards and balconies.

Cosmic Lens is a slow, careful field journal — written by people who still find Saturn rising over a treetop remarkable. Every entry begins with the question: what is up there tonight, and how can we share it well?

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