The northernmost sunset is on the June solstice, today!

The path of the sun across our sky – from about noon to sunset – on 3 different days of the year, an equinox and the summer and winter solstices. The June solstice is the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice. Notice the northernmost sunset on this day. Marcella Giulia Pace made these observations from Gatto Corvino village, Sicily, Italy. Used with permission.

The 2026 June solstice falls at 8:25 UTC on June 21. That’s 3:25 a.m. CDT.

Northern Hemisphere summer

The June solstice marks the year’s northernmost sunset and sunrise. It brings the year’s longest period of daylight to the Northern Hemisphere (and shortest period of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere). North of the Arctic Circle, the sun neither rises nor sets but stays above the horizon continuously around the clock.

In the Northern Hemisphere, noontime shadows are shortest at this solstice. It’s the year’s highest sun, as seen from the Tropic of Cancer and all places north.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice signals the beginning of summer. For the Southern Hemisphere, winter starts at this solstice.

The solstice is a whole-Earth event. It happens at the same instant for all of us – the instant the sun reaches its northernmost point in our sky. But our clocks say different times.

Day and night sides of Earth at the instant of the June 2026 solstice (June 21 at 8:25 UTC). Map via Fourmilab. Used with permission.

Southern Hemisphere winter

Earth’s orbit around the sun – and tilt on its axis – have brought us to a place in space where our world’s Northern Hemisphere has its time of greatest daylight: its longest day and shortest night. Meanwhile, the June solstice and northernmost sun brings the shortest day and longest night south of the equator.

This solstice marks the beginning of Southern Hemisphere winter.

It marks the lowest sun and longest noontime shadow for those on the southern part of Earth’s globe.

South of the Antarctic Circle, the sun neither rises nor sets but stays beneath the horizon for 24 hours.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sunrises between a June and December solstice. If you are standing facing east, the sun – from day to day, and week to week – moves progressively to the right (south) between these 2 solstices. Rupesh Sangoi captured separate images of the sunrise showing the sun’s movement along the horizon between a June and December solstice. Rupesh wrote: “Did this for over a year, at sunrise.” Glorious composite, Rupesh! Thank you.

Northernmost sunset, but not latest sunset

The sun sets farthest north on the day of the solstice, bringing the longest day for the Northern Hemisphere. But this summer solstice doesn’t bring the latest sunset. And it doesn’t bring the earliest sunrise. The exact dates vary with latitude, but the sequence is always the same: earliest sunrise before the summer solstice, longest day on the summer solstice, latest sunset after the summer solstice.

For the Southern Hemisphere, where it’s winter now, the latest sunrise – and earliest sunrise – don’t come on the day of the solstice either. Again, the exact dates vary with latitude. But the sequence is always the same: earliest sunset before the winter solstice, shortest day on the winter solstice, latest sunrise after the winter solstice.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Wael Omar shared this stunning composite image illustrating the change in the sunset’s position during 12 months in Cairo, Egypt. Thank you, Omar!

Each solstice marks a turning of the year

Even as this northern summer begins with the solstice, throughout the world the solstice also represents a “turning” of the year.

In fact, to many cultures, the solstice can mean a limit or a culmination of something. From around the world, the sun is now setting and rising as far north as it ever does. The solstice marks when the sun reaches its northernmost point for the year.

Then after the June solstice, the sun will begin its subtle shift southward on the sky’s dome again. Thus even in summer’s beginning, we find the seeds of summer’s end.

Read more: All you need to know about the June 2026 solstice

View larger. | Nikolaos Pantazis wrote: “Every year, on the days around summer solstice, the setting sun aligns with that rock near the village of Platanos, Peloponnese, Greece.” Thank you, Nikolaos!

Bottom line: The northernmost sunset (and sunrise) happen at the June solstice. Here’s some quick info that’ll help you connect with nature on this special day.

Help support EarthSky! Check out the EarthSky store for fun astronomy gifts and tools for all ages!

The post The northernmost sunset is on the June solstice, today! first appeared on EarthSky.

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The path of the sun across our sky – from about noon to sunset – on 3 different days of the year, an equinox and the summer and winter solstices. The June solstice is the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice. Notice the northernmost sunset on this day. Marcella Giulia Pace made these observations from Gatto Corvino village, Sicily, Italy. Used with permission.

The 2026 June solstice falls at 8:25 UTC on June 21. That’s 3:25 a.m. CDT.

Northern Hemisphere summer

The June solstice marks the year’s northernmost sunset and sunrise. It brings the year’s longest period of daylight to the Northern Hemisphere (and shortest period of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere). North of the Arctic Circle, the sun neither rises nor sets but stays above the horizon continuously around the clock.

In the Northern Hemisphere, noontime shadows are shortest at this solstice. It’s the year’s highest sun, as seen from the Tropic of Cancer and all places north.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice signals the beginning of summer. For the Southern Hemisphere, winter starts at this solstice.

The solstice is a whole-Earth event. It happens at the same instant for all of us – the instant the sun reaches its northernmost point in our sky. But our clocks say different times.

Day and night sides of Earth at the instant of the June 2026 solstice (June 21 at 8:25 UTC). Map via Fourmilab. Used with permission.

Southern Hemisphere winter

Earth’s orbit around the sun – and tilt on its axis – have brought us to a place in space where our world’s Northern Hemisphere has its time of greatest daylight: its longest day and shortest night. Meanwhile, the June solstice and northernmost sun brings the shortest day and longest night south of the equator.

This solstice marks the beginning of Southern Hemisphere winter.

It marks the lowest sun and longest noontime shadow for those on the southern part of Earth’s globe.

South of the Antarctic Circle, the sun neither rises nor sets but stays beneath the horizon for 24 hours.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sunrises between a June and December solstice. If you are standing facing east, the sun – from day to day, and week to week – moves progressively to the right (south) between these 2 solstices. Rupesh Sangoi captured separate images of the sunrise showing the sun’s movement along the horizon between a June and December solstice. Rupesh wrote: “Did this for over a year, at sunrise.” Glorious composite, Rupesh! Thank you.

Northernmost sunset, but not latest sunset

The sun sets farthest north on the day of the solstice, bringing the longest day for the Northern Hemisphere. But this summer solstice doesn’t bring the latest sunset. And it doesn’t bring the earliest sunrise. The exact dates vary with latitude, but the sequence is always the same: earliest sunrise before the summer solstice, longest day on the summer solstice, latest sunset after the summer solstice.

For the Southern Hemisphere, where it’s winter now, the latest sunrise – and earliest sunrise – don’t come on the day of the solstice either. Again, the exact dates vary with latitude. But the sequence is always the same: earliest sunset before the winter solstice, shortest day on the winter solstice, latest sunrise after the winter solstice.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Wael Omar shared this stunning composite image illustrating the change in the sunset’s position during 12 months in Cairo, Egypt. Thank you, Omar!

Each solstice marks a turning of the year

Even as this northern summer begins with the solstice, throughout the world the solstice also represents a “turning” of the year.

In fact, to many cultures, the solstice can mean a limit or a culmination of something. From around the world, the sun is now setting and rising as far north as it ever does. The solstice marks when the sun reaches its northernmost point for the year.

Then after the June solstice, the sun will begin its subtle shift southward on the sky’s dome again. Thus even in summer’s beginning, we find the seeds of summer’s end.

Read more: All you need to know about the June 2026 solstice

View larger. | Nikolaos Pantazis wrote: “Every year, on the days around summer solstice, the setting sun aligns with that rock near the village of Platanos, Peloponnese, Greece.” Thank you, Nikolaos!

Bottom line: The northernmost sunset (and sunrise) happen at the June solstice. Here’s some quick info that’ll help you connect with nature on this special day.

Help support EarthSky! Check out the EarthSky store for fun astronomy gifts and tools for all ages!

The post The northernmost sunset is on the June solstice, today! first appeared on EarthSky.

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34 dust devils on Mars in 1 shot! Can you spot them all?

View larger/ full image. | This cropped view shows a few of the 34 dust devils captured in a single image of the Martian surface. The Mars Express orbiter captured the full view on December 7, 2024, and ESA shared it on June 17, 2026. To see all 34 dust devils, click through to this zoomable image from ESA. How many can you spot? Image via ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

34 dust devils on Mars in 1 shot!

Mars is famous for its tornado-like whirlwinds, made of the dusty debris coating its surface. These are dust devils. They form the same way on Mars as they do on Earth: as the sun warms the ground, the ground then heats the thin layer of air above. Then that air rises quickly through the cooler, dense air above, spiraling around a small area of low pressure.

On June 17, 2026, ESA shared an image from its Mars Express orbiter of 34 dust devils it captured on the red planet’s surface back on December 7, 2024. Can you spot all the dust devils in the image above?

Look closely. This region of Mars is in a valley system known as Mamers Valles. It holds ridges and plateau-like areas along with many small craters. Although the dust devils may look tiny – as a small light-colored dot with a shadow – in reality, dust devils on Mars can grow even larger than those on Earth. Martian dust devils can tower up to 5 miles (8 km) high and span hundreds of yards wide.

The location of the dust devils is in the image at the bottom of this post.

Then check out the original here. The largest version shows a whopping 34 dust devils!

View larger. | There are 34 dust devils on Mars in this 1 image. How many can you spot? A key is below. The Mars Express orbiter captured this view of Mars on December 7, 2024, and ESA shared it on June 17, 2026. Image via ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

More on Mamers Valles

Mamers Valles lies in Mars’ northern hemisphere. It consists of of valleys and canyons, some of which stretch for more than 600 miles (1,000 km). The higher areas are mesas, cliffs and some debris-covered glaciers. The glaciers lie at the base of the steep slopes. The terrain shows evidence that it was carved by flowing materials, such as water, ice and lava, sometime in its past.

Mamers Valles is a large valley in Mars’ northern hemisphere. This false-color view shows the location of the dust-devil-filled image above, which ESA released on June 17, 2026. Image via NASA/USGS; ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Answer key for the dust devils

The white circles mark the locations of the 34 dust devils on Mars that the Mars Express orbiter spotted. Image via ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Bottom line: The Mars Express orbiter caught this view of the red planet, which is peppered with whirlwinds. Can you spot 34 dust devils in this one shot of Mars?

Via ESA

The post 34 dust devils on Mars in 1 shot! Can you spot them all? first appeared on EarthSky.

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View larger/ full image. | This cropped view shows a few of the 34 dust devils captured in a single image of the Martian surface. The Mars Express orbiter captured the full view on December 7, 2024, and ESA shared it on June 17, 2026. To see all 34 dust devils, click through to this zoomable image from ESA. How many can you spot? Image via ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

34 dust devils on Mars in 1 shot!

Mars is famous for its tornado-like whirlwinds, made of the dusty debris coating its surface. These are dust devils. They form the same way on Mars as they do on Earth: as the sun warms the ground, the ground then heats the thin layer of air above. Then that air rises quickly through the cooler, dense air above, spiraling around a small area of low pressure.

On June 17, 2026, ESA shared an image from its Mars Express orbiter of 34 dust devils it captured on the red planet’s surface back on December 7, 2024. Can you spot all the dust devils in the image above?

Look closely. This region of Mars is in a valley system known as Mamers Valles. It holds ridges and plateau-like areas along with many small craters. Although the dust devils may look tiny – as a small light-colored dot with a shadow – in reality, dust devils on Mars can grow even larger than those on Earth. Martian dust devils can tower up to 5 miles (8 km) high and span hundreds of yards wide.

The location of the dust devils is in the image at the bottom of this post.

Then check out the original here. The largest version shows a whopping 34 dust devils!

View larger. | There are 34 dust devils on Mars in this 1 image. How many can you spot? A key is below. The Mars Express orbiter captured this view of Mars on December 7, 2024, and ESA shared it on June 17, 2026. Image via ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

More on Mamers Valles

Mamers Valles lies in Mars’ northern hemisphere. It consists of of valleys and canyons, some of which stretch for more than 600 miles (1,000 km). The higher areas are mesas, cliffs and some debris-covered glaciers. The glaciers lie at the base of the steep slopes. The terrain shows evidence that it was carved by flowing materials, such as water, ice and lava, sometime in its past.

Mamers Valles is a large valley in Mars’ northern hemisphere. This false-color view shows the location of the dust-devil-filled image above, which ESA released on June 17, 2026. Image via NASA/USGS; ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Answer key for the dust devils

The white circles mark the locations of the 34 dust devils on Mars that the Mars Express orbiter spotted. Image via ESA/DLR/FU Berlin.

Bottom line: The Mars Express orbiter caught this view of the red planet, which is peppered with whirlwinds. Can you spot 34 dust devils in this one shot of Mars?

Via ESA

The post 34 dust devils on Mars in 1 shot! Can you spot them all? first appeared on EarthSky.

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For all of Earth, longest sunsets around the solstice

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christy Mandeville in Indian Shores, Florida, captured this dramatic sunset on a June evening in 2022. Christy wrote: “The little boy in the photo kept running around me as I was trying to capture the perfect sunset photo. After I went through the hundreds of photos I captured, I had no idea that he was in any of them! This one stood out.” Thank you, Christy! Read below why the longest sunsets happen around the solstices.

In 2026, the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice – and Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice – falls on June 21, 2026, at 8:25 UTC (that is 3:25 a.m. in central North America; translate UTC to your time). Read more about the June solstice.

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Longest sunsets in June and December

Here’s a natural phenomenon you might not have imagined: the longest sunsets happen around the time of the solstices. That is, it takes more seconds for the body of the sun to sink below your western horizon around the solstices, and fewer seconds around the equinoxes. It’s true whether you live in Earth’s Northern or Southern Hemisphere.

As viewed from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the sun rises and sets farthest north at the June solstice and farthest south at the December solstice.

Now consider that the farther the sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting sun. That means a longer duration for sunset at the solstices.

Meanwhile, at an equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west. That means on the day of an equinox, the setting sun hits the horizon at its steepest possible angle.

Longest sunsets are how long?

The sunset duration varies by latitude. But let’s just consider one latitude: 40 degrees north, which is the latitude of Denver or Philadelphia in the United States, Sardinia in the Mediterranean, or Beijing in China.

At that latitude, on the day of a solstice, the sun sets in about 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

That’s half a minute longer than the sunset at the same latitude on the day of an equinox. The equinox sun at 40 degrees north latitude sets in roughly 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

At more northerly temperate latitudes, the sunset duration is greater; and at latitudes closer to the equator, the sunset duration is less. Near the Arctic Circle (65 degrees north latitude), the duration of a solstice sunset lasts about 15 minutes. At the equator (0 degrees latitude), the solstice sun takes a little over 2 minutes and 15 seconds to set.

Regardless of latitude, however, the duration of sunset is always longest at or near the solstices.

The sunsets are longer in December than June

As it turns out, the sunset and sunrise are a tad longer on the December solstice than they are on the June solstice.

That’s because the sun is closer to Earth in December than it is in June. Therefore, the sun’s disk looms a bit larger in our sky in December, and so it takes slightly longer to set.

Additionally, the closer December sun moves eastward upon the ecliptic at a faster clip, helping to slow down the December solstice sunset (and sunrise) even more. For instance, at 50 degrees north latitude, the winter solstice sunset (sunrise) lasts about 4 minutes and 18 seconds, or about 8 seconds longer than the sunset (sunrise) on the summer solstice.

And now you know!

Equinoxes and solstices, via Geosync. The Earth’s axis points straight up and down, with north at the top. The solstices are on the left (December solstice at top, June solstice at bottom) and the equinoxes are to the right (March equinox at top, September equinox at bottom). Image via NASA.

Some sunsets from EarthSky Community Photos

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy captured this sunset on May 11, 2026, from Oregon and wrote: “The sun is sinking into the ocean horizon and if you look close there’s a thin line of neon green on its top rim (precursor to the green flash though the flash didn’t happen). A brown pelican on the right is flying south. Typically they are seen flying north this time of year but sometimes they are seen flying south for a brief stop at their favorite designated spots then proceed to fly north.” Thank you, Cecille!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, captured this solstice sunset on June 20, 2025. Jelieta wrote: “On the summer solstice, my husband and I ventured to Kitt Peak National Observatory, 6,000 feet above sea level, to witness the sun’s majesty. After scouting the perfect location, I was thrilled to capture the sun’s splendor with a unique twist — the elusive green flash!” Thank you, Jelieta!

Bottom line: Here’s a natural phenomenon you might never have imagined: the longest sunsets happen around the time of a solstice.

Help support EarthSky! Visit the EarthSky store for to see the great selection of educational tools and team gear we have to offer.

The post For all of Earth, longest sunsets around the solstice first appeared on EarthSky.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christy Mandeville in Indian Shores, Florida, captured this dramatic sunset on a June evening in 2022. Christy wrote: “The little boy in the photo kept running around me as I was trying to capture the perfect sunset photo. After I went through the hundreds of photos I captured, I had no idea that he was in any of them! This one stood out.” Thank you, Christy! Read below why the longest sunsets happen around the solstices.

In 2026, the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice – and Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice – falls on June 21, 2026, at 8:25 UTC (that is 3:25 a.m. in central North America; translate UTC to your time). Read more about the June solstice.

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Longest sunsets in June and December

Here’s a natural phenomenon you might not have imagined: the longest sunsets happen around the time of the solstices. That is, it takes more seconds for the body of the sun to sink below your western horizon around the solstices, and fewer seconds around the equinoxes. It’s true whether you live in Earth’s Northern or Southern Hemisphere.

As viewed from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the sun rises and sets farthest north at the June solstice and farthest south at the December solstice.

Now consider that the farther the sun sets from due west along the horizon, the shallower the angle of the setting sun. That means a longer duration for sunset at the solstices.

Meanwhile, at an equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west. That means on the day of an equinox, the setting sun hits the horizon at its steepest possible angle.

Longest sunsets are how long?

The sunset duration varies by latitude. But let’s just consider one latitude: 40 degrees north, which is the latitude of Denver or Philadelphia in the United States, Sardinia in the Mediterranean, or Beijing in China.

At that latitude, on the day of a solstice, the sun sets in about 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

That’s half a minute longer than the sunset at the same latitude on the day of an equinox. The equinox sun at 40 degrees north latitude sets in roughly 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

At more northerly temperate latitudes, the sunset duration is greater; and at latitudes closer to the equator, the sunset duration is less. Near the Arctic Circle (65 degrees north latitude), the duration of a solstice sunset lasts about 15 minutes. At the equator (0 degrees latitude), the solstice sun takes a little over 2 minutes and 15 seconds to set.

Regardless of latitude, however, the duration of sunset is always longest at or near the solstices.

The sunsets are longer in December than June

As it turns out, the sunset and sunrise are a tad longer on the December solstice than they are on the June solstice.

That’s because the sun is closer to Earth in December than it is in June. Therefore, the sun’s disk looms a bit larger in our sky in December, and so it takes slightly longer to set.

Additionally, the closer December sun moves eastward upon the ecliptic at a faster clip, helping to slow down the December solstice sunset (and sunrise) even more. For instance, at 50 degrees north latitude, the winter solstice sunset (sunrise) lasts about 4 minutes and 18 seconds, or about 8 seconds longer than the sunset (sunrise) on the summer solstice.

And now you know!

Equinoxes and solstices, via Geosync. The Earth’s axis points straight up and down, with north at the top. The solstices are on the left (December solstice at top, June solstice at bottom) and the equinoxes are to the right (March equinox at top, September equinox at bottom). Image via NASA.

Some sunsets from EarthSky Community Photos

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Cecille Kennedy captured this sunset on May 11, 2026, from Oregon and wrote: “The sun is sinking into the ocean horizon and if you look close there’s a thin line of neon green on its top rim (precursor to the green flash though the flash didn’t happen). A brown pelican on the right is flying south. Typically they are seen flying north this time of year but sometimes they are seen flying south for a brief stop at their favorite designated spots then proceed to fly north.” Thank you, Cecille!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, captured this solstice sunset on June 20, 2025. Jelieta wrote: “On the summer solstice, my husband and I ventured to Kitt Peak National Observatory, 6,000 feet above sea level, to witness the sun’s majesty. After scouting the perfect location, I was thrilled to capture the sun’s splendor with a unique twist — the elusive green flash!” Thank you, Jelieta!

Bottom line: Here’s a natural phenomenon you might never have imagined: the longest sunsets happen around the time of a solstice.

Help support EarthSky! Visit the EarthSky store for to see the great selection of educational tools and team gear we have to offer.

The post For all of Earth, longest sunsets around the solstice first appeared on EarthSky.

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Does the North Star ever move in the sky?

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The bright star in the center of this montage of time-exposure photos is Polaris, the North Star. Perhaps you’ve heard it stays still in the northern sky, while the other stars circle around it? That’s true to the unaided eye, but not to a timelapse camera. Marcella Giulia Pace in Modica, Sicily, Italy, made this comparison of star trails in late 2022 and throughout 2023. As you can see, Polaris does move in a tiny circle around celestial north. Beautiful work, Marcella! Thank you.

The North Star, aka Polaris

The North Star, also known as Polaris, appears to stay fixed in our northern sky. It marks the location of the sky’s north pole – the north celestial pole – which is the point around which the whole starry northern sky turns as the Earth rotates. That’s why you can always use Polaris to find the direction north.

But even though the North Star doesn’t appear to move, a timelapse video reveals that it actually does. It makes its own little circle around the sky’s north pole every day. That’s because the North Star is offset a little – about 0.65 degrees – from celestial north. So Polaris makes a circle that’s 1.3 degrees in diameter each day.

Why do stars move, anyway?

Why does Polaris – and all the other stars in the sky – move at all? The answer is Earth’s spin. Because Earth rotates counter-clockwise when looking from above the North Pole, the sun in the daytime – and most stars at night – appear to rise in the east and set in the west.

Depending on your latitude, certain stars will be close enough to your nearest pole that they never rise or set. Never dipping below the horizon, they instead circle above you constantly. These are called circumpolar stars.

And the North Star is a special example of a circumpolar star. Because it lies almost exactly above Earth’s northern axis, it’s like the hub of a wheel. It doesn’t rise or set, and barely moves in a circle. Instead, it appears – to the eye – to stay put in the northern sky.

How high in your sky?

The North Star not only points toward the north, but its height in the northern sky also matches your latitude on earth. If you are sailing the Caribbean at 16° north latitude, the North Star will be about 16° high in your sky. If you are sailing around Nova Scotia, at 44° north latitude, then the North Star will be about 44° high in your northern sky. Each degree north or south equals 69 miles (111 km), so traveling 690 miles north or south will change your latitude, and the North Star’s elevation, by 10 degrees.

Read more: Polaris is the North Star

The 26,000-year precession cycle causes the north celestial pole to move counter-clockwise relative to the background stars. Whichever star is closest to the north celestial pole is called the North Star. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Taking turns as the North Star

A motion of Earth called precession causes our axis to trace out an imaginary circle on the celestial sphere every 26,000 years. And that means the star closest to the north celestial pole isn’t fixed.

Thousands of years ago, when the pyramids were rising from the sands of ancient Egypt, the North Star was an inconspicuous star called Thuban in the constellation Draco the Dragon.

Twelve thousand years from now, the blue-white star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp will be a much brighter North Star than our current Polaris.

Polaris could be a name for any North Star. Our current Polaris used to be called Phoenice. It is the 49th brightest star in the sky. It is not known for its brightness, but for its unique position in the sky.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeff Grubbs in Elgin, Arizona, captured these star trails on May 22, 2025. Thanks, Jeff! You can see all the stars circling around the star Polaris.

Proper motion

By the way, Polaris – like all stars – has more than one kind of motion. There’s the movement we see on our sky, caused by the Earth’s rotation. And then there’s each star’s actual motion through space.

The stars we see in our night sky are all members of our Milky Way galaxy. All of these stars are moving through space, but they’re so far away we can’t easily see them move. That’s why the stars appear fixed relative to each other. And it’s why, for the most part, we see the same constellations as our ancestors.

But over time, this movement – called proper motion – rearranges the patterns of stars we see in our sky. For Polaris, that movement is small, about 46 arcseconds in 1,000 years. That is about 1/40th of the diameter of the full moon as seen from Earth. So when you’re talking about stars moving or staying fixed, remember … they are all moving through the vastness of space. It’s just the relatively short time of a human lifespan that prevents us from seeing this grand motion.

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Bottom line: The North Star is a symbol for constancy. But a video or star trails image reveals that it makes its own little circle around the sky’s north pole every day.

Polaris is the present-day North Star of Earth

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star

The post Does the North Star ever move in the sky? first appeared on EarthSky.

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View at EarthSky Community Photos. | The bright star in the center of this montage of time-exposure photos is Polaris, the North Star. Perhaps you’ve heard it stays still in the northern sky, while the other stars circle around it? That’s true to the unaided eye, but not to a timelapse camera. Marcella Giulia Pace in Modica, Sicily, Italy, made this comparison of star trails in late 2022 and throughout 2023. As you can see, Polaris does move in a tiny circle around celestial north. Beautiful work, Marcella! Thank you.

The North Star, aka Polaris

The North Star, also known as Polaris, appears to stay fixed in our northern sky. It marks the location of the sky’s north pole – the north celestial pole – which is the point around which the whole starry northern sky turns as the Earth rotates. That’s why you can always use Polaris to find the direction north.

But even though the North Star doesn’t appear to move, a timelapse video reveals that it actually does. It makes its own little circle around the sky’s north pole every day. That’s because the North Star is offset a little – about 0.65 degrees – from celestial north. So Polaris makes a circle that’s 1.3 degrees in diameter each day.

Why do stars move, anyway?

Why does Polaris – and all the other stars in the sky – move at all? The answer is Earth’s spin. Because Earth rotates counter-clockwise when looking from above the North Pole, the sun in the daytime – and most stars at night – appear to rise in the east and set in the west.

Depending on your latitude, certain stars will be close enough to your nearest pole that they never rise or set. Never dipping below the horizon, they instead circle above you constantly. These are called circumpolar stars.

And the North Star is a special example of a circumpolar star. Because it lies almost exactly above Earth’s northern axis, it’s like the hub of a wheel. It doesn’t rise or set, and barely moves in a circle. Instead, it appears – to the eye – to stay put in the northern sky.

How high in your sky?

The North Star not only points toward the north, but its height in the northern sky also matches your latitude on earth. If you are sailing the Caribbean at 16° north latitude, the North Star will be about 16° high in your sky. If you are sailing around Nova Scotia, at 44° north latitude, then the North Star will be about 44° high in your northern sky. Each degree north or south equals 69 miles (111 km), so traveling 690 miles north or south will change your latitude, and the North Star’s elevation, by 10 degrees.

Read more: Polaris is the North Star

The 26,000-year precession cycle causes the north celestial pole to move counter-clockwise relative to the background stars. Whichever star is closest to the north celestial pole is called the North Star. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Taking turns as the North Star

A motion of Earth called precession causes our axis to trace out an imaginary circle on the celestial sphere every 26,000 years. And that means the star closest to the north celestial pole isn’t fixed.

Thousands of years ago, when the pyramids were rising from the sands of ancient Egypt, the North Star was an inconspicuous star called Thuban in the constellation Draco the Dragon.

Twelve thousand years from now, the blue-white star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp will be a much brighter North Star than our current Polaris.

Polaris could be a name for any North Star. Our current Polaris used to be called Phoenice. It is the 49th brightest star in the sky. It is not known for its brightness, but for its unique position in the sky.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeff Grubbs in Elgin, Arizona, captured these star trails on May 22, 2025. Thanks, Jeff! You can see all the stars circling around the star Polaris.

Proper motion

By the way, Polaris – like all stars – has more than one kind of motion. There’s the movement we see on our sky, caused by the Earth’s rotation. And then there’s each star’s actual motion through space.

The stars we see in our night sky are all members of our Milky Way galaxy. All of these stars are moving through space, but they’re so far away we can’t easily see them move. That’s why the stars appear fixed relative to each other. And it’s why, for the most part, we see the same constellations as our ancestors.

But over time, this movement – called proper motion – rearranges the patterns of stars we see in our sky. For Polaris, that movement is small, about 46 arcseconds in 1,000 years. That is about 1/40th of the diameter of the full moon as seen from Earth. So when you’re talking about stars moving or staying fixed, remember … they are all moving through the vastness of space. It’s just the relatively short time of a human lifespan that prevents us from seeing this grand motion.

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Bottom line: The North Star is a symbol for constancy. But a video or star trails image reveals that it makes its own little circle around the sky’s north pole every day.

Polaris is the present-day North Star of Earth

Use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star

The post Does the North Star ever move in the sky? first appeared on EarthSky.

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No crisis? Universe’s expansion is accelerating, study says

This is RCW 86, the remnant of a Type 1a supernova 8,000 light-years away. Studying Type 1a supernovae led to the discovery that the universe’s expansion is accelerating. An astonishing 2025 study called this discovery into question. But now, new research claims to have found flaws in the 2025 paper. Image via NASA/ CXC/ SAO/ ESA (X-ray)/ JPL-Caltech/ B. Williams (infrared).

The Royal Astronomical Society originally published this article on June 11, 2026. Edits by EarthSky.

No crisis? Universe’s expansion is accelerating after all, study says

Our universe’s expansion is still accelerating despite recent claims suggesting otherwise, an international team of astrophysicists say.

They have refuted a study published last year claiming the growth of the universe is slowing. Instead, the researchers insist there is no flaw in the widely-accepted theory that a mysterious force known as dark energy is driving the expanding cosmos.

The researchers include two Nobel laureates and represent institutions worldwide. They say the debate that followed last November’s revelations was the result of a scientific misunderstanding, rather than a cosmic grenade threatening to blow apart everything we know about the universe.

They published their rebuttal on June 10, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Rebutting an extraordinary paper

The new research is a direct rebuttal of a study by a team of South Korean researchers published in November 2025. Their paper made the claim that the universe’s expansion might in fact be slowing down. This would be due to the influence of dark energy – which acts as a kind of anti-gravity – weakening over time.

Lead author Phil Wiseman, from the University of Southampton, said:

The previous and well accepted measurements were, in fact, fine and our current understanding of the fate of the universe remains robust.

Thankfully we have averted this crisis. But the mystery about why the rate of expansion of the universe is still accelerating remains.

By proving our measurements are correct, we can get back to trying to understand what this dark energy actually is, rather than wondering if it exists at all.

What were the flaws?

The international team of researchers involved in the new study included Adam Riess and Brian Schmidt, who collectively won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Saul Perlmutter.

The trio studied Type Ia supernovae, violent, luminous white dwarf star explosions and determined that more distant objects appeared to move faster. This lead to their conclusion that the universe’s expansion was accelerating.

This has been the globally-accepted theory ever since, although last year’s research by the South Korean team threatened to upset the applecart. It claimed that, as the universe aged, these supernovae had different maximum brightnesses. This tricked astronomers into thinking the cosmos was accelerating when it was in fact slowing.

But the University of Southampton-led researchers found an error in how the age of these stars was estimated. They say the previous findings incorrectly assumed the age of a galaxy was the same as the age of the star that exploded.

The experts also said the South Korean paper failed to account for the mass of host galaxies. That is a standard correction used in modern cosmology to prove accuracy.

Riess added:

Extraordinary claims require especially careful testing.

What we find is that when we calibrate these supernovae, accounting for different host environments and populations, the evidence for cosmic acceleration remains remarkably consistent.

Science is never settled

Mark Sullivan, also from the University of Southampton, said challenging accepted theories and observations was fundamental to science.

This is how progress is made. Although this idea did not turn out to be correct, it has opened up new ways of thinking about how supernovae explode and how we can measure dark energy more accurately.

Fellow co-author Brodie Popovic agreed:

We’ve recently been really focused on astrophysics of the explosions and how they impact cosmology.

This was a good opportunity to go back and go over all of our assumptions; it turns out, yes, we do understand this stuff and we’re accounting for it in our cosmology measurement.

Bottom line: Rebutting a surprising paper from 2025, a new study has found that the universe’s expansion is accelerating after all.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

The post No crisis? Universe’s expansion is accelerating, study says first appeared on EarthSky.

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This is RCW 86, the remnant of a Type 1a supernova 8,000 light-years away. Studying Type 1a supernovae led to the discovery that the universe’s expansion is accelerating. An astonishing 2025 study called this discovery into question. But now, new research claims to have found flaws in the 2025 paper. Image via NASA/ CXC/ SAO/ ESA (X-ray)/ JPL-Caltech/ B. Williams (infrared).

The Royal Astronomical Society originally published this article on June 11, 2026. Edits by EarthSky.

No crisis? Universe’s expansion is accelerating after all, study says

Our universe’s expansion is still accelerating despite recent claims suggesting otherwise, an international team of astrophysicists say.

They have refuted a study published last year claiming the growth of the universe is slowing. Instead, the researchers insist there is no flaw in the widely-accepted theory that a mysterious force known as dark energy is driving the expanding cosmos.

The researchers include two Nobel laureates and represent institutions worldwide. They say the debate that followed last November’s revelations was the result of a scientific misunderstanding, rather than a cosmic grenade threatening to blow apart everything we know about the universe.

They published their rebuttal on June 10, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Rebutting an extraordinary paper

The new research is a direct rebuttal of a study by a team of South Korean researchers published in November 2025. Their paper made the claim that the universe’s expansion might in fact be slowing down. This would be due to the influence of dark energy – which acts as a kind of anti-gravity – weakening over time.

Lead author Phil Wiseman, from the University of Southampton, said:

The previous and well accepted measurements were, in fact, fine and our current understanding of the fate of the universe remains robust.

Thankfully we have averted this crisis. But the mystery about why the rate of expansion of the universe is still accelerating remains.

By proving our measurements are correct, we can get back to trying to understand what this dark energy actually is, rather than wondering if it exists at all.

What were the flaws?

The international team of researchers involved in the new study included Adam Riess and Brian Schmidt, who collectively won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Saul Perlmutter.

The trio studied Type Ia supernovae, violent, luminous white dwarf star explosions and determined that more distant objects appeared to move faster. This lead to their conclusion that the universe’s expansion was accelerating.

This has been the globally-accepted theory ever since, although last year’s research by the South Korean team threatened to upset the applecart. It claimed that, as the universe aged, these supernovae had different maximum brightnesses. This tricked astronomers into thinking the cosmos was accelerating when it was in fact slowing.

But the University of Southampton-led researchers found an error in how the age of these stars was estimated. They say the previous findings incorrectly assumed the age of a galaxy was the same as the age of the star that exploded.

The experts also said the South Korean paper failed to account for the mass of host galaxies. That is a standard correction used in modern cosmology to prove accuracy.

Riess added:

Extraordinary claims require especially careful testing.

What we find is that when we calibrate these supernovae, accounting for different host environments and populations, the evidence for cosmic acceleration remains remarkably consistent.

Science is never settled

Mark Sullivan, also from the University of Southampton, said challenging accepted theories and observations was fundamental to science.

This is how progress is made. Although this idea did not turn out to be correct, it has opened up new ways of thinking about how supernovae explode and how we can measure dark energy more accurately.

Fellow co-author Brodie Popovic agreed:

We’ve recently been really focused on astrophysics of the explosions and how they impact cosmology.

This was a good opportunity to go back and go over all of our assumptions; it turns out, yes, we do understand this stuff and we’re accounting for it in our cosmology measurement.

Bottom line: Rebutting a surprising paper from 2025, a new study has found that the universe’s expansion is accelerating after all.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

The post No crisis? Universe’s expansion is accelerating, study says first appeared on EarthSky.

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Rastaban and Eltanin, the Dragon’s Eyes, on June evenings

Rastaban and Eltanin, found in the head of Draco the Dragon, represent the Dragon’s Eyes.

Find the Dragon’s Eyes

Tonight, find the Dragon’s Eyes. For years, I’ve glanced up to the north on June evenings and spied the two stars marked on today’s chart, Rastaban and Eltanin in the constellation Draco. They’re noticeable because they’re relatively bright and near each other. There’s always that split second when I ask myself with some excitement what two stars are those? It’s then that my eyes drift to blue-white Vega nearby … and I know, by Vega’s nearness, that they are the stars Rastaban and Eltanin.

These two stars represent the fiery eyes of the constellation Draco the Dragon. Moreover, these stars nearly mark the radiant point for the annual October Draconid meteor shower.

Because the stars stay fixed relative to each other, Vega is always near these stars. Vega, by the way, lodges at the apex of the Summer Triangle, a famous pattern consisting of three bright stars in three separate constellations, also prominent at this time of the year.

Rastaban and Eltanin from around the globe

From tropical and subtropical latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, the stars Rastaban and Eltanin shine quite low in the northern sky (below Vega). In either hemisphere, at all time zones, the Dragon’s eyes climb highest up in the sky around midnight (1 a.m. daylight saving time) in mid-June, 11 p.m. (midnight daylight saving time) in early July, and 9 p.m. (10 p.m. daylight saving time) in early August. But from temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (southern Australia and New Zealand), the Dragon’s eyes never climb above your horizon. However, you can catch the star Vega way low in your northern sky.

People at mid-northern latitudes get to view the Dragon’s eyes all night long!

About constellations

Speaking of Rastaban and Eltanin, one of you asked:

What are constellations?

The answer is that they’re patterns of stars on the sky’s dome. The Greeks and Romans, for example, named them for their gods and goddesses, and also for many sorts of animals. In the 20th century, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formalized the names and boundaries of the constellations. Now every star in the sky belongs to one or another constellation.

The stars within constellations aren’t connected, except in the mind’s eye of stargazers. The stars in general lie at vastly different distances from Earth. It’s by finding juxtaposed patterns on the sky’s dome that you’ll come to know the constellations, much as I identify Rastaban and Eltanin at this time of the year by looking for the star Vega.

Read more: A Dragon and a former pole star

The constellation Draco from Urania’s Mirror by Sidney Hall. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Bottom line: Look in the northeast on these June evenings, near the star Vega. You’ll see Rastaban and Eltanin, two stars that are bright and close together.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

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The post Rastaban and Eltanin, the Dragon’s Eyes, on June evenings first appeared on EarthSky.

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Rastaban and Eltanin, found in the head of Draco the Dragon, represent the Dragon’s Eyes.

Find the Dragon’s Eyes

Tonight, find the Dragon’s Eyes. For years, I’ve glanced up to the north on June evenings and spied the two stars marked on today’s chart, Rastaban and Eltanin in the constellation Draco. They’re noticeable because they’re relatively bright and near each other. There’s always that split second when I ask myself with some excitement what two stars are those? It’s then that my eyes drift to blue-white Vega nearby … and I know, by Vega’s nearness, that they are the stars Rastaban and Eltanin.

These two stars represent the fiery eyes of the constellation Draco the Dragon. Moreover, these stars nearly mark the radiant point for the annual October Draconid meteor shower.

Because the stars stay fixed relative to each other, Vega is always near these stars. Vega, by the way, lodges at the apex of the Summer Triangle, a famous pattern consisting of three bright stars in three separate constellations, also prominent at this time of the year.

Rastaban and Eltanin from around the globe

From tropical and subtropical latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, the stars Rastaban and Eltanin shine quite low in the northern sky (below Vega). In either hemisphere, at all time zones, the Dragon’s eyes climb highest up in the sky around midnight (1 a.m. daylight saving time) in mid-June, 11 p.m. (midnight daylight saving time) in early July, and 9 p.m. (10 p.m. daylight saving time) in early August. But from temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere (southern Australia and New Zealand), the Dragon’s eyes never climb above your horizon. However, you can catch the star Vega way low in your northern sky.

People at mid-northern latitudes get to view the Dragon’s eyes all night long!

About constellations

Speaking of Rastaban and Eltanin, one of you asked:

What are constellations?

The answer is that they’re patterns of stars on the sky’s dome. The Greeks and Romans, for example, named them for their gods and goddesses, and also for many sorts of animals. In the 20th century, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) formalized the names and boundaries of the constellations. Now every star in the sky belongs to one or another constellation.

The stars within constellations aren’t connected, except in the mind’s eye of stargazers. The stars in general lie at vastly different distances from Earth. It’s by finding juxtaposed patterns on the sky’s dome that you’ll come to know the constellations, much as I identify Rastaban and Eltanin at this time of the year by looking for the star Vega.

Read more: A Dragon and a former pole star

The constellation Draco from Urania’s Mirror by Sidney Hall. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Bottom line: Look in the northeast on these June evenings, near the star Vega. You’ll see Rastaban and Eltanin, two stars that are bright and close together.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The post Rastaban and Eltanin, the Dragon’s Eyes, on June evenings first appeared on EarthSky.

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Satellites swarm the night sky in this new video

Alan Dyer of Amazingsky.net recorded this video from his home in southern Alberta, Canada, around 51 degrees north latitude. Watch satellites swarm across the night sky in a 2.5-hour time lapse aimed toward the summer Milky Way. Video via Alan Dyer/ AmazingSky.net. Used with permission.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Satellites swarm the night sky in this new video

Alan Dyer of Amazingsky.net shared this mind-boggling video of 2.5 hours of the summer Milky Way, as satellites swarmed the view like a plague of locusts. EarthSky reached out to Alan, who captures his images from southern Alberta in Canada. Alan told us:

I take these images to illustrate the satellite issues.

Here are the details he shared about his video:

This 1-minute time-lapse records the tracks of the large number of satellites now passing across our skies on any given night.

The night in question here was June 13-14, 2026, from 11:43 p.m. MDT to 2:10 a.m. MDT [5:43 to 08:10 UTC], so over about 2.5 hours.

The field of view is 54 degrees by 37 degrees and frames the three stars of the Summer Triangle: Deneb at left, Vega at top and Altair at lower right, in Cygnus the Swan, Lyra the Harp and Aquila the Eagle, respectively.

I shot this from my location in southern Alberta at 51 degrees north latitude. That latitude range is the worst for seeing satellites in abundance as:

1. in summer around the solstice even satellites in low-Earth orbit are lit by sunlight all night long, and …
2. many sets of Starlink satellites peak at the most northerly point in their inclined orbits at about my latitude.

And yes, most of the satellite trails are from SpaceX Starlink satellites as most of the satellites now in orbit are Starlinks. And most seen here are following similar parallel paths, as Starlinks sets do.

Read more: 10,000 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth … and counting

Photographic details

Alan shared the photographic details of his video above and the still image below. He wrote:

The fast lens and long exposures I used do make satellites visible that were too faint to see with the unaided eye, just as fainter stars than your eye can see are recorded. Nevertheless, this shows just how many satellites are now passing through any field of view, be it unaided eye, with a camera or with a telescope.

The movie is from 1,200 frames. I took them starting when the sky was still a deep blue in late twilight until past the middle of the short summer night. The final still images stack the first 200 frames taken over 23 minutes, then each subsequent image adds another 100 frames, recording another 12 minutes of trails. This totals 600 frames at the end, taken over 71 minutes … with so many satellite trails the stars are obliterated. And yet this was only half the number of images taken this night.

Alan Dyer shared this composite image looking toward the summer Milky Way from Alberta, Canada. Alan wrote: “This is an accumulation of exposures showing the number of satellites across the Milky Way during 35 minutes, from 12:28 a.m. to 1:03 a.m. on June 14, 2026. The field of view here frames the Summer Triangle. I stacked just 300 frames out of 1,200 I shot this night over 2 hours and 30 minutes. Stacking more frames only produced a dense, chaotic mess, with so many satellite trails the stars were hidden behind a wall of bright streaks.” Image via Alan Dyer/ AmazingSky.net. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Alan Dyer shared this new video as satellites swarm across the sky, obscuring the summer Milky Way. Read more about Alan’s video here.

Read more: 10,000 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth … and counting

Watch: Feel awe over these national park timelapse videos

The post Satellites swarm the night sky in this new video first appeared on EarthSky.

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Alan Dyer of Amazingsky.net recorded this video from his home in southern Alberta, Canada, around 51 degrees north latitude. Watch satellites swarm across the night sky in a 2.5-hour time lapse aimed toward the summer Milky Way. Video via Alan Dyer/ AmazingSky.net. Used with permission.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Satellites swarm the night sky in this new video

Alan Dyer of Amazingsky.net shared this mind-boggling video of 2.5 hours of the summer Milky Way, as satellites swarmed the view like a plague of locusts. EarthSky reached out to Alan, who captures his images from southern Alberta in Canada. Alan told us:

I take these images to illustrate the satellite issues.

Here are the details he shared about his video:

This 1-minute time-lapse records the tracks of the large number of satellites now passing across our skies on any given night.

The night in question here was June 13-14, 2026, from 11:43 p.m. MDT to 2:10 a.m. MDT [5:43 to 08:10 UTC], so over about 2.5 hours.

The field of view is 54 degrees by 37 degrees and frames the three stars of the Summer Triangle: Deneb at left, Vega at top and Altair at lower right, in Cygnus the Swan, Lyra the Harp and Aquila the Eagle, respectively.

I shot this from my location in southern Alberta at 51 degrees north latitude. That latitude range is the worst for seeing satellites in abundance as:

1. in summer around the solstice even satellites in low-Earth orbit are lit by sunlight all night long, and …
2. many sets of Starlink satellites peak at the most northerly point in their inclined orbits at about my latitude.

And yes, most of the satellite trails are from SpaceX Starlink satellites as most of the satellites now in orbit are Starlinks. And most seen here are following similar parallel paths, as Starlinks sets do.

Read more: 10,000 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth … and counting

Photographic details

Alan shared the photographic details of his video above and the still image below. He wrote:

The fast lens and long exposures I used do make satellites visible that were too faint to see with the unaided eye, just as fainter stars than your eye can see are recorded. Nevertheless, this shows just how many satellites are now passing through any field of view, be it unaided eye, with a camera or with a telescope.

The movie is from 1,200 frames. I took them starting when the sky was still a deep blue in late twilight until past the middle of the short summer night. The final still images stack the first 200 frames taken over 23 minutes, then each subsequent image adds another 100 frames, recording another 12 minutes of trails. This totals 600 frames at the end, taken over 71 minutes … with so many satellite trails the stars are obliterated. And yet this was only half the number of images taken this night.

Alan Dyer shared this composite image looking toward the summer Milky Way from Alberta, Canada. Alan wrote: “This is an accumulation of exposures showing the number of satellites across the Milky Way during 35 minutes, from 12:28 a.m. to 1:03 a.m. on June 14, 2026. The field of view here frames the Summer Triangle. I stacked just 300 frames out of 1,200 I shot this night over 2 hours and 30 minutes. Stacking more frames only produced a dense, chaotic mess, with so many satellite trails the stars were hidden behind a wall of bright streaks.” Image via Alan Dyer/ AmazingSky.net. Used with permission.

Bottom line: Alan Dyer shared this new video as satellites swarm across the sky, obscuring the summer Milky Way. Read more about Alan’s video here.

Read more: 10,000 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth … and counting

Watch: Feel awe over these national park timelapse videos

The post Satellites swarm the night sky in this new video first appeared on EarthSky.

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