Author: Alison Klesman

Alison earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and master’s degree in earth, atmospheric, and planetary science from MIT. During this time, she completed several years of research in the field of planetary science, working on research topics that ranged from comets and asteroids to the atmosphere of Pluto. She earned her Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Florida for work surveying active galactic nuclei in massive galaxy clusters, after which she focused on outreach at Spencer's Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. Asteroid 30286 Klesman (2000 HG61) is named after her. Alison has been with the magazine since 2016.

Grayscale astrophotograph of a sparse star field dominated by a loose cluster of bright stars arranged in a rough triangular pattern across the center of the frame, set against thousands of fainter background stars scattered throughout the image.

The Sky Today on Monday, September 28: Open cluster M39 shines

Telescopic simulation of Saturn and its moons, dated September 27, 2026, 10 P.M. CDT. Saturn appears ringed at center left with Tethys, Rhea, and Dione labeled in a line extending to the upper left of the planet, while Titan appears as a bright point to the right. A 1 arcminute scale bar sits at lower center.

The Sky Today on Sunday, September 27: Catch Saturn’s satellites

A golden Full Moon in a dark blue sky seen through the branches of a foreground tree.

Observing, The Moon

2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases

Photograph of a Full Moon showing detailed gray cratered terrain and dark mare regions, positioned right of center against a deep blue and amber sky streaked with soft clouds, with a darker cloud band trailing below the Moon.

The Sky Today on Saturday, September 26: The Harvest Moon

Observing, The Moon

What is the Harvest Moon effect?

A Voyager 2 spacecraft image of Neptune showing the planet as a sphere with vivid blue and teal atmospheric bands, a large dark storm system visible in the southern hemisphere, and bright white clouds including a prominent high-altitude cloud streak near the center. The planet's limb glows with a subtle golden hue against the black background of space.

The Sky Today on Friday, September 25: Neptune at opposition

A Voyager 2 spacecraft image of Neptune showing the planet as a sphere with vivid blue and teal atmospheric bands, a large dark storm system visible in the southern hemisphere, and bright white clouds including a prominent high-altitude cloud streak near the center. The planet's limb glows with a subtle golden hue against the black background of space.

Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

The Sky This Week from September 25 to October 2: Neptune at opposition

A telescopic simulation showing Neptune in close proximity to the star HIP 968 on September 24, 2026, at midnight CDT. The two objects appear as a very tight pair of points near the center of the image against a deep blue-black background, with Neptune labeled just below HIP 968. A handful of other faint stars are scattered across the field, and a scale bar indicates 5 arcminutes.

The Sky Today on Thursday, September 24: Blue Neptune, yellow star

A labeled close-up of the Moon's surface showing the craters Galilaei and Galilaei A near the crater Reiner, separated by the bright streak-like feature Reiner Gamma, with a compass indicating north and east and an inset showing the location on the full lunar disk.

The Sky Today on Wednesday, September 23: Around Reiner Gamma

A photograph of an autumn sunrise showing the Sun as a bright golden-orange disc rising just behind the dark silhouette of a leafy tree, with streaks of orange-lit clouds spread across a deep red-orange sky. Additional silhouetted trees and shrubs line the dark foreground.

The Sky Today on Tuesday, September 22: The autumnal equinox

A telescopic simulation of Saturn and four of its moons on September 21, 2026, at midnight CDT, shown against a black background. Saturn is displayed in the lower right with its rings tilted at a shallow angle. Titan appears as a bright white point to the upper left of the planet, while Tethys, Dione, and Rhea are visible as smaller faint points arranged diagonally to the left of Saturn, with Rhea the farthest out. North and east compass directions are shown in the upper left, and a scale bar indicates 36 arcseconds.

The Sky Today on Monday, September 21: Saturn passes a field star

Path of asteroid Juno in September 2026

The Sky Today on Sunday, September 20: Juno’s movement