Here’s exactly when, where and how to see a beautiful crescent moon grow in the southwestern sky after dark every night this week.

Nasa is one step closer to taking astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The space agency moved the rocket towards the launchpad at the US space agency’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Saturday, ahead of the launch window for the Artemis II mission, which opens on February 6.

NASA says Artemis II is a major step toward returning humans to the moon — and eventually sending astronauts to Mars. For the public, the name-submission campaign offers a fun, symbolic way to be part of that next chapter in space exploration. Over 1.8 million boarding passes have been claimed as of Monday afternoon.

Unfortunately for planet hunters, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all too close to the sun to observe; they will come out of the solar glare in the weeks following the new moon. Mercury will emerge as an " evening star " in February and Venus will do so in March. Mars will emerge into the predawn skies in March.

It's day one of the new lunar cycle, and over the next few days, a thin crescent will begin to appear as the Moon moves further along its orbit. It'll take a few days before it comes into view properly,

The next blood moon will occur on March 3, 2026. It will be visible to skywatchers across North America and will be the last total lunar eclipse anywhere on Earth until New Year's Eve 2028-2029. You can catch up with the latest lunar eclipse news and events with our lunar eclipse live blog.

Moon dust is sharp, corrosive, and potentially fatal. NASA’s new electric force field shield is designed to blast it away.

Saturn and the moon are about to meet up for a short-lived cosmic hangout. That's good news for avid skygazers, who will in one week have a chance to spot the celestial pair sharing a section of the night sky for one night in January.