Look up, know what's up
SkyDeck publishes monthly moon-phase calendars and stargazing guides for backyard astronomers, astrophotographers and the simply night-sky-curious — with every date computed or verified against official sources, and every meteor peak cited. No guesswork under your sky.
Monthly sky guides
Moon phase tables computed with our validated engine, meteor shower peaks from IMO calendars, and planet highlights from published ephemeris sources.
December 2026: Geminids under a friendly crescent
The year's best meteor shower peaks moon-free, plus Saturn at dusk and Jupiter rising late.
Sky guideJanuary 2027: Quadrantids in perfect darkness
Peak lands three days before new Moon — and Venus dominates the dawn as a brilliant morning star.
Sky guideFebruary 2027: double opposition in Leo
Jupiter (Feb 11) and Mars (Feb 19) up all night eight days apart, with a penumbral eclipse of the full Moon.
Sky guideMarch 2027: Mercury returns to the dawn
Mars rides high all night after its opposition, and Mercury swings out 27.6° into the morning sky.
Evergreen guides
The concepts behind the calendars — moon names, dark skies, meteor mechanics and honest myth-busting.
Full moon names, explained
Where Wolf, Strawberry and Harvest moons come from — and why tribes and almanacs never fully agreed.
MoonDoes the full moon do anything? Tides yes, madness no
The one physical effect that's real, and the behavior claims that fail under scientific review.
MoonWhat is a blue moon? Two definitions, honestly told
Seasonal vs calendar blue moons — and the 1946 magazine mistake that rewired the popular meaning.
BeginnerHow to start stargazing without a telescope
Equipment-free first nights: what to look for, when to go, and what to add only later.
Dark skiesLight pollution and the Bortle scale, decoded
Nine classes from inner-city glow to shadows cast by the Milky Way — and how to rate your own sky.
AstrophotographyPhotographing the moon: settings that work
Starting exposures, focus and technique for phone, camera and telescope — from credited astro sources.
MeteorsWhy meteor showers happen
Comet debris, radiants and why "shooting star" rates spike before dawn on peak nights.
The moon-phase calculator
Pick any date and get the phase name, illumination, moon age and next full/new moon — computed in your browser.
Look up any night, past or future
Dates for phase events come from a Meeus-chapter-49 engine validated against the US Naval Observatory's published table: all 25 primary phases from October 2026 to March 2027 matched within 2 minutes.
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