
Why Is the Horizon Glowing Orange When You Are 50 Miles from the City?
Discover the atmospheric physics behind light pollution and why city skylines dominate the night sky even when you are miles away from civilization.

Author
Sky Events Senior Writer
Mariana is a dedicated amateur astronomer with a background in Physics Education who has spent the last eight years teaching adults how to read the sky. She curates monthly viewing guides for local astronomy meetups and specializes in translating precise ephemeris data into simple instructions. Her writing focuses on the dynamic nature of the solar system, helping beginners anticipate and appreciate celestial phenomena.
I verify event times against multiple almanac sources to ensure accuracy across different time zones.
All event articles must provide actionable advice on exactly when and where to look without requiring advanced equipment.
Stories by Mariana Costa10

Discover the atmospheric physics behind light pollution and why city skylines dominate the night sky even when you are miles away from civilization.
By Mariana Costa · 6 min read

Struggling to tell waxing from waning moons in the sky, I turned to a kitchen experiment that completely rewired how I visualize lunar phases.
By Mariana Costa · 7 min read

Stop memorizing backward numbers and start using these five household comparisons to finally grasp how star brightness actually works.
By Mariana Costa · 6 min read

A light-year isn't a duration you mark on a calendar, but a colossal unit of distance spanning nearly six trillion miles.
By Mariana Costa · 6 min read

Stop blaming the elliptical orbit for your sunburn; the real reason for the seasons is a fixed 23.5-degree tilt that never changes.
By Mariana Costa · 8 min read

Learn how to distinguish atmospheric distortion from satellites through a firsthand account of mistaking Venus’s crescent phase for a malfunctioning drone.
By Mariana Costa · 7 min read

Decode the rapid orbital mechanics of the Galilean moons and learn a simple sketching technique to track their movement across the Jovian system.
By Mariana Costa · 6 min read

Stop squinting at a blurry orange ball; here are the specific aperture, magnification, and optical quality specs required to resolve the famous gap in Saturn's rings.
By Mariana Costa · 6 min read

Master the narrow 15-minute post-sunset window to locate Mercury using a precise scanning technique that bypasses the horizon glare.
By Mariana Costa · 8 min read

Manage your expectations for the next opposition by understanding the physics behind why Mars remains a small, rusty orb in your eyepiece, and learn to love the subtle details you can actually spot.
By Mariana Costa · 7 min read