SkyCaramba

Jupiter will soon be the closest it's been to Earth since 1963! The next time it's this close will be in the next century. Mercury exits the evening sky and moves to the morning. Venus slowly leaves the morning. Mars marches eastward. And the equinox.

Mercury begins its retreat from the evening sky. Venus also heads sunward. Mars moves by the Hyades V. And how do I take it when people ask me astrology questions?

Learn about the Great Square of Pegasus and some star names that maybe don't make horse sense.

Mercury maintains evening status. Saturn goes through opposition. Jupiter stands strong for most of the night. Mars meets the Pleiades and Hyades. Venus sinks sunward. Two legendary birds, a swan and an eagle, fly alongside the Milky Way stream and are easily seen on August evenings.

Some people knew before scientists did that meteor showers are somewhat regular events. Meteor streaks seen in August have been described for centuries as the tears of a Christian martyr burned alive in Rome more than 1,700 years ago. However, astronomers didn't pay much mind to meteors until less than two centuries ago. What's left of the morning planetary lineup is spreading out as Saturn crosse...

Mercury's moving into the evening sky. The other planets are still merry in the morning. And in case you wondered about eclipses seemingly occurring at regular intervals, you're right.

Mercury went through superior conjunction recently. Now it's emerging in the evening sky. A lover's crown goes over our heads on July evenings. The old stories tell of a woman hurt by a lover who left her and a god who wanted to be her rebound.

Not a lot of astronomy guides use it, but some astronomers like the galactic coordinate system. And try to see some Delta Aquariid meteors.

A well reputed newspaper published a scathing editorial putting down the founder of rocket science for his idea that a rocket can be controlled in space and even made to land on the moon. The paper said anybody with a high school education should know better. The newspaper eventually published a retraction, but not before people were actually on their way to the moon.

The moon moves through the evening sky this week, while most of the planets are still visible in the morning. Over the next few weeks, you can see Saturn's shadow move from one side of its rings to the other. And there's a way to describe just how non-circular an object's orbit is.

Mercury's on the way out of the morning meeting of planets. Three of the moon's orbital points come together this week. And Earth is farthest away from the sun.

A southern star is known as the loneliest star, although it's well liked by navigators who perform their craft with sextants. And an arrow flies overhead, but it doesn't come from the constellation known as the archer.

The naked eye planets are in order in the morning sky. Uranus and Neptune break the order, but they're there too. And get ready for the solstice.

The naked eye planets are in order in the morning sky. Mercury moves in a little farther. Antares is the heart of the scorpion.

The naked eye planets in our morning lineup can be seen in the same order in the sky that they are in distance from the sun. Old stories tell of the dolphin among the constellations and the animal's service to other beings, including a human in trouble. About two centuries ago, two never previously known star names showed up in a published star catalog. The person who named them took the secret of...

The moon helps you identify the planets in the morning lineup. You've surely heard of Canis Major and Canis Minor. But there are two other celestial dogs: Canes Venatici. An almanac may tell you when the moon is at ascending node or descending node. SkyCaramba tells you what that means.

The morning planet show continues. A reminder about this week's total lunar eclipse. And despite its reputation, the North Star isn't the brightest star in the night sky. But the star with that distinction will eventually be the South Star.

Next week, from Sunday night to Monday morning (exact times vary by where you are), the moon will spend almost an hour-and-a-half in the central part of Earth's shadow. The eclipsed moon will be next to Libra. The constellation represents the scales of justice. The scales don't have claws, but three of Libra's stars' names contain an old word for claw.

That amazing morning meeting of planets continues. Mercury maintains its place in the evening. The most famous comet is almost as far from the sun as it gets, but it's responsible for a meteor shower that doesn't depend much on the comet's closeness. Brush up on your knowledge of Berenice's Hair.

Some South American and southern Pacific Ocean sky watchers get to see a solar eclipse this week. Use eye protection! Who's Virgo? The constellation was different women to different ancient cultures. Astronomy Day is coming.

Morning sky watching continues to be wondrous. Evening isn't so bad either lately. Get ready for the April Lyrids meteor shower. And just why do comets have such long, strange names now?

There's more to sunlight than meets the eye. About two centuries ago, a thermometer next to a prism helped a scientist see our home star in a new light.

Mercury soon returns to the evening sky as a morning planet lineup continues. Expect more sunspots, solar flares, and aurorae over the next few years. Aurorae are mesmerizing sky sights that happen when solar particles hit Earth's upper atmosphere. But sometimes, the sun throws off enough material to cause serious problems on Earth's surface.

Jupiter is leaving our morning lineup. Two stars on opposite sides of the Milky Way stream represent separated lovers. An orange star helped kick off a World's Fair

Some sky watchers may catch Jupiter and Mercury very close this week as the morning planet lineup continues. Uranus remains in the evening sky. The week begins with the solstice and Venus at greatest elongation. Just like latitude and longitude lines on an earth map, there are lines showing where to plot points to represent starts, planets, and other object on a sky map. Find out about the two coo...