SkyCaramba

Mercury and Venus trek across the northern part of Sagittarius as they barely make it into the evening sky. The moon goes farther north and south each month as it approaches a so-called major lunar standstill. The Geminid meteor shower peaks this week. The first astronomers who saw this shower described it as not very active, but things have changed.

Venus and Mercury step into the evening sky. The moon hides Mars for observers in North America and Europe.

The legend of the constellation Auriga tells of a man who succeeded in winning a royal bride after 18 suitors failed. They had to race the princess's father. If they lost, they lost big. The DART mission to nudge an asteroid into a different orbit worked. Why bother? The day may come when our lives depend on it.

Have you ever wanted to figure out where the planets would appear? I won't go into the details you'll need to do the math. But I'll tell you something to help you decide if you want to get started.

The Leonid meteor shower peak is coming. Actually, we could have multiple peaks as Earth passes through three old trails. A southerly bird on the celestial dome is a little hard for northern hemisphere observers to see, but you can try.

There's a total lunar eclipse this week. Start looking for Leonids. Earth is expected to pass through a few dense streams from hundreds of years ago. The designers of a monument to veterans in Arizona used astronomy to make something special happen at 11:11am on November 11.

Mars is turning around. Get ready for next week's total lunar eclipse. It's been 450 years since a supernova shone new light--literally and figuratively--on the true nature of stars.

An almost new moon hides an almost full Mercury this week. Learn how they can both be in the same part of the sky but in different phases. Capricornus is often recognized as a goat, but did you know it's half fish?

Parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia get a partial solar eclipse this month. If you're where you can see it, make sure you see it safely. Uranus will be at opposition next month. Learn how it got its name and some other ways to say it if you find it embarrassing.

Comet Halley is almost as far from us as it gets, but we're about to pass through its trail. Meet the Hyades, half-sisters of the Pleiades. Not much is said about the king going around the celestial north pole. The queen going around with him likes it that way. Learn about them and their daughter.

The brightest night star can be seen in the daytime at certain times of the year if you know exactly where to look. And observations are underway to determine if human technology can nudge an asteroid.

Your idea of how the moon affects the tides is probably incomplete. Here's the rest of the story.

One of the fainter constellations is named for a crustacean, even though two of its stars are donkeys and one of its star clusters is described as a beehive.

The most famous whirlwind in the solar system has been spinning for almost 200 years. Some think it's been around more than 360 years. You can see it for yourself in a telescope--if you look at the right time.

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.