SkyCaramba

Venus is an evening object again, and Mercury will join it. But both are horizon huggers. Mars is easier to see as it moves from Taurus to the feet of Gemini. Saturn and Jupiter are getting easier to see in the morning. If you're in the right place on April 2nd, you can see Jupiter pass right in front of a star. The April Lyrids meteor shower peaks this month. There's a so-called supermoon. And Ur...

If someone mentions the planet Vulcan now, you probably think of the fictional world that's home to Mr. Spock on Star Trek. But there was a time when some astronomers believed there was a real planet they called Vulcan orbiting our sun.

You never hear much about the constellation Leo Minor.  A legend claims you can balance an egg on its end only on the equinox. And have you noticed there are no green stars?

Every once in a while, you hear about something from space that might crash into the earth. It happens just often enough to make some of us worry about it.

This month, a cluster of planets rises shortly before the sun, the southern hemisphere gets a good view of Mercury, Mars passes by the Pleiades, Venus is atypically invisible, the asteroid Vesta is at opposition, and Earth goes through an equinox.

At the end of February 1959, the U.S. government told the world it had launched a satellite that made some measurements, transmitted some measurement data, and then shut down as planned. Documents declassified in 1995 reveal the satellite malfunctioned shortly after launch and apparently crashed. Other formerly secret materials, including a CIA film, reveal that the engineers stayed busy solving p...

One of the accidental discoveries that spawned the field of radio astronomy stayed secret for a few years. There was a war going on. And the enemy could have used the newfound astronomical knowledge for a military advantage.

It seems unlikely that a farm boy who can't afford his own telescope, let alone a college education, could go to work for an astronomical observatory and make one of the most famous discoveries. But that's what Clyde Tombaugh did. Learn about the man who discovered Pluto.

Mercury starts the month as an evening object, but you'll find it in the morning near Jupiter and Saturn by the end of the month. Venus stays low close to the horizon before sunrise. Meanwhile, Mars continues a trek toward the Pleiades. Expect news about a couple space probes arriving at the red planet this month. And on another subject, why do you suppose some ancient writers described Sirius as...

Mercury never rests. The planet has been thought of as quick and sneaky like a thief or fast and dutiful like a messenger. Learn a little about it. And then hear about Sirius. The brightest star in our night sky has a dim companion. Astronomers knew about it for 18 years before they had big enough telescopes to see it. Then, some people claimed to have known about the companion for even longer.

Orion is one of the biggest and most recognizable constellations. This is a great time of year to see it. Learn about some of the stars and a stellar nursery in it.

Mars is passing close to Uranus. Uranus is harder to see, but having something familiar close by can help you identify it. Unfortunately, another familiar object--the first quarter moon--is going to cast a lot of light into the view and make things hard. Listen here for a workaround and to find out more about the red planet and the blue one.

Most planet viewing will be a challenge this month. But you may see Mars close to Uranus. You can also get to know some of the winter constellations at their best.

Did you get a new telescope for the holidays? Get to know it so you can get the most out of it. Here are some tips.

Many people ask this time of year what the Star of Bethlehem was. Most of the explanations don't consider it as a star at all. A comet, a conjunction of two planets, and a lunar eclipse are all considered in this podcast.

The December solstice is the winter solstice to some, the summer solstice to others. Learn why solstices happen and how they relate to certain lines on maps and globes. Also learn about the corresponding lunar phenomenon called the lunistice .

A century ago, universe and galaxy were interchangeable words. And most scientists thought the entire universe was only 30,000 light years across. Then an astronomer noticed something everyone else had missed in photographs of a particular nebula. When he calculated how far away it is, minds were blown. And it turns out, what he saw is even farther away than he thought. And today, a telescope name...

Events this month include a total solar eclipse, the Great Conjunction of 2020, a couple meteor showers, Earth at solstice, and more.

There'll be a penumbral lunar eclipse on November 30th. Here's a reminder about what to look for and when. The moon will be near an orange star called Aldebaran. And a reminder about the great conjunction of 2020 coming in December.

A stellar kite flies high during the evening this time of year. Most people see just six Pleiades with the naked eye. But legends from around the world tell of seven people or other beings represented there. Some cultures have explanations for why one is hiding or missing. Find out what the first nations people of North America and Australia, as well as the Greeks and others say about these stars.

The most famous meteor shower--the Leonids--happens in November. Astronomers never used to be interested in meteors. Then one morning, there was a Leonid meteor shower so intense, it terrified! And it taught. Astronomers learned that meteors are, in fact, astronomical phenomena. They have a relationship with comets.

Jupiter goes after Saturn before their best conjunction in almost 400 years. Mars “swims” with the fishes. Venus and Mercury delight in the morning sky. The Leonid meteors are due for their annual show, but how great will the show be? The month ends with a penumbral eclipse. And maybe we get to see a comet in small telescopes this month.

Venus and Mercury will go through perihelion--their closest points to the sun--just days apart. The timing is a coincidence. But here's why planets have perihelia. Also, you might have heard that besides happening on Halloween, this week's full moon is called a blue moon. That term is popular now because of a mistake in a magazine in the 1940s.

Superior and inferior don't mean better than and worse than when we're talking about astronomical events. Find out what it means when one of the inner planets is at inferior conjunction like Mercury will be soon. And watch the moon pass Jupiter and Saturn this week. The two planets are getting closer to each other until their very close call in December.

Jupiter and Saturn are close together in the evening sky and getting closer. In just a couple months, they'll be the closest they've been in nearly four centuries. You can see this great conjunction for yourself. And with modern technology, you can experience great conjunctions of long ago or a long time from now.