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Photo: Happy anniversary, Neptune

The first anniversary of Neptune’s discovery by astronomers 165 Earth years ago. The Hubble telescope captured some images to celebrate the occasion.


Faraway, so close: the Earth’s most loyal stalker

Far away, but so close: The terraphobic asteroid that’s been stalking the Earth for a quarter of a million years may be our long-lost relative.


The ‘Supermoon’

The moon will be really, really big on Saturday in a much-hyped event that some say causes natural disasters. Astronomers say: Nah.


Real astronauts on a virtual Mars

After months of “space flight,” six astronauts are preparing to land on the red planet this Saturday. But this Mars is somewhere in Moscow.


A hot rock and a gas blob make headlines

It was a big week for cosmological discoveries, with an Earth-like planet and a star-making machine keeping astronomers riveted.


Venus, our eccentric sister

This week, Venus will reach its greatest distance from the sun in our sky before beginning its “descent” into what Sumerian myths described as the underworld. Here are five things you need to know about the planet.


Photo: Happy Belated Birthday, Carl!

Yesterday was Carl Sagan’s birthday, but instead of trying to sum up the late astronomer’s many accomplishments, we’ve decided to share a bit of trivia instead.



Except for the moon, Jupiter is the brightest celestial object in the sky this week. Tonight, in fact, the biggest planet in our solar system is the closest it ever gets to Earth.


Photo: Hello Jupiter, thanks for stopping by

During the late night hours tonight, Jupiter will pass 368 million miles from Earth, which is its closest approach since 1963. It won’t be this close again until 2022. You won’t need a telescope to see it, as it will be the brightest light in the sky besides the moon. Coincidentally, Uranus will also be [...]

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