Astronomy Essentials
Can a season have only 2 full moons?
We know it's possible to squeeze 4 full moons into a single season. But can a season have just 2 full moons? Turns out it can, but it is rare.
Astronomy Essentials
Tonight
Visible planets and night sky guide for May and June
Visible planets and night sky guide. Tonight's the night! See a Blue Moon micromoon overnight tonight. See a video about it with EarthSky's Deborah Byrd.
Sun

Sun news: Blast from sun might brush past Earth today

Sun news for May 30, 2026: The sun sent a blast our way, which might arrive today! G1 storm possible May 31. Aurora watchers, ready!
Human World
Spaceflight

Blue Origin mega-rocket explodes on launch pad

Blue Origin experienced a setback late Thursday when its New Glenn mega-rocket exploded. The launch pad was also destroyed.
Brightest Stars

Arcturus, brightest star of the northern sky

Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern half of the sky. It's easy to find in spring in the Northern Hemisphere near the handle of the Big Dipper.
Human World
Space

The 1919 solar eclipse that proved Einstein right

During a May 29, 1919, solar eclipse, astronomers saw the sun bend starlight, proving Einstein's general relativity and catapulting him to rock star fame.
Earth

Strange sonic boom rattles South Carolina

People in South Carolina heard a strange sonic boom on May 28, 2026, around 5:30 p.m. The USGS said it wasn't an earthquake. Could it have been a meteor?
Earth

An undersea volcano is erupting in the South Pacific

An undersea volcano began erupting in the Bismarck Sea off the coast of Papua New Guinea on May 8, and it is still going. Will the volcano birth a new island?
Space

Do Europa’s water vapor plumes not exist after all?

New observations from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that Europa's water vapor plumes are less likely than previously thought. But they don't rule them out.
Brightest Stars

Meet Mimosa, a star of the Southern Cross

Mimosa is the 2nd-brightest star in Crux, the Southern Cross. It's circumpolar - up all night - from much of the Southern Hemisphere.