Venus after sunset and before sunrise!

The planet Venus is now appearing in the west after sunset and in the east before sunrise. Don't believe it? Astronomer Bruce McClure reports on his observation.

March 4 moon hides Aldebaran

The occultation by the moon of Aldebaran - brightest star in Taurus the Bull - was visible from North America. Great set of photos here from the EarthSky community!

Catch Comet Encke this evening!

The comet's orbital period is short - only 3.3 years - and the orbit is relatively close to Earth. Encke's Comet is now on its 63rd known visit to our part of space.

Star brightness versus star luminosity

Some extremely large and hot stars blaze away with the luminosity of a million suns! But other stars look bright only because they're near Earth.

Valentine’s Day

Astronomer Guy Ottewell reflects on the planet of love.

Green Comet 45P: Photos and video

Green Comet 45P has been in our sky for months and passed closest on February 11, 2017. It's a faint one, but intrepid astronomers have captured some wonderful images!

See it! February 10-11 lunar eclipse

A penumbral eclipse is subtle, but has a quiet beauty all its own. Thank you to all who submitted photos of the February 10-11, 2017 eclipse!

How many eclipses in 1 calendar year?

Every calendar year has at least 4, but 5, 6 or even 7 eclipses are also possible. Why don't we see them all?

The ecliptic is the path of the sun

The ecliptic is an imaginary line that marks the path of the sun. You can also find the planets and moon near this line, tracing the plane of our solar system.

Favorite photos from this weekend

The EarthSky community on Facebook outdid itself posting photos over the weekend of January 20-22, 2017. Thanks, everybody! Editors' picks here.