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.

Vesta, brightest asteroid, brightest for 2017

If you've never spotted an asteroid, now would be a good time to try. Vesta's 2017 opposition is around now. Guy Ottewell provides charts and explains more.

See it! First full moon of 2017

In the Northern Hemisphere, the January full moon is sometimes known as the Wolf Moon. Howl at these awesome photos of the January's full moon from EarthSky friends around the world.

Moon in 2017

Everything you want to know about the moon in 2017 - including phases, cycles, eclipses and supermoons - from world-renowned astronomer Fred Espenak.