March 20 eclipse and the Saros

There are currently 40 different Saros series in progress, each with its own assigned number. The total solar eclipse of March 20, 2015 belongs to Saros 120.

When is the next meteor shower?

No major meteor showers are predicted until the Lyrid shower, peaking on the morning of April 23, 2015. Between now and then ... fireball season!

1 dead 1 injured after crash of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane - a craft intended to carry tourists on suborbital flights - exploded and crashed during a test flight Friday.

Comet Siding Spring’s near-miss of Mars was October 19

The close pass of Comet Siding Spring to Mars was exciting! Closest approach was October 19. Watch for photos from the event here at EarthSky.org.

Moon and Mercury low in west after sunset September 25 and 26

Try to catch the young moon, Mercury and star Spica in the sunset direction on September 25 and/or 26. Best seen from S. Hemisphere. N. Hemisphere viewers ... try it!

Longest lunar month of 2014 starts on August 25

The longest lunar month of 2014 starts with the August 25 new moon and ends September 24. All you need to know about the varying lengths of the lunar months, here.

Earth passes between sun and Pluto on July 4

Pluto’s 2014 opposition comes just one year before the New Horizons spacecraft will encounter this distance world and its moons.

See it! Photos and video of partial solar eclipse of April 29

Check out these photos and video of the April 29 partial solar eclipse.

Best time to see Jupiter in 2014 is now

Jupiter is always closest around the time of its yearly opposition, which came on January 5, 2014. For the rest of this month, Jupiter is at its best!

Use Big Dipper to find bright star Capella in fall

You can use the Big Dipper to find the bright star Capella in the constellation Auriga. The top two bowl stars point toward Capella. Chart here.