Three planets light up the sky as soon as darkness falls on these May 2012 nights. This post tells you how to spot them.

Venus is at its brightest in late April and early May 2012. It's so bright it might surprise you. Some will report it as a UFO. But why so bright?

Everything you need to know - whether you're in Earth's eastern or western hemisphere - about the 2012 annular eclipse of the sun.

See the Venus-Jupiter conjunction in March 2012. They're spectacular this month - and near the moon by the month's end. Charts here.

Search for Comet Garradd before dawn and in the eastern sky, starting around the December solstice. Look for it with binoculars.

See below for a list of links to fun and useful facts about Earth's companion world. Learn these moon facts and impress your friends.

Mars will not look as big as the moon on August 27, 2011. But, in August 2011, you can see Mars as respectably bright ruddy star, in the eastern predawn sky

As Mercury reemerges as a morning object in May 2011, the solar system’s innermost planet will join up with the planets Jupiter, Venus and Mars in the eastern sky at dawn.

The amazingly bright object up before the sun in May 2011 is the planet Venus. Look east at early dawn before the sun comes up!

You're not likely to see much of the planet Jupiter in early May 2011. However, the giant planet quickly climbs away the glow of dawn throughout the month. When will you first spot Jupiter, the sky's second planet, in the east before sunrise?